The Start
- In 1883 solar cells were made functional by Charles Fritts, using selenium.
- In 1904 Einstein published his paper on the photoelectric effect. He would later get a nobel prize.
- In 1954 Bell labs discovered a more efficient way to make solar cells, with silicon. These are still things we use in modern solar cells.
- In 1955 Western Electric began to sell cheaper solar cells than Bell labs.
- In 1958 the Vanguard I was sent into space as the first satellite to sun only on solar energy.
- In 1977 the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), later to become the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), opened in Golden, Colorado. This lab became an important part in how the U.S. uses renewable power.
- In 1973 Solar One was created and the marketing for the use of solar energy in homes had taken off with them.
- In 1979 Solenergy was founded by NASA. This now acknowledges study of solar energy.
- In 1991 the Solar Energy Research Institute was redesignated as the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory by President George Bush.
From then on solar energy has made small adjustments on efficiency and what goes into the components of a solar panel. They have become more commercialized because of it.