A brief history of solar

Global warming is one of the most difficult problems the world must face in the coming years. Climate change is wreaking havoc all over the globe. This summer, news of heat-related deaths is terrifying citizens in many countries. Japan is enduring the hottest temperatures since meteorological records have been kept and many deaths have resulted from the stifling heat in several other nations. Similar reports have come in from Canada, Europe and other places in the northern hemisphere. Does this mean we are doomed to consistently warmer temperatures forever? Perhaps not if solar energy has anything to say about it. Solar power is energy secured directly from the sun. This energy, in the form of heat and light, supports all life on earth, establishes the earth's climate and is largely responsible for the class of resources collectively known as renewable energy.

Solar is nothing new

Humans have been using the sun for heat for thousands of years. The Greeks, Native Americans, Chinese, and others heated their structures by orienting them toward the sun. In Europe, farmers used complex field orientation and thermal mass to increase crop production during the Little Ice Age. Modern solar technologies continue to use the sun to produce water heating and electric power for millions of people. Solar power consists of technologies that transform sunlight into electricity and in some cases thermal or mechanical power.

The long history of solar energy goes back to prehistoric times

In 1866, the French engineer Auguste Mouchout powered a steam engine with the energy of the sun. This is the first recorded example of a solar-powered mechanical design. Over the next fifty years, inventors such as John Ericsson, Charles Tellier, and Frank Shuman invented solar-powered devices for irrigation, refrigeration, and locomotion. The modern age of solar power hit in 1954 when scientists at Bell Laboratories developed a photovoltaic cell capable of efficiently converting light into electricity. This breakthrough marked a major change in how power is produced. Since that time, solar cell efficiencies have increased from 6% to 15% with experimental cells reaching efficiencies over 40%.

Direct solar energy technologies

Direct solar refers to technologies that comprise a single conversion of sunlight which provides a usable form of energy. Indirect solar generally refers to technologies that involve multiple transformations of sunlight which appear in a usable form of energy.

A solar cell is a device that changes light into electricity using the photovoltaic effect. Until recently, their use has been restricted because of expensive production costs. One cost-effective use has been in very low-power devices that need little juice, such as calculators with LCDs and similarly diminutive gadgets. Another use has been in remote applications such as roadside emergency telephones, remote sensing, cathodic protection of pipelines, and limited "off grid" home power demands.

The time for solar power is now

There are numerous good reasons for investing in a solar energy system. Today, with solar panel prices dropping, it makes more sense than ever before to begin generating your own electricity. Wouldn't it feel fabulous to have power when the grid has a power outage? But many solar consumers say they feel empowered by making their own power and feel like part of a global environmental movement that refuses to accept pollution as a way of life. Those who install solar panels are setting a good example for the whole community.

Solar power is here to stay, and the sooner you explore how much you can save, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of residential solar power.

Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar.

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