Exploring The History of Solar Power in The U.S.

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Exploring The History of Solar Power in The U.S.
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• While it might seem as if solar power is a modern
  form of technology born out of a desire to
  protect the planet, you may be surprised to know
  that its roots in the U.S. go back as far as the
  1800s. First demonstrated way back in 1839, the
  ability to generate energy that could be put to
  good use from a light source, was known as the
  photovoltaic effect.
• What was next for the photovoltaic effect?
• As science in the country progressed and
  inventors began exploring the opportunities the
  photovoltaic effect presented them with, a basic
  form of solar power was patented, and it was upon
  this, that modern-day PV cells were based.

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• More than a hundred years after the discovery of
  solar power, in April of 1954, engineers from
  Bell Laboratories were excited to declare that
  they had invented the worlds first practical
  silicon solar cell. While this invention was
  anything but cheap to produce, and had a
  miserably low efficiency rate of around 6, it
  was nonetheless, heralded as a solar energy
  revolution, and the beginning of a new era.

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• How soon would solar power be adopted in the
  U.S.?
• It wasnt until almost 20 years later that an
  early pioneer of solar energy, Karl Wolfgang
  Boer, built what has been described as the
  countrys first building powered by solar energy,
  using cadmium sulfide (CDS) platelets. His work
  took place in the University of Delaware, and the
  project was given the bold name of Solar One. As
  an advocate of all forms of alternative energy,
  Boer later founded the American Solar Energy
  Society, and continued to play a significant role
  in the advancement of alternative energy in the
  U.S.

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• Our dependence on fossil fuels
• The gas crisis of 1973 made U.S. lawmakers and
  citizens think long hard about their dependence
  on fossil fuels like gas and oil, and forced them
  to seriously consider alternatives like solar
  power. Work began in 1984 to construct 9
  individual solar energy plants in Californias
  Mojave Desert, forming the Solar Energy
  Generating Systems (SEGS) facility, that remains
  the second biggest facility of its kind in the
  world.

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• When did solar power get the attention, and
  funding, it deserved?
• While it was clear that up until the 80s and 90s,
  solar energy was being taken seriously, it still
  wasnt afforded the research and investment
  required to take it up on a mass scale. In fact,
  it took a little push from the President of the
  United States himself, George W. Bush, who had a
  nine-kilowatt-per-hour photovoltaic system
  installed in the White House in 2003. Following
  on from this, governors across the country began
  calling for the widespread use of solar power in
  both businesses and homes, and introduced a
  number of aggressive initiatives to get the ball
  rolling.

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• It wasnt until 2009 though, that a stimulus
  package in excess of 25 billion in funds was
  designated to alternative energy subsidies,
  quickly followed by advances in technology and
  manufacturing capacity that made solar cells a
  more affordable and efficient option.
• Solar now
• There has never been a better time for home and
  business owners to make the switch from the grid,
  to solar power, and with various state and
  federal incentives available, you could save both
  money and the environment, by going solar.
• To discuss your solar options in more detail,
  reach out to a local solar specialist and find
  out how much you could start saving, today.

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• Proxima Solar Energy is a proud veteran owned
  organization founded by a group of partners, on
  the premise that everyone should have access to a
  clean, alternative-energy future. Proxima Solar
  Energy is one of the best solar companies in
  Dallas, Texas and believes that your path to a
  clean energy future should not be difficult or
  complicated, so we seek to bring you simplified
  solar solutions that will benefit today and help
  to ensure a brighter tomorrow. If you are looking
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