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A swiss scientist names Horace de Saussure created the worlds first solar collector.
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While on an expedition to South Africa, Explorer John Herschel used De Saussure's solar collector to cook food. This was the first recorded time that solar energy was used to cook food.
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French scientist, Edmond Becquerel, discovered the Photovoltaic Effect. The effect showed that when a cell was exposed to sunlight it created an increased amount of electricity.
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Albert Einsteins paper about the photoelectric effect was published. It recieved a nobel piece prize.
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There was a high US demand for solar buildings.
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Solar Energy was used in space travel with all Vanguard, Sputnik and Explorer space craft. Solar power is still the prefered energy source for space craft in orbit.
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The first solar power car ever drove about 2800 miles across Austrailia from Sydney to Perth. It took 10 days less than the first petroleum powered car to take the same trip.
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More large solar power plants begin to top up around the country.
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A new solar cell is invented that can convert almost 33 of sunlight into electricity.
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There is a sharp increase in domestic solar energy systems. This shows a change towards more renewable energy and that some people are starting to make the necessary change over to renewable energy.
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The worlds largest solar power plant opens in the US. It is named the Ivanpah project and is possibly just the beginning to multiple being opened across the country and eventually around the world. It consists of 350,000 mirrors spanning across 5 miles in the Mojave desert