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By: Adrian Fletcher
The history of modern solar power goes back further than you might think. It can be traced back to the middle of the 19th century when scientists, engineers and inventors begin thinking about alternatives to coal. The growing belief that coal was a finite resource that would either run out or lead to political problems seemed to inspire many to start looking at solar energy. This article will detail the history of solar power from this period through to modern times. From 1860 to 1880, the French inventor Auguste Mouchout constructed a solar powered engine. The idea behind the engine was to use the sun's heat to create steam. This steam could power other machinery used in many of the new factories that were being built. The engine was well received by the French government that saw the potential for free energy. They invested money into the project that allowed Mouchout to continue his research and development. However, when coal became cheaper and more plentiful, the government began to lose interest in a solar powered engine and canceled the funding. During this time, William Adams devised a similar solution that had greater capacity. He built a rack consisting of small mirrors around a boiler. The sun's energy was used to heat water to create steam. This gave hime a 2.5 horsepower output from an engine connected to the boiler. In 1885 for approximately 4 years, Charles Tellier performed experiments with solar energy. He eventually created solar collectors that were installed on rooftops. The aim of the collectors was to power refrigeration units. In 1903, Aubrey Eneas started working with solar power. He studied the work of Mouchout but expanded on the scale and efficiency of the original design. He produced a solar power engine that had commercial potential. To this extent, he managed to sell one to a Doctor in Arizona for nearly $2000. It became damaged soon after being transported and was never used. He managed to sell another engine for a similar figure but this was also never used as it became damaged in a hailstorm. During this period, Henry E. Willsie created 2 solar plants that collected energy during the day so that it could be used at night. He used flat plate collectors to do this. They created about 15 horsepower of output. In 1906, Frank Shuman made improvements of the original Willsie design. This increased the engine output to 33 horsepower. He continued to tweak his designs to the extent that he managed to get the engine up to 55 horsepower. The solar industry seemed to go into the doldrums during the war years. Not much of note was developed until 1954. Researchers in the Bell laboratories noticed the reaction of silicon with sunlight. The end result was the invention of photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic (PV) cells are the underlying principle behind the solar panels that you see on many a rooftop today. It creates direct current from sun light. With the crises with oil shortages and massive increases in the cost of gasoline, research into alternative energy sources was renewed. In terms of solar power, much research went into making PV cells more efficient and cheaper. PV cells have developed significantly since the early days. They are now increasingly cheaper and more efficient than their predecessors. This improvement will continue as people and governments begin to take solar power seriously. More people are installing solar panels in their homes and this will only increase in the future. More grants and subsidies exist for the creators and users of solar powered technology.
Article Source: http://www.articlenorth.com
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