Hobbies And Interests
Solar Energy Inventions
In 1767, a Swiss scientist, Horace De Saussure, built the first solar collector. The collector he built was used in the 1830s by Sir John Herschel to cook food during his African expedition. In the 1860s, a French mathematician, August Mouchet, came up with the idea for a solar-powered steam engine. He and his assistant built the first solar-powered engines, which became the model for the modern parabolic dish collectors.
Solar Energy Advances
In 1883, an American named Charles Fritts described the first solar cells made of selenium wafers. The first commercial solar water heater was patented in 1891. A solar collector with copper coils and an insulated box was created in 1908. Photovoltaic technology was developed in 1954. Calvin Fuller and Gerald Peterson introduced the first solar cell that was capable of converting the sun's energy into enough power to run electrical appliances and equipment.
Solar Energy in Construction
The world's first office building that used solar power to heat water was built in the mid-1950s. Architect Frank Bridgers designed the building that was named the Bridgers-Paxton building, and it is still operating today. The building is listed on the National Historic register as one of the finest examples of the use of solar power in an office building. In 1973, the University of Delaware built one of the first photovoltaic (PV) powered residences. It was a hybrid system that used solar power during the day and power from the utility company at night.
Solar Energy in Space
In 1958, a space satellite called the Vanguard I used solar energy to power its radio. Solar energy has been used to successfully power satellites in space. Explorer III, Vanguard II and Sputnik 3 were are launched with PV systems on board, making solar power an acceptable energy resource for space applications. In 1964, NASA launched the Nimba spacecraft, a satellite which was powered by 470-watt PV cells.
Modern Solar Energy Applications
In 1981, Paul McCready built the first solar-powered aircraft. It used 16,000 solar cells to produce 3,000 watts of power. The first solar-powered car was developed in 1982. In 1994, the first solar dish generator using a Stirling engine was tied to a utility grid. Solar shingles, a new technology for converting sunlight to energy, was developed in 1998. In 2001, the National Space Development agency announced plans to develop a solar-based satellite that can beam energy back to earth from space.