What are some of the historical milestones in relation to solar power?
• 1839 Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel, a French physicist, discovers the principle of solar power generation. • 1905 Albert Einstein documents a scientific explanation of solar energy principles. • 1954 Bell Laboratories develops the world’s silicon solar cell with an efficiency of 5 %; i.e. the cell was able to convert 5% of the sun’s energy into power. Today’s solar cells achieve efficiencies of up to 20%. • 1955 Solar cells were implemented in space exploration to power equipment • 1973 The oil crisis sees a surging interest in solar energy • 1997 Australia becomes a leader in photovoltaic research • 2007 Germany leads the world in solar energy with 1000 times more installed capacity than Australia thanks to a gross feed in tariff. How is a solar panel made? Solar panels must be made in dust free and temperature controlled conditions. The process is very labour intensive. While the finished product is incredibly rugged and will have a serviceable life for decades, the production of a so
