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The Birth of a 'New Energy' The Era of a New Beginning
Published: 05/09/2010 by Michael Pepper
New energy or the silicon solar cell was born in 1953 making dreams of converting sunlight into electricity, a reality. The New York times reported that it was the beginning of a new Era.
The cost of the silicon solar cell kept it out of the market. The cost of 50 cents per watt from the commercial power plant was considerably lower than the $300 it cost to built a one
watt cell. Toy and radio manufacturers were the only commercial outlet at that stage for the new wonder.
In the late 1950's new hope was found for the silicon solar cell. The Army and the Air Force saw the potential of using it. A power source for a new project - Satellites that orbit the earth. In the 1960's it became the accepted source of power for satellites world wide.
Technical progress over the last 57 years would not have been possible if it was not for the important role that solar power has played in the telecommunications of today.
Early in the 1970's the cost of the solar cell was dramatically lowered by using cheaper materials to build them. This gave people in remote areas access to electricity at a much cheaper cost, as laying electric cables to rural areas were very expensive. Off shore gas and oil rigs, the Coast Guard and Railways throughout the world use solar power instead of battery power.
The Australians also provided many people living in remote areas with solar power microwave repeaters to give them the same quality of telecommunications as the rest of their cities.
In Africa the sun is plentiful and in the late 1970's the idea of using the suns power to produce water instead of burning it away was put into working. It was used to pump water from the depths of the earth.
The next twenty years were spent on trying to electrify the rest of the dark world. The cost of setting up such networks proved too expensive to carry on.
In the 1990's the price of solar cells dropped again and the demand increased. The rural areas see this today as the most economical way to electrify their homes and businesses.
With the dwindling resources of fossil fuels and the technical advances of today, we might still be able to see the rebirth of the new 'energy source' at a cheaper price that everyone can afford.
