The discovery of Photovoltaic (PV) began at a date much earlier than many would expect. The following is a summary of the history of this technology.
1873 - Discovery that selenium, when exposed to light, became highly conductive
1954 - Bell Labs attempted, but failed, to use selenium cells to produce power for remote telephone stations
1954- Bell labs researchers found when adding impurities to silicon to improve electrical qualities for transistors and rectifiers that this modified silicon produced an appreciable electric current when exposed to light.
1958 - Photovoltaic had its first major application in a space program
1960 - Solar cells were hand made and cost about $ 1,000 (U.S.) per watt.
1970 - The Martin Marietta Company made a PV system for ARAMCO (Arabian Oil Company).
Mid 1970's - Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) started producing PV modules for use.
1984 - Article 690 was added to the National Electric Code
Early 1980's - First small off grid systems developed
