Seaford   Solar 3755 Oleta Place Seaford, NY 11783 Phone:(917) 860 - 0123 eMail: SeafordSolar@yahoo.com Seaford Solar - Your Simple Source for Solar Electricity

About Solar Panel History Frankly, many people do not think of PV as a mainstream technology. Do you think PV is kinda space age? Those are the PV panels hanging out like wings from the first International Space Station elements: Zarya and Unity. Do you think that the PV idea is kinda new? well think again! Until I started to read up on PV, I had no idea that its first discovery was in 1839! A Frenchman, Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel, noticed that some materials produce current when exposed to light. In 1873 Willoughby Smith found that selenium is photoconductive. By 1877 Werner Von Siemens recognized the importance of photovoltaic technology for the future. Siemens? Siemens? Is his name new to you? Don’t feel bad. I didn’t even know he invented the dynamo! Today, Siemens AG is a major player in the game and Germany has a strong solar initiative. Some other key dates: 1905 - Albert Einstein publishes his paper on the photoelectric effect Early 1950s - R.S. Ohl discovered sunlight striking silicon works too! Mid 1950s - Calvin S. Fuller, Gerald L. Pearson, and Daryl M. Chapin, invented the silicon solar cell at Bell Labs 1955 - Bell Solar Battery used for rural telephone equipment. Here is a picture of a solar phone pole from 1955. 1956 - Solar cells are available commercially In the late 1950's US and Soviet satellites start to be powered by solar cells 1962 - 3,600 solar batteries power the world's first communications satellite, Telstar. 1969 - Bell scientists adapt solar principles to digital cameras 1973 - Arab oil embargo should have told us that the U.S. economy needs solar energy! 1992 - The US leads the world in total power derived from solar cells 1997 - Japan takes the lead 2001 - Japan expands its lead, while Germany passes the US! If you want more information For a nice time line and other information: WikiPedia The Department Of Energy has all sorts of information on solar technologies DOE: Solar Energy Technologies Program