THE HISTORY OF PV
The following is a chronological listing of events in the history of the development and
application of PV and the PV industry. If you have any items to add to this list please let us know.
1839 Edmund Bacquerel, the French experimental physicist, discovered the
photovoltaic effect while experimenting with an electrolytic cell made up of two metal
electrodes placed in an electricity-conducting solution--generation increased when exposed to
light.
Unknown date: E. Bacquerel, 'On electron effects under the influence of solar radiation.'
"Comptes Rendues" 9, 561.
1873 Willoughby Smith discovered the photoconductivity of selenium.
1877 W.G. Adams and R.E. Day observed the photovoltaic effect in solid selenium. Made first selenium cell. Published 'The action of light on selenium,' in "Proceedings of the Royal
Society, A25, 113.
1883 Charles Fritts, an American inventor, described the first solar cells made from selenium wafers.
1887 Hertz discovered that ultraviolet light altered the lowest voltage capable of causing a spark to jump between two metal electrodes.
1904 Hallwachs discovered that a combination of copper and cuprous oxide is photosensitive.
Einstein published his paper on the photoelectric effect (along with a paper on his theory of
relativity).
1914 The existence of a barrier layer in PV devices was noted.
1916 Millikan provided experimental proof of the photoelectric effect.
1918 Unknown date: Polish scientist Czochralski developed a way to grow single-crystal silicon.
1921 Unknown date: Albert Einstein wins the Nobel Prize for his theories explaining the
photoelectric effect.
1930 Unknown date: B. Lang, 'New photovoltaic cell,' "Z. Phys." 31, 139. Work on cuprous
oxide/copper cells.
Unknown date: W. Schottky, 'New Cuprous oxide photoelectric cells,' "Z. Phys." 31, 913.
1933
Unknown date: L.O. Grondahl, 'The copper-cuprous oxide rectifier and photoelectric cell,'
"Rev. Mod. Phys." 5, 141.
1951
Grown p-n junction enabled the production of a single-crystal cell of germanium.
1953
Unknown date: Dr. Dan Trivich, Wayne State University, makes the first theoretical
calculations of the efficiencies of various materials of different band gap widths based on the
spectrum of the sun.
1954
Unknown date: Report of the PV effect in CdS. Primary work by Rappaport, Loferski, and
Jenny, at RCA.
January: Paul Rappaport, RCA Laboratories, Princeton, NJ, paper, 'The Electron-Voltaic
Effect in p-n Junctions Induced by Beta Bombardment,' published in "Physical Review."
January 11: Chapin, Fuller, Pearson, AT&T paper, submitted to the Journal of Applied
Physics.
March 5: Chapin, Fuller, Pearson, AT&T, patent "Solar Energy Converting Apparatus,"
submitted.
April 12: AT&T demonstration of solar cells in Murray Hill, NJ.
April 26: AT&T demonstration of solar cells, at the National Academy of Science Meeting,
Washington, DC.
May: Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, researchers D.M. Chapin, C.S. Fuller, and G.L.
Pearson published the results of their discovery of 4.5-percent efficient silicon solar
cells--raised to 6-percent only a few months later (work team included Mort Prince)--in the
"Journal of Applied Physics," entitled 'A New Silicon p-n Junction Photocell for Converting
Solar Radiation into Electrical Power.'
U.S. IEEE Semiconductor Device Conference, papers on equations governing maximum
power and maximum efficiency of p-n junction PV/electron voltaic cells presented by W. van
Roosbroek, Bell Laboratories, and J.J. Loferski, RCA.
October: D.C. Reynolds, G. Leies, L.L. Antes, and R.E. Marburger, of the U.S. Air Force
Aerospace Research Laboratory, Dayton, OH, published the paper 'Photovoltaic Effect in
Cadmium Sulfide' in the journal "Physical Review."
1955
Unknown date: U.S. Signal Corps assigned the task of providing power supplies for the first
U.S. Earth satellites.
Unknown date: Western Electric began to sell commercial licenses for silicon PV
technologies. Early successful products included PV-powered dollar bill changers and
devices that decoded computer punch cards and tape.
October 4: Bell System demonstration of type P rural carrier system, in Americus, GA,
begun.
November: International Conference on Solar Energy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
Hoffman Electronics-Semiconductor Division announced a commercial PV product,
2-percent efficient, priced at $25/cell, at 14 mW each, or $1785/W (1955 dollars).
November: E.D. Jackson, Texas Instruments, presents a paper at the Int'l Conf. on Solar
Energy, Tucson, AZ, proposing increased conversion efficiency by employing stacked,
multijunction cells.
1956
Unknown date: Wm. Cherry, U.S. Signal Corps., approaches RCA Labs' Paul Rappaport
and Joseph Loferski about developing PV cells for proposed orbiting Earth satellites (RCA,
because of its work on radiation damage to p-n devices).
March: Bell System demonstration of type P rural carrier system, in Americus, GA,
terminated.
March: P. Rappaport, J.J. Loferski, and E.G. Linder, 'The electron voltaic effect in
germanium and silicon p-n junctions,' "RCA Rev." 17, 100.
1957
Unknown date: Hoffman Electronics achieved 8-percent efficient cells.
February 5: Chapin, Fuller, Pearson, AT&T, patent #2,780,765, "Solar Energy Converting
Apparatus," issued.
1958
Unknown date: T. Mandelkorn, U.S. Signal Corps Laboratories, fabricates n-on-p silicon
PV cells (critically important for space cells; more resistant to radiation).
Unknown date: Hoffman Electronics achieves 9-percent efficient PV cells.
March 17: Launch of Vanguard I, the first PV-powered satellite, in cooperation with the U.S.
Signal Corp. This satellite power system (0.1 W, approximately 100 cm2, powering a 5-mW
backup transmitter) operated for 8 years.
Unknown date: Explorer III satellite launched.
Unknown date: Vanguard II satellite launched.
Unknown date: Sputnik-3 satellite launched.
1959
Unknown date: Hoffman Electronics achieves 10-percent efficient, commercially available PV
cells. Hoffman Electronics also learned to use a grid contact, reducing the series resistance
significantly.
August 7: Explorer VI satellite launched, with a PV array of 9600 cells, 1 cm x 2 cm each.
October 13: Explorer VII satellite launched.
1960
Unknown date: Hoffman Electronics achieves 14-percent efficient PV cells.
Unknown date: Silicon Sensors, Inc., Dogeville, WI, founded. Produces selinium and silicon
cells.
1961
Unknown date: UN conference on Solar Energy in the Developing World.
March 7: Meeting of the Solar Working Group (SWG) of the Interservice Group for Flight
Vehicle Power (IGFVP, under DoD and NASA), Philadelphia, PA, at which attendees
decided on a broader meeting that was to become the PV Specialists Conference.
April 14: 1st PV Specialists Conference, Washington, DC, organized by the Institute for
Defense Analysis (IDA); chairman, Nathan Snyder.
1962
February 27-28: 2nd PV Specialists Conference, Washington, DC, NASA Auditorium,
Federal Office Building; chairman, Walter C. Scott.
July 23: Telstar satellite launched; the first commercial telecommunications satellite; project of
Bell Telephone Laboratories, proposed in 1955 by John R. Pierce. Initial power, 14 W.
1963
Unknown date: Sharp Corporation succeeds in producing practical silicon PV modules.
Unknown date: Japan installs a 242-W PV array on a lighthouse, the world's largest array at
that time.
April 10-11: 3rd PV Specialists Conference, Statler Hilton, Washington, DC, jointly
sponsored by the IEEE, AIAA, and NASA; chairman, Walter C. Scott.
1964
Unknown date: Nimbus spacecraft, with a PV array of 470 watts.
June 2-3: 4th PV Specialists Conference (first conference officially named PV Specialists
Conference and numbered), Cleveland, OH, NASA Lewis Research Center, sponsored by
the IEEE, AIAA, and NASA; chairman, ?.
1965
Unknown date: Japanese Scientific Satellite Program initiated.
Unknown date: Peter Glaser, A.D. Little, conceives the idea of the satellite solar power
station.
Unknown date: Tyco Labs developed the EFG process--first to grow crystal saphire
(aluminum oxide) ribbons, later (1974) for silicon.
October 18-20: 5th PV Specialists Conference, Greenbelt, MD, NASA Goddard,
sponsored by the IEEE, AIAA, and NASA; chairman, Paul Rappaport.
1966
Unknown date: Orbiting Astronomical Observatory launched with a PV array of 1 kW.
1967
March 28-30: 6th IEEE PV Specialists Conference (first solely sponsored by the IEEE),
Cocoa Beach, FL, Hilton; chairman, William R. Cherry.
1968
April 6: OVI-13 satellite launched with two CdS panels--operated until October 20, 1969.
November 19-20: 7th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Pasadena, CA, JPL; chairman,
Robert E. Fischell.
1969
Unknown date: Roger Little founds Spire Corporation.
1970
Unknown date: Solar Power Corporation,
August 4-6: 8th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Seattle, WA, Olympic Hotel; chairman,
Joseph J. Loferski.
1971
1972
Unknown date: French install a CdS PV system in a village school in Niger, to run an
educational TV.
January: NSF/NASA Solar Energy Panel begins deliberations, convened by Wm. Cherry
(U.S. Signal Corp), F.H. Morse (Univ. of Maryland), and Lloyd O. Herwig (NSF), who
formed the executive committee.
May 2-4: 9th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Silver Springs, MD, APL; chairman, Martin
Wolf. The first PVSC to include a session on terrestrial PV.
December: Report, 'Solar Energy as a National Resource,' released by the NSF/NASA
Solar Energy Panel.
1973
Unknown date: Dr. Joseph Lindmayer and Dr. Peter Varadi form Solarex Corporation.
Unknown date: University of Delaware builds 'Solar One,' one of the world's first PV
residences. The system is a PV-Thermal hybrid. The roof-integrated arrays feed surplus
power through a special meter to the utility during the day and purchased power from the
utility at night. In addition to electricity, the arrays acted as flat-plate thermal collectors, with
fans blowing the warm air from over the array to phase-change heat-storage bins.
October 23-25: Cherry Hill Conference, Cherry Hill, NJ, organized by Richard Bleiden, for
NSF. 134 attendees, at the Cherry Hill Inn. Five panels, addressing Single Crystal Silicon
(chair, P. Rappaport, RCA); Polycrystalline Silicon (chair, T.L. Chu, SMU); CdS/Cu2S Thin
Film Cells (chair, K. Boer, Univ. of Delaware); Other Materials and Devices (chair, J.J.
Loferski, RCA); and Systems (chair, C.E. Backus, ASU).
November 13-15: 10th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Palo Alto, CA, Ricky's Hyatt
House; chairman, Richard L. Statler.
1974
Unknown date: Tyco Laboratories and Mobil Oil Corporation form Mobil Tyco.
Unknown date: Japan formulates Project Sunshine.
May 1: Tyco Labs grows first EFG, 1-inch (2.5-cm) wide, 18-inches (45.7-cm) long.
1975
Unknown date: Ishaq Shahryar founds Solec International.
Unknown date: Bill Yerkes starts Solar Technology International.
Unknown date: Exxon starts Solar Power Corporation.
Unknown date: JPL institutes the Block I procurement by the U.S. government.
January: U.S. government initiated a terrestrial PV research and development project,
assigned to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), patterned after the recommendations of the
Cherry Hill Conference.
May 6-8: 11th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Scottsdale, AZ, Sunburst Conference
Center; chairman, Denis R. Curtin. This is the first conference to use the sun-star logo.
1976
Multiple dates: 1976 through 1985 and from 1992 to 1995, the NASA Lewis Research
Center (LeRC) project office installed 83 PV power systems on every continent except
Australia. These systems provide the operational energy for such diverse applications as
vaccine refrigeration, room lighting, medical clinic lighting, telecommunications, water
pumping, grain milling, and classroom television.
Unknown date: NASA LeRC installs a PV system to power a trail camp refrigerator, in Isle
Royale, Michigan, USA.
Unknown date: NASA LeRC installs a PV system to power a refrigerator on the Papago
Indian Reservation, USA.
Unknown date: NASA LeRC installs a PV system to power an electric vehicle recharging
demonstration, in Washington, DC, USA.
Unknown date: NASA LeRC installs a PV system to provide power for forest lookout
towers (2 systems), USA.
Unknown date: David Carlson and Christopher Wronski, RCA Laboratories, fabricate first
amorphous silicon PV cells (efficiency 1.1 percent for 3.5-cm2 area cell, and 2.4 percent for
a 5 x 10-3 cm2 area cell).
Unknown date: Ishaq Shahryar founds Solec International.
November 15-18: 12th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Baton Rouge, LA, Hilton;
chairman, Americo (Mo) F. Forestieri. The first PVSC to have exhibits.
1977
Total PV manufacturing production exceeds 500 kW.
Multiple dates, 1977-1978: NASA LeRC installs PV system to power 6 RAMOS weather
reporting stations, at various locations across the USA.
Unknown date: NASA LeRC installs PV system for Visitor center water cooler, in Lone
Pine, California, USA.
Unknown date: NASA LeRC installs PV system to power a highway dust warning sign, in
Arizona, USA.
Unknown date: NASA LeRC installs PV system to power U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Insect
survey traps (4), in Texas, USA.
July 5: Solar Energy Research Institute begins official operation, in Golden, Colorado, USA.
First director is Dr. Paul Rappaport (1977-1979).
November: Atlantic Richfield purchases Bill Yerkes' company Solar Technology
International.
1978
June 5-8: 13th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Washington, DC, Shorham; chairman John
V. Goldsmith.
December: Dedication of the NASA LeRC-installed 3.5-kWp system on the Papago Indian
Reservation, Schuchuli, Arizona--the world's first village PV system. It was used to provide
power for water pumping and 15 homes (residential lights, water pumping, refrigeration,
sewing machine, washing machine) until 1983, when grid power reached the village, at which
time the homes were hooked to the grid and the PV system was dedicated to pumping water
from a community well.
1979
Unknown date in 1979: Solenergy founded.
Unknown date: Denis Hayes replaces Dr. Paul Rappaport as director of the U.S. DOE's
Solar Energy Research Institute (1979-1981).
Unknown date: ARCO Solar builds world's largest PV manufacturing facility, in Camarillo,
California.
March: NASA LeRC completes 1.8-kWp array, for water pumping and grain grinding, for
US AID, in Tangaye, Burkina Faso/Upper Volta.
May: NASA LeRC system in Tangaye, Burkina Faso/Upper Volta, increased from 1.8 kW
to 3.6 kWp.
June: Mt. Laguna, California, 60-kW site, augmenting a diesel-electric plant for a radar
station operated by the FAA, is completed. This was a cooperative program between the US
DOD and US DOE, to demonstrate that a power system without energy storage could
effectively and reliably augment a remote ac network.
1980
ARCO Solar is the first company to produce more than 1 MW of PV modules in one year.
Unknown date: NASA LeRC installs two PV power systems at the Hawaii Volcano
Observatory, in Hawaii, USA.
Unknown Date: British Petroleum (BP) enters the PV market, with an educational investment
in Lucas Energy Systems.
January 7-10: 14th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, San Diego, CA, Town and Country;
chairman, Charles E. Backus.
January 7: First William R. Cherry Award, to Paul Rappaport.
May: New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, selected to establish and operate the
Southwest Residential Experimental Station (SW RES).
June 7: 105.6-kWp system dedicated at Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah. The
system used Motorola, ARCO Solar, and Spectrolab PV modules.
1981
Multiple dates: NASA LeRC supports the installation of vaccine refrigerator/freezer systems
at 30 locations--1981 to 1984.
Unknown date: Dr. "Hub" Hubbard replaces Denis Hayes as director of the U.S. DOE's
Solar Energy Research Institute (1981-1989).
Unknown date: Solar Challenger, PV-powered airplane, flies.
Unknown date: BP buys out the remaining 50% of Lucas Energy Systems, renaming it BP
Solar Systems Ltd (BPSS).
March 17: 90.4-kW PV system dedicated at Lovington (New Mexico) Square Shopping
Center, using Solar Power Corp. modules.
April 13: 97.6-kW PV system dedicated at Beverly High School, Beverly, Massachusetts,
using Solar Power Corp. modules.
May 10: 8-kW Mobil Solar array-powered reverse-osmosis desalination facility dedicated in
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
May 12-15: 15th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Kissimmee, FL, Hyatt; chairman Charles
J. Bishop. Wm. Cherry Award to Dr. Joseph Loferski.
1982
Worldwide PV production exceeds 9.3 MW.
Unknown date: Solarex forms Solarex Aerospace division.
Unknown date: NASA LeRC installs Satellite earth station power system demonstration and
an outdoor area light demonstration, at a conference in Vienna, Austria.
Unknown date: Volkswagen of Germany begins testing PV arrays mounted on the roofs of
Dasher station wagons, generating 160 W for the ingition system.
Unknown date in 1982: Solarex dedicates its 'PV Breeder' production facility in Frederick,
MD, with its roof-integrated 200-kW array.
June: Release of the first issue of "Photovoltaics: The Solar Electric Magazine."
July: Entech, Inc., installs the hybrid PV electrical/solar thermal concentrator system (27 kW
electric/140 kW thermal) at the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, Airport.
September 27-30: 16th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, San Diego, CA, Town and
Country; chairman, Henry W. Brandhorst, Jr. Wm. Cherry Award to Dr. Martin Wolf.
October: Dedication of the 70-kW (ac) Solar Power Corp. PV array (2200 modules) at the
Universe of Energy pavillion, at EPCOT.
December: ARCO Solar Hisperia, CA, 1-MW PV plant comes on line, with modules on 108
dual-axis trackers.
1983
Worldwide PV production exceeds 21.3 MW, and sales exceed $250 million.
Unknown date: Specially built 1-kW, PV-powered car, the Solar Trek, drives across
Australia, covering 4000 km in less than 20 days. The maximum speed was 72 kph, with an
average speed for the trip of 24 kph. Later the same year, the car drove 4000 km, from Long
Beach, CA, to Daytona Beach, FL, in 18 days.
Unknown date: JPL Block V procurement.
Unknown date: John Corsi named President and CEO of Solarex Corp.
Unknown date: Solarex Corp. buys RCA amorphous silicon technology and establishes a
pilot plant in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
Unknown date: ARCO Solar dedicates a 6-MW PV substation in central California in the
Carrissa Plain. The120 acre unmanned facility supplies the Pacific Gas and Electric Company
utility grid with enough power for 2000-2500 homes.
February: Solar Power Corporation completes the design and installation of four stand-alone
PV village power systems in Hammam Biadha, Tunesia (29-kW village power system,
1.5-kW residential system, and two 1.5-kW irrigation/pumping systems), supported by
NASA LeRC.
February: 1.8-kW PV system installed in remote medical clinic in Waramuri, Guyana. The
system provided power to a vaccine refrigerator, indoor lighting, doctor's examination light,
and a radio. The system, part of a 5-system (Guyana, Ecuador, Kenya, and Zimbabwe)
project, was designed and installed by NASA Lewis Research Center and Solarex.
March: 4-kW PV system installed in remote medical clinic in Pedro Vincente Maldonado,
Ecuador. The system provided power to a vaccine refrigerator, indoor lighting, doctor's
examination light, a radio, and an air compressor for dental use. The system, part of a
5-system (Guyana, Ecuador, Kenya, and Zimbabwe) project, was designed and installed by
NASA Lewis Research Center and Solarex.
April: Release of the first issue of "Photovoltaics International" magazine.
May: 1.8-kW PV systems installed in remote medical clinic in Kibwezi, Kenya; Ikutha,
Kenya; and Chikwakwa, Zimbabwe. The systems provided power to a vaccine refrigerator,
indoor lighting, doctor's examination light, and a radio (Kenya Systems). The systems, part of
a 5-system (Guyana, Ecuador, Kenya, and Zimbabwe) project, were designed and installed
by NASA Lewis Research Center and Solarex.
July: Solar Design Associates completes the stand-alone, 4-kW (Mobil Solar), Hudson River
Valley home.
September: Entropy Ltd. purchases Solenergy Corporation.
September: AFG Industries, Inc., and Chronar Corp., announce a joint venture for the
construction and operatio nof a batch plant for the manufacture of amorphous silicon PV
modules.
September: Lane Garrett forms SunAmp Systems, Inc., in Scottsdale, Arizona.
September: Laurence Jennings forms Photron, Inc., in Willits, California.
September 16: Solarex Corporation, and its majority-owned subsidiary Semix Inc., merge
with Amoco Solar Company, a subsidiary of Standard Oil Company (Indiana).
December: Photocomm, Inc., acquires Photowatt International's sales organization and all
existing inventory.
December 9: The Photovoltaic Southeast Residential Experimental Station (Southeast RES) is
dedicated in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
1984
Unknown date: The Sacramento Municipal Utility District commissions its first 1-MW PV
generating facility.
Unknown date: ARCO Solar releases its amorphous silicon "Genesis" module
Unknown date: NASA LeRC supports the development and installation of 17 PV-power
systems in four villages in Gabon, for school lights, TV/VCR, water pumping, outdoor
lighting, and vaccine refrigerator/freezers.
Unknown date: NASA LeRC-supported development and installation of a PV-power system
on Utirik Atoll, Republic of Marshall Islands, to power village street lights, residential lights,
medical refrigerator/freezer, and fans.
Unknown date: BP Solar Systems, with the help of funding from the EEC, builds a 30 kW
grid-connected system, at Marchwood, near Southampton, UK.
February: Integrated Power Corporation formed by Kenneth Gerken, President, Lee Gordon
and Brian Kennedy, Vice Presidents; offices established in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
February: Bradley E. O'Mara named president of Balance of Systems Specialists, Inc.,
Scottsdale, Arizona.
February 14-16: Sandia National Laboratories holds its 5th PV Systems Development &
Evaluation Project Integration Meeting (PIM), at the Marriott Hotel, Albuquerque, New
Mexico.
March 27-29: Chuck Backus, the Center for Professional Development, Arizona State
University, Tempe, Arizona, holds the Fourth Annual Photovoltaics Short Course.
April 26: Solarex Corporation ships the final modules for the 337-kW (4464 module)
Georgetown University Intercultural Center system, installed by Hughes Aircraft.
April 30: The DOE National PV Program Annual Review Meeting, held at the Hyatt Orlando
Hotel, Kissimmee, Florida.
May: BP Solar buys Monosolar thin film division from Nortek, Inc.
May 1-4: 17th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Kissimmee, FL, Hyatt; chairman, Eugene L.
Ralph. This conference included the first high school program. Wm. Cherry Award to Dr.
Henry Brandhorst.
May: Presentation of the IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Award to Dr. David Carlson and Dr.
Christopher Wronski, at the IEEE PVSC, "For crucial contributions to the use of amorphous
silicon in low-cost, high-performance photovoltaic solar cells."
October 29-31: The Solar Energy Research Institute holds the 6th Annual PV Advanced
Research and Development Review meeting at the Denver Marriott West, Golden, Colorado.
November 15-18: The First International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference
(PVSEC), held in Kobe, Japan.
1985
Unknown date: Martin Green team, University of New South Wales, Australia, breaks the
20-percent efficiency barrier for silicon solar cells under 1-sun conditions.
Unknown date: BP acquires its first solar cell manufacturing capability, through the purchase
of a plant in Sydney, Australia. This was rapidly followed by the building of a second plant,
on a "greenfield" site, just outside Madrid in Spain.
May: A PV power system is installed near Wawatobe, Sulawesi, Indonesia, to power a
satellite transmit/receive earth station and classroom equipment. The classroom was a part of
a U.S. AID project for distributed education throughout Indonesia. The photovoltaic power
system was designed and installed by NASA Lewis Research Center and their contractor,
Hughes Aerospace, Long Beach, CA.
October 21-25: 18th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Las Vegas, NV, Riviera; chairman,
Allen M. Barnett. Wm. Cherry Award to Gene Ralph.
1986
June: ARCO Solar releases the G-4000--the world's first commercial thin film "power
module."
7-9 October: Space Photovoltaic Research and Technology (SPRAT) Conference, NASA
Lewis Research Center, Cleveland OH, USA. (First published paper describing GaAs/Ge
solar cells, entitled "Heterostructure Solar Cells," presented by Dr. Kou-I Chang, Appled
Solar Energy Corporation and Lt. Robert K. Morris, Air Force Wright Aeronautical
Laboratories.)
1987
May 4-8: 19th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, New Orleans, LA, Sheraton; chairman,
Lawrence L. Kazmerski. Wm. Cherry Award to Dr. Charles E. Backus.
November: In the 3100-km Pentax World Solar Challenge race across Australia for
PV-powered cars, the GM Sunraycer wins by 950-km, with an average speed of
approximately 71 kph.
1988
Unknown date: Dr. Alvin Marks Phototherm, Amherst NH, USA, receives patents on his
Lepcon (light to electricity power conversion) and Lumeloid (film with a donor-acceptor
complex of molecules for the conversion of light to electricity) designs.
June 27-July 2: The fourth Tour de Sol, 350 km through Switzerland and Austria. The
catagories for vehicles include PV-powered cars, pedal-supplement cars, commercial
PV-powered cars, and electric non-PV-powered cars. The total prize money for the event
totals 140,000 Swiss Francs.
July: Solarex wins contract to supply 50 kW of modules to a UN Development Prooject in
Pakistan. One village selected is KilaMojgarh, in NE Pakistan, with 700 residents. The UN
absorbs the capital cost of the equipment, while the villagers pay a nominal rate for their
electricity.
July: ARCO Solar dedicates the expansion of its thin-film manufacturing facility, in Camarillo,
CA, bringing capacity to 7 MW per year. In addition, production begins in two new facilities
in which ARCO Solar has intereste: Atsugi, Japan, and Munich-Freimann, West Germany.
July 19-21: The Joint Crystalline Cell Research and Concentrating Collector Projects
Review, sopnsored by the U.S. DOE and Sandia National Laboratories, held at the
Albuquerque Sheraton Old Town Hotel, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
September 26-30: 20th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Las Vegas, NV, Riviera; chairman,
Joseph F. Wise. Wm. Cherry Award to David Carlson.
September: The last of 1450 modules, donated by the U.S. DOE and the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, from its Block Testing Program, to the PV Information and Education
Association, are distributed to 26 education and training institutions around the United States
(Alternative Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Ball State University, Cate School,
Colorado Energy Office, Colorado Mountain College, Florida Solar Energy Center, Grinnnell
College, Hawaii Energy Office, Meadowcreek Project, National Center for Appropriate
Technology, Northeastern University, Northern Arizona University, Outside Power,
Pennsylvania State University, Rocky Mountain Institute, San Luis Valley Solar Energy
Center, Sierra Nevada College, Solar Energy Industries Association, Solar Energy Research
Institute, SunnySide Solar, University of Alabama, University of Alaska, University of
Arizona, University of Massachusetts, and Western New England College).
October: PV International magazine and the membership rights to the PV Information and
Education Association sold to the American Solar Energy Society.
1989
Unknown date: Dr. Duane Sunderman replaces Dr. "Hub" Hubbard as director of the U.S.
DOE's Solar Energy Research Institute (1989-1995).
Unknown date: BP Solar Systems 30-kW grid-tied array, in Marchwood, near
Southampton, UK, dismantled after 5-year successful demonstration.
Unknown date: BP Solar acquires patents for thin film process.
February 14-17: The 4th International PV Sciences and Engineering Conference, at the
Roundhouse Convention Center, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
May 24-26: The 9th SERI PV Advanced Research and Development Review Meeting,
sponsored by the U.S. DOE and the Solar Energy Research Institute, held at the Sheraton
Inn Lakewood, Lakewood, CO, USA.
September 4-8: International Solar Energy Society Solar World Congress, 'Clean and Safe
Energy Forever,' in Kobe, Japan.
1990
Unknown date: Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (ECD) and Canon Inc. form the American
joint venture PV manufacturer United Solar Systems Corp., based in Troy, Michigan.
February 28: ARCO Solar sold to Siemens, forming Siemens Solar Industries.
May 21-25: 21st IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Kissimmee, FL, Hyatt; chairman, John D.
Meakin. Wm. Cherry Award to Dr. Martin A. Green.
Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) rededicated as the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL).
1991
Unknown date: BP Solar Systems becomes BP Solar International (BPSI), a wholly owned,
but self standing, international business unit within British Petroleum.
September 16: U.S. Solar Energy Research Institue is redesignated as the U.S. Department
of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, by President George Bush.
October 7-11: 22nd IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Las Vegas, NV, Riviera; chairman,
Cosmo R. Baraona. Wm. Cherry Award to Peter Iles.
1992
October/November: A 0.5-kW PV power system was installed at Lake Hoare, Antarctica,
with 2.4-kWh of battery storage, to power laboratory equipment, lights, personal computers
and printers, and a small microwave oven. This project was implemented by the NASA
Lewis Research Center for the National Science Foundation.
1993
May 10-14: 23rd IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Louisville, KY, Galt House; chairman,
Richard J. Schwartz.
October: Dedication of the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) Solar
Energy Research Facility (SERF), in Golden, Colorado, USA.
1994
January: The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) World Wide Web site goes
on line.
Summer: The U.S. DOE, through NREL, implemented a joint technology research and
demonstration effort in the Federal Republic of Brazil with the Centro de Pesquisas de
Energia Electrica (CEPEL). The pilot project systems demonstrate PV, wind, and hybrid
power systems in applications that include street lights, indoor and outdoor lighting for
schools, pumping systems for potable and agricultural water, television, and refrigerators in
health clinics.
July: ASE GmbH of Germany acquires 100% of Mobil Solar Energy Corporation's
technology and assets, forming ASE Americas, Inc.
December 5-9: 24th IEEE PV Specialists Conference and 1st World PV Specialists
Conference, Waikoloa, HI, Hilton; chairman, Dennis J. Flood.
1995
February: Dr. Charles Gay replaces Dr. Dwayne Sunderman as director of the U.S. DOE's
National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
October: First internationally funded national training program to support acceleration of
commercialization of PV begins in India. The World Bank and the Indian Renewable Energy
Development Agency (IREDA) sponsor a 3-year multi-audience, practically focused series of
training seminars, conducted by Siemens Solar Industries.
1996
Unknown date: BP Solar purchases the facilities of APS in California, and announces it is
going into commercial production of it's cadmium telluride Apollo technology.
May 7: Tucson Electric Power Company and ITN Energy Systems, Inc., Denver, Colorado,
form Global Solar Energy, LLC, as a subsidiary of Tucson Electric Power, to develop a
copper-indium-diselenide production manufacturing capability.
May 13-17: 25th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Washington, DC, Hyatt; chairman, Eldon
C. Boes. Wm. Cherry Award to Dr. Allen Barnett.
July: The world's most advanced solar-powered plane, the Icare, flew over Germany. The
wings and tail surfaces of the Icare are covered by 3000 super-efficient PV cells, with a total
area of 21 m2.
August 31: Ishaq Shahryar resigns as president of Solec International; Hiroyoshi Fanatsu,
Senior Manager for Electronic Components Division, Sanyo Electric Company, Ltd.,
promoted to president of Solec International.
1997
Unknown date: BP Solar opens two new offices, in Germany and Colombia.
February 28: Dr. Charles Gay resigns as Director, U.S. National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, Golden, Colorado.
March 26: Admiral Richard Truly named new Director of the U.S. National Renewable
Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado.
April 14-15: Village Power '97, Arlington, VA.
May 18-21: The Third NREL Conference on Thermophotovoltaic Generation of Electricity,
Colorado Springs, Colorado; chairmen, Tim Coutts and John Benner.
June: Greece agrees to fund the first 5 MW of a 50-MW PV power station on Crete with
Enron Solar.
June 2: President Suharto, Indonesia, inaugurates a project to install 36,400 50-W solar
home systems over three years.
June 29-July 4: 14th European PV Solar Energy Conference, Barcelona, Spain; chairman,
Heinz Ossenbeink. Bacquerel Award to Dr. Adolf Goetezberger.
September 29-October 3: 26th IEEE PV Specialists Conference, Anaheim, CA, Anaheim
Marriott; chairman, Paul Basore. Cherry Award winner Dr. Adolf Goetezberger.
1998
December PV modules connected to joint Russian and US space station
If you wish to add an event to the history, please send an e-mail to energy@gosolar.u-net.com
(with the event information, including title, location, dates, people involved, relevance
and any additional information you would like included or considered).
Please include the term 'HISTORY' in the Subject heading.
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This page was last updated on 11/01/99.