The History of Solar Panel Battery Chargers

The history of solar power battery chargers has to begin with the advent of solar power. Attempts to capture the power of the sun have been made since the dawn of man. Realizing its power to give heat and light, intrigued man from the beginning of time. Leonardo da Vinci studied the sun and ways to harness it in the fifteenth century.

Although modern science has taken away the romance of sun gods, mystical beings and other myths and tales, it has not lost its curiosity. Harnessing the suns power to be used in batteries has been around since France decided it needed an alternate energy source long before the fuel shortage of the seventies.

Charles Fritz managed to turn the suns rays into electricity with the first solar cell in 1883. It wasn't until later in the 1880's that a solar cell was used to warm water in his house. The studies went on. The possibilities of using up all of the nonrenewable resources was well known in the nineteenth century. People around the world still chose to use coal and other nonrenewable energy sources as though they would never end, or have any consequences.

Three scientists from Bell Labs, Calvin Fuller, Daryl Chaplin and Gerald Pearson made the discovery that silicon was a very good semiconductor.  Today solar cells and panels are usually made of silicon.

These small yet applaudable steps were baby steps to the many uses of solar energy today. Now, solar energy is influencing the production of energy much more than those in history ever imagined. It is no longer history, it is the future that depends on solar power and the ability to use the sun as an energy source and to not deplete the earth of nonrenewable resources.

Then the price of oil doubled in the seventies, the government of the United States finally decided to invest time and funds into the development of the solar cell. This is the same solar electric cell that was produced in 1953 by the scientists at Bell Laboratories.

Today the assortment of solar powered battery chargers is amazing. When you inventory your electronic gadgets, you know that everyone needs to be charged in one way or another. You will find out that most of those electric chargers can be replaced by solar battery chargers.


The solar charger contains solar panels. When these panels are placed in direct sunlight, the panels will convert the energy from the sun and store it in your battery. The more energy you want, the larger the solar panel you will need. Portable solar chargers are available and built into many small devices. Solar powered calculators have been around for decades. At first large and cumbersome, they are now pocket sized and more efficient.

Internal solar batteries are usually what you will find in these small hand held devices. Price counts. There are some that are too small to charge the device with just the sun, but can charge the internal battery. Internal batteries will most likely have to be replaced before the device wears out. Replacement of an internal battery will most likely occur every couple of years and is a danger to the ecosystem. A weak battery in a new device is also a potential issue.

External solar chargers are great when you aren't anywhere close to an electric outlet. You can plug the charger into your device on a beach, in a foreign country or out in a boat with no AC power. They are also great if you are camping. You can get solar panels large enough to keep everything in your camp charged and usable without tapping into electrical power supplies. They are great for any emergency, survival or your pleasure when electricity is not available.

Before you invest in a solar charger, it will be important to see if your appliances and devices can be used with one. The additional purchase of cables may be necessary in some instances.

In order to charge rechargeable batteries you will need a separate solar power charger. Since this will most likely be used outdoors, it is important to buy one that is weatherproof. Keep the connections clean and free from anything that may clog them and the panels themselves will function more efficiently if they are also kept clean and free from dust and grime.

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