Timeline of Solar Cells - 1800s

1800s

• 1839 - Alexandre Edmond Becquerel observes the photovoltaic effect via an electrode in a conductive solution exposed to light.
• 1873 - Willoughby Smith finds that selenium shows photoconductivity.
• 1877 - W.G. Adams and R.E. 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 sensitised 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"..