Bell Labs’ solar PV panel, presented in 1954, came not out of nowhere. The silicon solar cell had its roots in less complex devices that could produce electricity from either light or heat.

 

George Cove presented his first “solar electric generator” in 1905 in the Metropole Building in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Apart from an image, there are no data about this panel. However, its power output and efficiency were remarkable enough for US investors to send an expert to Halifax. Based on this expert’s examination of the machine, they then brought Cove to the US (Sommerville, Mass.) to continue the development of his device.

 

Read more:-

https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2021/10/how-to-build-a-low-tech-solar-panel.html

 

George Cove stands next to his third solar array. Source: “Generating electricity by the sun’s rays”, Popular Electricity, Volume 2, nr. 12, April 1910, pp.793.

Somebody will no doubt be posting it was all Nikola Tesla's idea, like everything else ????

47 minutes ago, clivebaxter said:

Somebody will no doubt be posting it was all Nikola Tesla's idea, like everything else ????

But, but, but ....

On 10/7/2021 at 9:41 AM, Crossy said:

Bell Labs’ solar PV panel, presented in 1954, came not out of nowhere. The silicon solar cell had its roots in less complex devices that could produce electricity from either light or heat.

 

George Cove presented his first “solar electric generator” in 1905 in the Metropole Building in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Apart from an image, there are no data about this panel. However, its power output and efficiency were remarkable enough for US investors to send an expert to Halifax. Based on this expert’s examination of the machine, they then brought Cove to the US (Sommerville, Mass.) to continue the development of his device.

 

Read more:-

https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2021/10/how-to-build-a-low-tech-solar-panel.html

 

George Cove stands next to his third solar array. Source: “Generating electricity by the sun’s rays”, Popular Electricity, Volume 2, nr. 12, April 1910, pp.793.

Unfortunately, we often do not know the names of the real inventors. And this is very common...