Although PVs (Photovoltaics) are generally thought of as a modern invention, they were discovered a long time ago. In fact, they’ve been around for more than 100 years, according to John Perlin author of several excellent books on the history of solar energy, including From Space to Earth: The Story of Solar Electricity.
The very first cell was made by an American inventor, E. E. Fritts, from selenium with a transparent gold foil layer on top and a metal backing. When struck by light, this primitive cell produced a tiny electrical current. Fritts called his device a “solar battery.” This mysterious invention stirred considerable controversy, though. Many prominent engineers and scientists at the time proclaimed that it violated the laws of physics. How could it make energy without burning a fuel?
Although Fritts is credited with developing the first solar cell, it turns out that a Frenchman, the experimental physicist Edmond Becquerel, had made one in 1839 out of two brass plates immersed in a liquid. When exposed to sunlight, this unusual contraption produced an electrical current.
Today, most commercial PV modules are made from silicon, though new and more efficient designs made from materials with space-age sounding names are in the works.
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