Who Invented Solar Panels?

A Swiss scientist by the name of Horace de Saussure designed and built the first solar collector in 1767. Well that certainly goes back some time and looks at who was harnessing the sun's energy, but he did not turn the sun's energy into electricity.

A young 19 year old scientist had that privilege by the name of Edmund Becquerel in 1839. He had turned energy from the sun into electricity, known as the "photovoltaic effect". Not that it was a bad thing but it was very inefficient and not very practical for the time. Therefore, like so many other great discoveries it sat idle for many years.

Top 10 Green Trends

Green Trends

There is no doubt that 2010 was a difficult year for the economy, yet the hope for the coming year is high. And for good reason - Many leading U.S. economists predict that the economy will grow an astounding two to four percent in 2011. This is welcome news after two years of a painful recession.

What can businesses do to prepare?
What can executives, entrepreneurs and webmasters set in place so as to benefit from the projected economical growth of 2011? As economists begin to try and answer this question, we must first look at the possible trends and business motives that grasp the world economy. A common theme within the economy that has shown increased popularity is green technologies, products and services.

Solar Energy Costs and Economic Impact

According to a global price survey, solar energy prices have declined an average of 4% per year for the past 10 to 15 years. There is a progressive increase in conversion efficiencies of cells, and manufacturing economies of scale are the underlying drivers of this price decrease. The Solarbuzz Global Price survey clearly indicates that prices have consistently declined for over the last two years.

A detailed analysis of the worldwide photovoltaic market is present in on the the leading industry reports, the Market Buzz 2009. A residential solar energy system typically costs about $8-10 per Watt in 2009. When government incentive programs exist, and coupled with with lower prices secured through volume purchases, installed costs for solar panels can become as low as $3-4 watt - or some 10-12 cents per kilowatt hour can be achieved. Without incentive programs, solar energy costs range between 22-40 cents/kWh for very large PV systems.