The discovery of solar energy is actually much older than you would expect, dating back to the year 1839.
During the middle of France’s Industrial Revolution, physicist Alexandre Edmond Becquerellar experimented with the photovoltaic (PV) effect, demonstrating that, with chemistry, light could be converted into electricity in a solar cell.
It took 44 more years for entrepreneur and inventor Charles Fritts to craft the first solar array on a rooftop in New York. Though it only produced a minimal electric current, this was the start of harnessing a futuristic power source, an alternative to dangerous gas, unstable electric and smoky coal energy available in the Victorian Era. Despite the fact that the photovoltaic effect (solar cell technology) could be proven and demonstrated, it still could not be explained. Enter Albert Einstein, who earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 1921 for his 1905 dissertation on the photoelectric effect.
It was the research done by Einstein and Becquerellar, combined with the ingenuity of Fritts, which the basis of modern solar cell energy is based off of. With U.S. military funding during the Post-War years, many of the modern PV energy industry innovations began to evolve quickly, and saw practical implementation in the mid-seventies during the energy crisis.
A second, more passionate and successful push for alternative energy sources started in the early 2000’s and its effects can be seen today with the sun’s energy powering government buildings, public facilities, residential homes and more. Millions have made the switch to solar energy, choosing to power their lives with the sun. Funding for alternative energy sources is at an all-time high, and more are making the switch every day in California, selecting green energy (over conventional power companies) who help their customers save thousands and decrease their carbon footprint by making the smart switch.
Green Day Power is one of those companies, located right in Sacramento and servicing the Bay Area, Sacramento/San Joaquin Valleys and Foothills in California. With their Zero Down Solar Solutions, you can find a plan that works for you; whether that is for ownership, a PPA, ground-mount or roof installation, Green Day Power’s friendly staff will assist you through your solar journey, from the very start with laying out a customized design just for you to the installation, which generally can be completed in less than 30 days.
For a free solar quote, or for more information on Green Day Power’s current solar deals, visit GreenDayPower.com or call 530-645-3609.
Contributed by Sarah Spinetta
