In the 19th century, it was observed that the sunlight striking certain materials generates detectable electric current – the photoelectric effect. This discovery laid the foundation for solar cells. Solar cells have gone on to be used in many applications. They have historically been used in situations where electrical power from the grid was unavailable.
As the invention was brought out it made solar cells as a prominent utilization for power generation for satellites. Satellites orbit the Earth, thus making solar cells a prominent source for power generation through the sunlight falling on them. Solar cells are commonly used in satellites in today's times.
1800s
1839 - Edmond Becquerel observes the photovoltaic effect via an electrode in a conductive solution exposed to light. 1873 - Willoughby Smith finds that selenium shows photoconductivity. 1874 - James Clerk Maxwell writes to fellow mathematician Peter Tait of his observation that light affects the conductivity of selenium. 1877 - William Grylls Adams and Richard Evans Day observed the photovoltaic effect in solidified selenium, and published a paper on the selenium cell. 'The action of light on selenium,' in "Proceedings of the Royal Society, A25, 113. 1883 - Charles Fritts develops a solar cell using selenium on a thin layer of gold to form a device giving less than 1% efficiency. 1887 - Heinrich Hertz investigates ultraviolet light photoconductivity and discovers the photoelectric effect 1887 - James Moser reports dye sensitized photoelectrochemical cell. 1888 - Edward Weston receives patent US389124, "Solar cell," and US389125, "Solar cell." 1888–91 - Aleksandr Stoletov creates the first solar cell based on the outer photoelectric effect 1894 - Melvin Severy receives patent US527377, "Solar cell," and US527379, "Solar cell." 1897 - Harry Reagan receives patent US588177, "Solar cell." 1899 - Weston Bowser receives patent US598177, "Solar storage."
1900–1929
1901 - Philipp von Lenard observes the variation in electron energy with light frequency. 1904 - Wilhelm Hallwachs makes a semiconductor-junction solar cell (copper and copper oxide).
1904 - George Cove develops a solar electric generator. 1905 - Albert Einstein publishes a paper explaining the photoelectric effect on a quantum basis. 1913 - William Coblentz receives US1077219, "Solar cell." 1914 - Sven Ason Berglund patents "methods of increasing the capacity of photosensitive cells." 1916 - Robert Millikan conducts experiments and proves the photoelectric effect. 1918 - Jan Czochralski produces a method to grow single crystals of metal. Decades later, the method is adapted to produce single-crystal silicon. 1921 - Einstein awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the photoelectric effect.
1930–1959
1932 - Audobert and Stora discover the photovoltaic effect in Cadmium selenide (CdSe), a photovoltaic material still used today. 1935 - Anthony H. Lamb receives patent US2000642, "Photoelectric device." 1941 - Russell Ohl files patent US2402662, "Light sensitive device." 1948 - Gordon Teal and John Little adapt the Czochralski method of crystal growth to produce single-crystalline germanium and, later, silicon. 1950s - Bell Labs produce solar cells for space activities. 1953 - Gerald Pearson begins research into lithium-silicon photovoltaic cells. 1954 - On April 25, 1954, Bell Labs announces the invention of the first practical silicon solar cell. Shortly afterwards, they are shown at the National Academy of Sciences Meeting. These cells have about 6% efficiency. The New York Times forecasts that solar cells will eventually lead to a source of "limitless energy of the sun". 1955 - Western Electric licences commercial solar cell technologies. Hoffman Electronics-Semiconductor Division creates a 2% efficient commercial solar cell for $25/cell or $1,785/watt. 1957 - AT&T assignors (Gerald L. Pearson, Daryl M. Chapin, and Calvin S. Fuller) receive patent US2780765, "Solar Energy Converting Apparatus." They refer to it as the "solar battery". Hoffman Electronics creates an 8% efficient solar cell. 1957 – Mohamed M. Atalla develops the process of silicon surface passivation by thermal oxidation at Bell Laboratories. The surface passivation process has since been critical to solar cell efficiency.