| Early 1950s |
First photovoltaics created |
Photovoltaic technology was born in the United States with
the invention of the solar silicon cell at Bell Labs in the early 1950s. |
| 1958 |
Federal support linked to Vanguard
satellite |
Federal support for photovoltaic technology was initially
tied to the space program, where its first significant use
was to provide power for the Vanguard satellite in 1958. |
| 1973 |
Interest in terrestrial applications
created by oil shock |
Spurred by the first world oil shock in 1973, interest in
terrestrial applications of photovoltaics blossomed. |
| Late 1970s |
Integrated Buildings Program
established |
By the late 1970s, a program for the development of
distributed photovoltaics was established by the
Department of Energy at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, focusing on design and demonstration issues
for the buildings sector. |
| 1978 |
Energy tax credit |
The Energy Tax Act of 1978 established a 10-percent
investment credit for photovoltaic applications. |
| 1978 |
Solar Photovoltaic Energy, Research,
Development and Demonstration Act |
The Act committed $1.2 billion (current dollars) over 10
years to improve photovoltaic production levels, reduce
costs, and stimulate private-sector purchases. |
| 1978 |
Photovoltaic energy commercialization
program |
This program established a photovoltaic commercialization
pathway, accelerating the installation of photovoltaic
systems in Federal facilities. |
| 1980 |
Carlisle House completed |
The Carlisle house was completed in 1980, with
participation from MIT, DOE, and Solar Design Associates.
The residence featured the first building-integrated
photovoltaic system, passive solar heating and cooling,
superinsulation, internal thermal mass, earth-sheltering,
daylighting, a roof-integrated solar thermal system, and a
7.5-peak-watt photovoltaic array of polycrystalline modules
from Solarex. |
| 1980 |
Crude Oil Profit Windfall Tax |
In April 1980, the Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax was
enacted, raising the residential tax credit to 40 percent of
the first $10,000 for photovoltaic applications, raising the
business tax credit to 15 percent, and extending the credit
to the end of 1985. |
| 1981 |
More than 10 percent efficiency
achieved by thin film cells |
Boeing and Kodak fabricated the first thin-film
photovoltaic cells with efficiencies greater than 10 percent. |
| 1984 |
World price of photovoltaics below $10
per watt |
The world price of photovoltaic modules fell below $10 per
peak watt (1993 dollars) in 1984 (Worldwatch Institute). |
| 1985 |
6-megawatt Carissa Plains plant
completed | In 1985, the 6-megawatt Carissa Plains plant was added to
Southern California Edison's system. The project was later
dismantled. |
| 1989 |
Renewable Energy and Energy
Efficiency Technology Competitiveness
Act |
The Act sought to improve the operational reliability of
photovoltaic modules, increase module efficiencies,
decrease direct manufacturing costs, and improve electric
power production costs. |
| 1989 |
PVUSA formed |
In 1989, PV for Utility Scale Applications (PVUSA), a
national public-private partnership program, was created
to assess and demonstrate the viability of utility-scale
photovoltaic electric generating systems. PVUSA
participants include Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), DOE,
the Electric Power Research Institute, the California Energy
Commission, and eight utilities and other agencies. The
project was designed to provide utilities with the hands-on
experience needed to evaluate and apply photovoltaic
technologies, provide manufacturers with a test bed for
their products, and generate communication between
utilities and the photovoltaics industry. |
| 1990 |
ARCO Solar bought by Siemens |
In February 1990, Siemens A.G. of Munich, West Germany,
acquired California-based ARCO Solar, the world's largest
photovoltaic company. The sale, valued at $30 to $50
million, was a stock transaction, with Siemens buying all
ARCO Solar stock and certain other assets related to its
business. |
| 1990 |
PVMaT formed |
In early 1990, the PV Manufacturing Technology (PVMaT)
project was begun. The activity is a government/industry
research and development partnership between DOE and
members of the U.S. photovoltaic industry. PVMaT is
designed to improve manufacturing processes, accelerate
manufacturing cost reductions for photovoltaic modules,
improve commercial product performance, and lay the
groundwork for a substantial scale-up of manufacturing
capacity. |
| 1992 |
15 percent efficiency achieved by thin-
film cells |
The University of South Florida fabricated a 15.89-percent
efficient thin-film cell, breaking the 15-percent barrier for
the first time. |
| 1992 |
World price below $5 per watt |
The world price of photovoltaic modules fell below $5 per
peak watt (1993 dollars) in 1992 (Worldwatch Institute). |
| 1993 |
First grid-supported system installed |
In March 1993, as part of the PVUSA program, PG&E
completed the installation of the first grid-supported
photovoltaic system in Kerman, California. The 500-
kilowatt system was the first effort aimed at þdistributed
power,þ where a relatively small amount of power is
carefully matched to a specific load and is produced near
the point of consumption. The approach differs
significantly from the traditional utility-supply model,
where electricity is generated at a central point and
distributed to outlying areas through high-voltage
transmission lines. |
| 1993 |
Record world efficiencies announced |
New world-record efficiencies in polycrystalline thin film
and single-crystal devices, approaching 16 percent and 30
percent, respectively, were achieved in 1993. |
| 1995 |
Joint venture by Amoco and Enron |
Two major energy companies announced their intention to use amorphous silicon modules for utility-scale
photovoltaic applications. |