Solar Energy History

Solar Power Through the Ages

Believe it or not, solar energy's history is a relatively long one. For more than a century, the energy potential of solar power has been recognized by scientists and engineers alike. Ironically, interest in solar power first peaked during a time when fossil fuels were emerging as the power behind a new age : the Industrial Revolution. Even then there were worries about what would happen when conventional fuel sources like natural gas and coal ran out. While these renewable energy pioneers did look into other forms of energy like wind, they concluded that solar was the best bet.

During that time technology was developed that could power (among other things) the steam engine, which is among the most significant inventions of the period, with energy from the sun. The first record of solar energy conversion was performed by math teacher Auguste Mouchout in the 1860's and the technology continued to blossom from there. In actuality, by fifty years ago engineers had actually discovered all of the current methods of extracting energy from sunlight that we currently use today. However history tells us that these ideas were largely ignored in favour of the energy flavour of the week - black gold.

OPEC Stirs the Pot

There was another surge of interest in solar and other renewable energies during the 1970's when the OPEC oil cartel threw most major economies of the world into a recession by drastically raising the price of oil. Because of this, there was an obvious interest in cheaper and more reliable sources of energy. That's where solar power came in. It's obvious renewability and common accessibility made it a favourite among people looking for new energy. It was this renewed interest that has led to the advances in the technology that we can now take advantage of.