Is PV solar a new technology?
Although PV was first described in 1839 (by French physicist Edmond Becquerel, when he was just 19), its commercial development began only in the 1940s. By 1954 Bell Laboratories had produced a 4% efficient crystalline silicon cell. Since then, development of sophisticated semi-conductors has increased operating efficiencies to more than 14% (and even more in the laboratory) and brought down prices. In the 1950s and 1960s PV cells were used in space, for example, powering radio transmitters on satellites, and solar-powered satellites continue to be launched every year. Today, however, PV is used around the world for applications ranging from large-scale power generation to building power to battery charging, and the PV industry is rapidly expanding.
