The History Of Solar Energy

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The history of solar energy.

We started out concentrating the sun s heat with glass and mirrors to light fires. In this year the swiss scientist horace bénédict de saussure invented an instrument with which solar radiation could be measured. The history of solar energy. Today we have everything from solar powered buildings to solar powered vehicles.

This is arguably surpassed by india s gujarat solar park a collection of solar farms scattered around the gujarat region boasting a combined installed capacity of 605 megawatts. The further development of his invention gave rise to today s instruments for measuring solar radiation. Its history spans from the 7th century b c. Their work reflects a disjointed solar energy policy.

The power of the sun is what makes life on earth possible. A legend recounts how the greek inventor archimedes used a heat ray to set enemy ships on fire by reflecting and redirecting the sun s light with a series of mirrors 2. Solar thermal energy has a place in the history of solar energy from the year 1767. As of 2012 the history s largest solar energy plant is the golmud solar park in china with an installed capacity of 200 megawatts.

The history of solar energy published december 24 2019 the massive potential of solar energy is almost too hard to grasp which is why harnessing this sun s energy for useful purposes has sparked the interest of many scientists for thousands of years. Here you can learn more about the milestones in the. Had the findings of the early solar. Later in 3rd century b c the greeks and romans were known to harness solar power with mirrors to light torches for religious ceremonies.

A year later a solar cell was developed with 10 efficiency but still saw little usage outside of spaceflight. Humans first learn to make fire through the concentration of sunlight using a magnifying glass 1. Many of us assume that the nation s first serious push to develop renewable fuels was spawned while angry americans waited in gas lines during the energy crisis of the 1970s. The history of solar power is not as recent as some may think as the technology has existed since the 19th century and has received substantial government support since at least the 1970s.

Solar technology isn t new. In theory solar energy was used by humans as early as 7th century b c. Solar cells at that stage were still suitable for use in space and in 1958 the vanguard 1 spacecraft used solar as a backup energy source. According to solar energy industries association solar has had an average annual growth rate of 50 percent in the last 10 years in the united states largely due to the solar investment tax.

Efforts to harness solar energy in concentrated form have long been a human pursuit.