Inventors Of Solar Panels

In a way many physicists played a part in solar cell invention.

Inventors of solar panels. Invention of the solar cell. Almost 50 years after the photovoltaic effect s discovery in 1883 american inventor charles fritz created the first working selenium solar cell 3though we use silicon in cells for modern solar panels this solar cell was a major precursor to the technology used today. However solar cells as we know them today are made with silicon not selenium. In 1891 baltimore inventor clarence kemp patented the first commercial solar water heater.

As the sun s been around much longer than solar panel technology it stands to reason. The french physicist antoine cesar becquerel is credited with the solar panel research in 1839. He even saw a voltage develop when the sunlight fell on the electrode. In 1883 american inventor charles fritz created the first working selenium solar cell.

When and more importantly who invented solar panels is a complex question. Many argue that this event marks the true invention of pv technology because it was the first instance of a solar technology that could actually power an electric device for several hours of a day. Therefore some consider the true invention of solar panels to be tied to daryl chapin calvin fuller and gerald pearson s creation of the silicon photovoltaic pv cell at bell labs in 1954. Inventors daryl chapin calvin fuller and gerald pearson inducted to the national inventors hall of fame in 2008 were the brains behind the silicon solar cell at bell labs.

In 1888 a scientist from russia named aleksandr stoletov built and patented the first true solar cell. While we can pinpoint the major steps.