Solar photovoltaic power generation is the most core components of the solar cell, and the solar cell has gone through 160 years of long history of development. During this period, solar cells in the development process and applications in aerospace, construction and other industries created a number of world firsts and the world's largest.
The first man-made solar satellite
Sixty years ago, Sputnik Pioneer 1 successfully went into space, and it's still there, making it the oldest man-made object in space. Launched on March 17, 1958, it was the first solar-powered satellite. In 1958, the United States made n-ON-P silicon solar cells, which were more resistant to radiation and more adaptable to space, and they used them in Pioneer 1.
The first commercial communications satellite powered by solar cells
In 1962, The Telstar, the first commercial communications satellite developed by Bell LABS, was launched. Notably, the Telstar satellite was powered by solar cells with 14 watts of power.
The first manned spacecraft powered by solar cells
In 1960, soyuz-1, a solar-powered spacecraft designed by the Soviet Union, made its first flight and is still in use today. Is the world's longest service time, the highest launch frequency, but also the best reliability of manned spacecraft.
The first solar-powered watch
In 1968, Roger Riehl introduced the first solar-powered watch.
First efficient gallium arsenide heterostructure solar cell
In 1970, the first efficient gallium arsenide heterostructure solar cell was invented by Zhores Alferov and his team in the Soviet Union.
The first photovoltaic home
In 1973, the University of Delaware built the world's first photovoltaic house.
The first new energy heating and power building
In 1974, J.Baldwin collaborated at Integrated Living Systems to develop the world's first building (in New Mexico) heated and powered solely by solar and wind power.
The first thin-film solar cell with an efficiency of more than 10%
In 1980, the University of Delaware's Energy Conversion Institute developed the first thin-film solar cell with an efficiency of more than 10% using Cu2S/CDS technology.
Commercialization of the first distributed, grid-connected photovoltaic system
The Pv Pioneer Project was launched in the Sacramento City Public Utility District (SMUD) in 1992. This is the first extensive commercialization of a distributed, grid-connected photovoltaic system (" rooftop sun ").