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.