Solar panels are something that are becoming more popular in the modern world. As we start to think of ways to combat climate change and rely less on fossil fuels, many people are getting someone like this solar panel installers Portishead based company redbridgeandsons.co.uk/solar-pv-panels/solar-panel-installers-portishead to put solar panels on their home to allow them to power their house with the sun’s rays.
Although we see solar panels as a modern invention, the use of solar power actually goes back centuries – both the Romans and the Ancient Greeks were aware of the power of the sun and used it to light torches, and homes were often designed in order to make the most of the heat of the sun to naturally keep them warm.
Centuries later, the Swiss scientist Horace Benedict de Saussure created the first cell that actually collected solar power. The box was insulated and then had three layers of glass that magnified the heat and therefore enabled the box to reach high temperatures, which was put forward as a form of heating.
The first PV cells, which are nowadays used on modern solar panels were created in the 19th century, and many scientists experimented with them and how they could be used to harness the sun’s energy. They were not able to be put to use practically though until 1954 when Bell laboratories created the first modern PV cell. Originally designed to be used on satellites orbiting the Earth, in the next few decades technology advanced further and allowed cells to be created that could be used on our buildings on Earth.
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