History

Every day, the sun produces 100,000 billion tons of oil equivalent (TOE), while in 1998, the annual global energy consumption was 9.8 TOE. It’s clear from this figure that converting even just a small portion of these sources of energy would be a very attractive proposal. Faced with the growing demands of the planet and diminishing fossil fuel reserves, solar energy is now one of the main forms of alternative energy.

However, it was not until the oil crisis of the 1970s that solar photovoltaic cells began to be used for industrial purposes.

The high-capacity experimental solar stations built at this time are not profitable in comparison with traditional solutions. But solar photovoltaic systems work well for small units of production that are situated in remote areas and are not connected to traditional electricity grids. Solar energy was very soon in demand as the technology basis for a range of applications, including telecommunications, refrigeration, solar pumping and lighting.

Grid connection as a catalyst

Solar photovoltaic technology really only took off at the end of the 90s with the advent of grid connection capabilities, which enable the energy that is generated by a solar photovoltaic generator and converted by an inverter to alternating current to be injected back in the public electricity grid.

For some years, certain European countries and regions have undertaken proactive strategies aimed at accelerating access to solar electric energy by offering financing solutions such as subsidies or the ability to sell solar photovoltaic energy back to the national operator(s) at special rates.

Connecting to the grid allows the generation of electricity to be decentralized and promotes the implementation of new harmonies in a world where energy challenges are now a major issue.

> To find out more about connection to the grid

> To find out more about the future outlook for solar photovoltaics 

top of page

Technology advances

Various materials can be used in the conversion of photovoltaic energy. Silicon is still the most widely used today.

There are now several generations of technology that differ in terms of efficiency, cost and energy pay-back time. As a general rule, the life expectancy of a solar module made of silicon is approximately 30 years.

Photovoltaic technology as a whole is now the subject of numerous research programs aimed at streamlining the production process, improving performance and the implementation of end-of-life-cycle management processes for installations. Tenesol is involved in a fundamental research program with a view to improving the performance of photovoltaic cells. In particular, the industry is seeking to reduce the amount of silicon used in the manufacture of cells, because despite the steady decline in price thanks to contributions from research, it is still very expensive. The development of the sector is therefore very much focused on the actual photovoltaic cells themselves. Although not widely used, and even viewed by some as experimental, thin film cells (based on semiconductor material in non-crystalline silicon) and organic polymers (macromolecules in low-energy production) represent two alternative technologies to silicon.

> To find out more about photovoltaic technology 

top of page

Some key dates

 

  • 1839 : The French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovers the photovoltaic effect (from photôs, meaning light in Greek, and volta, from the name of the physicist Alessandro Volta, who discovered the electric battery).
  • 1875 : Werner Von Siemens presents an article on the photovoltaic effect in semiconductors to the Academy of Sciences of Berlin. But up until the Second World War, the phenomenon remains a curiosity confined to the laboratory.
  • 1954 : Three American researchers, Chapin, Pearson and Prince, develop a high-performance photovoltaic cell, coinciding with the emerging space industry’s search for new solutions to power its satellites.
  • 1958 : A cell with an output of 9% is developed. The first satellites powered by solar cells are sent into space by the United States.
  • 1973 : The first house to be powered by photovoltaic cells is built at the University of Delaware.
  • 1983 : The first car to be powered by photovoltaic energy travels a distance of 4000 km in Australia.

 

top of page