April 25, 1954

Ray Kurzweil famously advocates that we are racing towards grid parity for solar electricity at an accelerating pace. It is a race indeed. Hardly a day goes by without some major development or another (or another) pushing us one step closer to that goal.

There are many steps on the path behind us that place in this enviable position. But for now, let us turn our attention to a single special moment in that history.

On April 25, 1954, Bell Labs introduced the first commercial solar cell, or Solar Battery, as they then called it.

It was a novelty at first, an invention without an application. Its a misconception today that solar has been uneconomical and falls just short of practicality. In fact, the history of photovoltaics is an unbroken chain of game changing killer applications.

The first satellites were battery powered, and lasted only a few weeks. When solar cells were used instead of batteries, lifetime was extended to several years. Perhaps more than any other single technology, photovoltaic solar cells made satellites practical.

Next, remote research facilities and laboratories that are not possible if they depend on battery or diesel generators become practical and economic when endowed with solar power. Similarly, solar powered oceanic and air traffic navigation and communication aids have spread safety and security to the remotest parts of the Earth.

Now photovoltaic power is poised to cap this string of marketplace victories and take its place as the central source or our power grid. We will see this drama unfold over the next decade.

So before we take that final lap in Kurzweil singular solar race, enjoy this peek back at the solar cells humble beginnings and wish that its inventors could have dreamt of its impact on our world.

You ain't seen nothin' yet!

Breaking News

(April 1, 2008, Santa Clara, California)
In a stunning revelation, today Santa Clara based solar technology company GrumbNeeth announced a major breakthrough in solar energy conversion. The company unveiled a device called S-Gars based on nano organic materials which it claims converts the full 100% of sunlight's energy content into usable energy and stores it on site.

Details of the core technology in S-Gars were not disclosed other than that advanced nanotechnology is extensively used. "The device actually self assembles at a molecular level. There is no clean room or need for an exotic manufacturing environment. We could manufacture S-Gars outdoors in the open air." revealed GrumbNeeth CEO. "We believe that in volume production, we can manufacture S-Gars for less than a penny per Watt." Currently, one watt of power by standard photovoltaic technology is more than 300 times that cost.

An energy analyst commented, "Most companies are happy to tout efficiencies of 30% as an achievement. Nobody has even been dreaming of this kind of efficiency. If this claim bears out, the GrumbNeeth's technology would undercut the cost of wholesale Coal and Nuclear power by orders of magnitude."

Asked about the environmental impact of the manufacturing process, GrumbNeeth's CTO explained, "Not only is the manufacturing process extremely low in energy and material consumption, but when in operation, it actually removes carbon dioxide from the air."

But some challenges in production were suggested, "The manufacturing process is actually quite slow, taking six to eight weeks per batch, but we believe the batch size can be made extremely large." the Vice President of manufacturing explained. "Best of all, the self assembling nanotechnology of S-Gars allows it to be manufactured almost anywhere in the world using local materials."

The football field sized, 2MW prototype system presented converts enough energy to power a thousand homes. GrumbNeeth's Marketing Director envisions a future where "Every house in every neighborhood will be characterized by a small array of S-Gars in the front and back yard. This is going to change everything.