The development of the solar energy dated back to the ancient time of the Greeks as far back as the seventh century when they started concentrating the rays of the sun with lenses to start fires. The Romans are not left out as they can be credited with heating their bath waters with the heat of the sun. More so, they developed the art of facing windows to the south so that they can conserve the heat during cold weather.
Nevertheless, it is very hard to single out one person or any number of persons as the forces behind the current spate of sunlight powered energy. This is because the technology is not yet at its peak and many countless number of people has worked to bring it to the current level. In fact, many more people are still working on creating better systems.
However, notable among the forerunners who developed the power of the sun is Horace De Saussure who is credited with developing the solar collector in 1767. In fact, it is said that Sir John Herschel who had many expeditions into the interior of Africa in the early 1830 used the technology in heating his food during his trips.
One other forerunner is Edmund Becquerel who was able to show the world that some materials have the ability to produce electricity when they are hit by sunlight. Albert Einstein now took the research further and he was able to show that some surfaces have the capability of releasing electrons when they are in direct contact with sunlight. Thus, in 1905 Einstein won the Nobel Prize for his research into the technology.
The technology was later developed in the photovoltaic cells to provide a source of consistent and renewable power to spaceships. Prior to this development, spaceship projects were limited to gigantic chemical batteries that were usually depleted within a short time. However, the photovoltaic cells were discovered to be far more efficient in providing power to spaceships, hence, the reason for more governmental funding for solar projects.
Interestingly, the technology could still not be used on earth because it was very expensive. However, the relentless efforts of the scientists are the Bell laboratory helped to create a process for converting the power of the sun into a form that could be used by simple electric items such as flashlights and remote controls. In essence, they can be credited with providing the technology in a format that could find every day applications.
Thankfully, the technology is now at a more advanced stage such that there are many modern applications for the power. For instance, the energy from the sun is now being harnessed to provide the power needs of the home and many farms are now being powered solely by alternative energy. More so, the energy is being used to power cars, and recently a computer manufacturer unveiled a notebook that could be entirely powered by the sun.
In addition, many homes are now benefiting from the advantages being provided by the present state of the technology. You do not need to go very far before you can see huge panels on the roofs of buildings. This is a testimony to the fact that more people are reawakening to the possibilities that are available in the power from the sun. Yet, solar energy technology is still at a developmental level because, there is still many researches going on in various research centers around the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment