Centuries ago, people used magnifying glasses to focus sunlight on wood. This caused the wood to catch fire. | In the 1800s and early 1900s, scientists began experimenting with solar collectors, devices that could absorb sunlight to collect heat. | In the 1950s, scientists at Bell Labs generated a measurable electric current with the first silicon solar cell. During the 1960s, the space industry established reliable, less expensive solar power. |
It wasn't until the oil embargoes of the 1970s that the public showed interest in the potential of solar energy.