It all began with Edmond Becquerel, a young physicist working in France, who in 1839 observed and discovered the photovoltaic effect — a process that produces a voltage or electric current when exposed to light or radiant energy. . Long before the first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, generating awareness about the environment and support for environmental protection, scientists were making the first discoveries in solar energy. when history tells us that humans used sunlight to light fires with magnifying glass materials., the Greeks and Romans were known to harness solar power with mirrors to light torches for. . As early as 212 BC, the Greek scientist, Archimedes, used the reflective properties of bronze shields to focus sunlight and to set fire to wooden ships from the Roman Empire which were besieging Syracuse. (Although no proof of such a feat exists, the Greek navy recreated the experiment in 1973 and. . Solar panels seem like cutting-edge technology, but their story begins over 180 years ago with a curious French physicist and a jar of metal electrodes. The word “Photovoltaic” takes us to the beginning of solar history: “Photo” meaning light. .
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