History

While early mankind used passive solar for light and heat, it was in 1890 that the photovoltaic effect was observed by Henri Becquerel. This became a subject of scientific inquiry through the early 20th century. In fact, Albert Einstein's only Nobel Prize was awarded for his work in solar power research.

In 1954, Bell Labs in the U.S. introduced the first solar photovoltaic device that produced a useful amount of electricity. By 1958, solar cells were being used in small-scale scientific and commercial applications, including the space program.

The energy crisis of the 1970s saw the beginning of major interest in using solar cells for power here on Earth, but prohibitive prices (approximately 30 times current prices) made large scale applications unfeasible. About the same time, solar hot water systems were more cost-effective, and many still operate decades later on homes across the nation.

Industry developments and research during this period made PV feasible for remote applications, especially for the telecommunications industry, and a cycle of increasing production and decreasing costs began which continues today.

From 1984 through 1990, the first solar electric generation station (SEGS) plants were built in California's Mohave Desert. The nine plants still operate today. In fact, plants III - IX were upgraded with new tubes for improved efficiency.

The new millennium has seen PV become cost-effective in a rapidly growing number of areas as research and production advances continue every day. The U.S. solar energy market grew more than 100 percent in 2010 as a result of state and federal policies and incentives combined with innovative business models that are driving the cost of solar down at a dramatic pace.

Learn more about the history of SEIA.

Read The History of Solar Energy factsheet.