Contrary to what is often believed, the history of solar panels is not a recent discovery and goes far back in the past. In fact, in 1839, the phenomenon was discovered by French physicist Alexandre Edmond Becquerel. He was the first to convert the sun's light energy into electricity, demonstrating that certain materials exposed to natural light produce small amounts of electricity. This is how the photovoltaic principle was born, and the history of solar panels began.
Subsequently, scientists continued research and studies to further develop this discovery and make it truly productive and profitable in the long term. However, efforts remained in vain in this field for a long time, as the production of photovoltaic energy remained too low and only interested laboratories for experimental and marginal applications.
Despite a relatively wide research front, it would take nearly 100 years for the photovoltaic phenomenon to be truly deepened and explored. It was three American researchers, Pearson, Prince, and Chapin, who, in 1954, developed the first real photovoltaic cell made of silicon, which produced enough energy to be used, with an efficiency of 6%.
Supported by the beginning of the space industry (which is looking for new sources of energy to power satellites) and the Cold War (during which both sides wanted to improve espionage techniques), the discovery was a great success. The military, motivated by the appeal of a reliable and constant power source, financed the very expensive research that went along with it, which significantly accelerated things. In 1958, the first satellites powered by solar energy were launched into space and proved their worth.
At that time, it should be noted that the cost of production was very high and therefore did not allow for common use of the photovoltaic system. But the researchers didn't give up, and in the 1970s, Elliot Berman managed to design a cell made of much cheaper materials. It was from this time that the photovoltaic energy system became exploitable, for more common and profitable use.
Nowadays, experimental applications are multiplying at great speed, with researchers striving to make the most of this promising new source of energy. In 1973, at the University of Delaware, the first house powered by photovoltaic cells was developed, the ultimate fantasy of environmentally conscious consumers. In 1983, a vehicle traveled 4,000 kilometers, powered solely by solar energy, and once again, the future is seen as cleaner and more ecological, thanks to solar energy and the famous solar panels...
It was finally in 1995 that Japan and Germany developed photovoltaic roof systems connected to the general network, which are more or less similar to those we know today. However, it would still take until 2001 for this type of installation to become widespread, at affordable costs for the general public.