Solar energy has been developing for more than a century.

Solar energy was mostly

utilized in the past to create steam, which was then used to power machinery.
However, Solar technologies convert sunlight into electrical energy either through
photovoltaic (PV) panel invented by Edmond Becquerel's which is a device that
converts light from the sun, which is composed of particles of energy called
"photons", energy can be used to generate electricity or be stored in batteries or
thermal storage.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/how-does-solar-work

A Solar panels (also known as "PV panels") is a device that converts light from the sun, which is
composed of particles of energy called "photons", into electricity that can be used to power electrical
loads.

The development of solar energy goes back more than 100 years. In the early days, solar energy
was used primarily for the production of steam which could then be used to drive machinery. But
it wasn't until the discovery of the "photovoltaic effect" by Edmond Becquerel that would allow
the conversion of sunlight solar electric energy. Becquerel's discovery then led to the invention
in 1893 by Charles Fritts of the first genuine solar cell which was formed by coating sheets of
selenium with a thin layer of gold. And from this humble beginning would arise the device we
know today as the solar panel.

Russel Ohl, an American inventor on the payroll of Bell Laboratories, patented the world's first
silicon solar cell in 1941. Ohl's invention led to the production of the first solar panel in 1954 by
the same company. Solar panels found their first mainstream use in space satellites. For most
people, the first solar panel in their life was probably embedded in their new calculator - circa the
1970s!

Today, solar panels and complete solar panel systems are used to power a wide variety of
applications. Yes, solar panels in the form of solar cells are still being used in calculators.
However, they are also being used to provide solar power to entire homes and commercial
buildings, such as Google's headquarters in California.