The period that we associate as modern solar power history is a lot longer than many would think. In fact, it's genesis can be traced some 140 years back to the middle of the Victorian age. Just like the scientists and inventors of today look for alternatives to a dependence on fossil fuels so did the scientists of those times. This article will trace the history from 1860 through to the present day.

From 1860 to 1880, the French engineer Auguste Mouchout developed a solar powered engine. The principle of the engine was to convert heat from the sun into steam power. His inspiration was the increased need for coal in the new industrial age and the knowledge that coal resources could not be sustained forever.

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.

Around this time, William Adams, an Englishman living in India, devised another solution. He built a rack with many small mirrors around a stationary boiler. This allowed him to get 2.5 horsepower out of the engine.

In 1885 through to 1889, Charles Tellier worked on creating a solar power system. He came up with an elaborate system of solar collectors that he installed on the rooftop. The purpose of the collectors was to cool water to power a refrigeration system.

In 1903, Aubrey Eneas began investigating solar power. He drew his inspiration from the ideas of Mouchout but increased the scale of Mouchout's work. He created a solar power engine that could be sold to the public. In fact he made a sale of one engine to a doctor in Arizona. For around $2000 it was dispatched to Arizona but became damaged soon after and was never operational. Eneas went on to sell one more engine for around the same sum but this was also never operated because it was damaged soon after set up by a hailstorm.

At the same time, Henry E. Willsie developed 2 solar plants that collected energy during the day for use at night. The plants used flat plate collectors that produced an output of around 15 horsepower.

In 1906, Frank Shuman enhanced Willsies system such that the engine had a capacity of around 33 horsepower. With more improvements this figure reach 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 key technology that allows sunlight to be turned into electricity. A series of PV cells is called a solar panel.

During the 1970's, gas shortages and increasing oil prices kick started interest in alternatives to fossil fuels. More time and money was dedicated to alternative energy, including solar power. Most of the research in solar power centered on getting PV cells more efficient while being less expensive.

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.

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