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The term comes from the Greek word 'phos' meaning 'light' and 'voltaic' meaning 'electric' - which derives from the Italian physicist Volta.
The volt, a unit electro-motive force is also named after him.
The first solar PV call was built in 1883 by Charles Fritts however this original device was only 1 per cent efficient which did not make for a successful panel.
The next type of cell was built in 1888 by a Russian man called Alexsandr Stoletov however; it was Albert Einstein who first explained the photoelectric effect in 1905 resulting in him receiving a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.
The PV cell was actually developed in 1954 by Bell Laboratories, a research and development organisation, by using a diffused silicon p-n junction.
Over the past forty years a shocking amount of progress has been made and now solar PV panels are being actively made available to the general public via government incentives.
As solar cells are now far more common place they are being used for everyday applications.
The general homeowner installs a PV system onto their roof in order to produce their own electrical energy, this not only reduces their bills but also means they are able to sell excess electricity back to the main electrical board.
Another popular use is to get a system which heats up your water! However, you are also able to by a system which does both.
Solar PV panels are no longer restricted to the very rich and affluent and the UK is aiming to make them more and more commonplace.
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