Solar energy

1767

The simplest solar cooker is the box cooker first built by Horace de Saussure in 1767.

1872

A large-scale solar distillation project was first constructed in 1872 in the Chilean mining town of Las Salinas.

1880

The first solar cell was constructed by Charles Fritts in the 1880s.

1908

In 1908 Shuman formed the Sun Power Company with the intent of building larger solar power plants.

1912

Shuman then constructed a full-scale steam engine powered by low-pressure water, enabling him to patent the entire solar engine system by 1912. Shuman built the world's first solar thermal power station in Maadi, Egypt, between 1912 and 1913.

1913

Shuman then constructed a full-scale steam engine powered by low-pressure water, enabling him to patent the entire solar engine system by 1912. Shuman built the world's first solar thermal power station in Maadi, Egypt, between 1912 and 1913.

1916

In 1916 Shuman was quoted in the media advocating solar energy's utilization, saying: ===Water heating=== Solar hot water systems use sunlight to heat water.

1930

Although the outbreak of World War I and the discovery of cheap oil in the 1930s discouraged the advancement of solar energy, Shuman's vision, and basic design were resurrected in the 1970s with a new wave of interest in solar thermal energy.

1931

In 1931 a German engineer, Dr Bruno Lange, developed a photo cell using silver selenide in place of copper oxide.

1940

Following the work of Russell Ohl in the 1940s, researchers Gerald Pearson, Calvin Fuller and Daryl Chapin created the crystalline silicon solar cell in 1954.

1954

Following the work of Russell Ohl in the 1940s, researchers Gerald Pearson, Calvin Fuller and Daryl Chapin created the crystalline silicon solar cell in 1954.

1970

Although the outbreak of World War I and the discovery of cheap oil in the 1930s discouraged the advancement of solar energy, Shuman's vision, and basic design were resurrected in the 1970s with a new wave of interest in solar thermal energy.

1980

In 2016, after another year of rapid growth, solar generated 1.3% of global power. Commercial concentrated solar power plants were first developed in the 1980s.

1995

It was demonstrated in the Solar Two project from 1995 to 1999.

1999

It was demonstrated in the Solar Two project from 1995 to 1999.

2000

The United Nations Development Programme in its 2000 World Energy Assessment found that the annual potential of solar energy was 1,575–49,837 exajoules (EJ).

2002

In 2002, this was more energy in one hour than the world used in one year.

2003

As of 2003, over 80 systems with a combined collector area of had been installed worldwide, including an collector in Costa Rica used for drying coffee beans and a collector in Coimbatore, India, used for drying marigolds. ===Water treatment=== Solar distillation can be used to make saline or brackish water potable.

2005

In the United States, Canada, and Australia, heating swimming pools is the dominant application of solar hot water with an installed capacity of 18 GWth as of 2005. ===Heating, cooling and ventilation=== In the United States, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems account for 30% (4.65 EJ/yr) of the energy used in commercial buildings and nearly 50% (10.1 EJ/yr) of the energy used in residential buildings.

2006

China is the world leader in their deployment with 70 GWth installed as of 2006 and a long-term goal of 210 GWth by 2020.

2007

The most common types of solar water heaters are evacuated tube collectors (44%) and glazed flat plate collectors (34%) generally used for domestic hot water; and unglazed plastic collectors (21%) used mainly to heat swimming pools. As of 2007, the total installed capacity of solar hot water systems was approximately 154 thermal gigawatt (GWth).

2011

This is several times larger than the total world energy consumption, which was 559.8 EJ in 2012. In 2011, the International Energy Agency said that "the development of affordable, inexhaustible and clean solar energy technologies will have huge longer-term benefits.

2012

This is several times larger than the total world energy consumption, which was 559.8 EJ in 2012. In 2011, the International Energy Agency said that "the development of affordable, inexhaustible and clean solar energy technologies will have huge longer-term benefits.

By 2012 available efficiencies exceeded 20%, and the maximum efficiency of research photovoltaics was in excess of 40%. ===Concentrated solar power=== Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam.

2016

In 2016, after another year of rapid growth, solar generated 1.3% of global power. Commercial concentrated solar power plants were first developed in the 1980s.

2020

China is the world leader in their deployment with 70 GWth installed as of 2006 and a long-term goal of 210 GWth by 2020.




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Page generated on 2021-08-05