The History of Solar Power Usage

Then Sun is the source of all life on the planet and without it we could not possibly exist. The Sun is also a fantastic renewable energy source and produces far too much energy for humans to possibly use it all. This makes Sunlight a far better energy source than the fossil fuels that humans burn, polluting the air and causing global warming.

Myths surrounding solar power:

Many people believe solar energy is a fairly recent discovery, when in actual fact; the first photovoltaic cell was built by Charles Fritts in 1883. At this time, the cell was only around 1% efficient, compared to the latest efficiency of solar PV which has now broken records of 40%.

Another common myth is that solar panels only work the weather is sunny. Solar photo voltaic cells still produce energy whatever the weather, this is one of the major benefits of Solar PV. However, the sunnier the weather the more energy the solar panels produce and they do not produce energy prior to sunset.

Why was solar power not used in replacement of fossil fuels?

Solar PV cells have become increasingly popular in the home due to the fall in costs for them to be installed. During the 1950's, when the first modern photovoltaic cell was produced, it cost around 85 times more to run an appliance on solar power as opposed to fossil fuels. It wasn't until the late 1960's, where prices were dropped by a fifth in order to increase demand for the use of solar power.

As of February 2010, it was introduced that people get paid to produce solar powered energy, even if they don't use it. This is referred to as the feed-in tariff and applies to those with domestic solar PV systems. The feed-in tariff is a government scheme that rewards homeowners for producing clean, renewable energy and is an incentive to reduce the burning of fossil fuels and the effects of global warming. Any electricity the homeowner doesn't use is fed back into the national grid.

Increase in solar power usage:

Compared to when modern solar PV cells were first invented in the 50's, they have decreased in price whilst becoming an increasingly worthy investment. This is excellent news for homeowners as electricity bills have significantly increased since the 1950's, due to technology development and almost every home possessing at least one computer and television. So generating free electricity to power the home using solar panels is a very appealing concept.

Solar power has been here all along. It has become increasingly popular recently due to more people being made aware of our effect on climate change and global warming. Combined with electricity bills soaring, more people are deciding to use an energy source that has existed longer than mankind.


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Written by Jamei Lyons on behalf of Solarlec and Solar Power Blog