HISTORY

OF PV

1839

Edmond Becquerel (France) discovers the photovoltaic effect.

1904

Hallwachs discovers that a combination of copper and cuprous oxide is photosensitive.

1921

Albert Einstein wins the Nobel Prize for his theories explaining the photoelectric effect.

1954

AT&T demonstrates solar cells in Murray Hill, NJ.

1958

Launch of Vanguard I, the first solar powered satellite.

1963

Sharp Corporation succeeds in producing practical silicon PV modules.

Japan installs a 242-W photovoltaic array on a lighthouse, the world's largest array at that time.

1964

E. F. SHUMACHER writes “Small Is Beautiful : Economics As If People Mattered”.

1976

NASA’s Lewis Research Center starts the installation of 83 PV power systems on every continent except Australia.

1980

ARCO Solar is the first company to produce more than 1 MW of PV modules in one year.

1981

Solar Challenger, PV-powered airplane, flies.

1983

Worldwide PV production exceeds 21.3 MW, and sales exceed $250 million.

Solar Trek, a 1Kw solar powered car, drives across Australia, covering 4000 km in less than 20 days. The maximum speed was 72 km/h. Later the same year, the car drove 4000 km, from Long Beach, CA, to Daytona Beach, FL, in 18 days.

1996

The world's most advanced solar-powered plane, the Icare flies over Germany. The wings and tail surfaces of the Icare are covered by 3000 super-efficient PV cells, with a total area of 21m2.

1997

Greece agrees to fund the first 5 MW of a 50-MW PV power station on Crete with Enron Solar.

President Suharto, Indonesia, inaugurates a project to install 36,400 50-W solar home systems over three years.

1999

Germany launches a 100,000 solar roofs scheme to promote the on-site generation of clean electricity.

2000

At a UN meeting in Shanghai, experts from 99 countries agree that global warming is stronger than predicted. The average temperature of the planet increased 0.6°C over the past 100 years and is expected to increase between 1.4°C and 5.8°C over the next century. The thickness of the ice sheet in the Arctic has been reduced by 40% since 1945. These facts are more than worrying and it is more than urgent to develop the production of renewable electricity, which is the main purpose of our organisation.

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