Stop, Relax and Prosper - The Forgotten Formula for Business Success
Everyone’s looking for: the new angle, the undeveloped niche, the hidden ‘vein of gold’ just waiting to be mined. Anything seems possible if we just work harder, better, faster than the next marketer waiting to capitalize on an opening.You know you can do it but you feel you need that extra effort, greater insight, that flas

Global Markets: A Window on the World Economy
Expectations drive the market. Every stock price is driven by what people expect the company to do. That’s why all the talk about a strong or weak economy has such an impact. But those aren’t the only expectations moving us. We’ve seen the impact of war and terrorism worries on markets and the impact of SARS concerns on Asian markets.The solar panel has come a long way, but what about its origins. Specifically, who came up with the idea of the solar panel?

The name photovoltaic solar panel is derived from the Greek word phos meaning light and the name Volta, after the Italian physicist who developed the concept of voltage. Combined, this yields photovoltaic – of light and electricity. The credit for inventing the photovoltaic solar cells is generally given to Alexandre-Edmund Becquerel, a French physicist. However, equal credit must be given to Charles Fritts, Russell Ohl, and scientists at Bell laboratories.

Becquerel first noticed the photovoltaic effect in 1839; light energy from the sun can be converted into electrical energy. However, the first solar cell was not built for another 44 years. Charles Fritts, an American, coated the semiconductor selenium with a thin layer of gold. Unfortunately the resulting device, while it did convert light energy into electric energy, had only about a 1% efficiency rate. Combined with the high expense of creating this piece of equipment, the

nd the name Volta, after the Italian physicist who developed the concept of voltage. Combined, this yields photovoltaic – of light and electricity. The credit for inventing the photovoltaic solar cells is generally given to Alexandre-Edmund Becquerel, a French physicist. However, equal credit must be given to Charles Fritts, Russell Ohl, and scientists at Bell laboratories.

Becquerel first noticed the photovoltaic effect in 1839; light energy from the sun can be converted into electrical energy. However, the first solar cell was not built for another 44 years. Charles Fritts, an American, coated the semiconductor selenium with a thin layer of gold. Unfortunately the resulting device, while it did convert light energy into electric energy, had only about a 1% efficiency rate. Combined with the high expense of creating this piece of equipment, the

iven to Alexandre-Edmund Becquerel, a French physicist. However, equal credit must be given to Charles Fritts, Russell Ohl, and scientists at Bell laboratories.

Becquerel first noticed the photovoltaic effect in 1839; light energy from the sun can be converted into electrical energy. However, the first solar cell was not built for another 44 years. Charles Fritts, an American, coated the semiconductor selenium with a thin layer of gold. Unfortunately the resulting device, while it did convert light energy into electric energy, had only about a 1% efficiency rate. Combined with the high expense of creating this piece of equipment, the

n 1839; light energy from the sun can be converted into electrical energy. However, the first solar cell was not built for another 44 years. Charles Fritts, an American, coated the semiconductor selenium with a thin layer of gold. Unfortunately the resulting device, while it did convert light energy into electric energy, had only about a 1% efficiency rate. Combined with the high expense of creating this piece of equipment, the layer of gold. Unfortunately the resulting device, while it did convert light energy into electric energy, had only about a 1% efficiency rate. Combined with the high expense of creating this piece of equipment, the invention was not practical or cost-effective in generating solar energy. What it did do, however, was whet the appetite of future scientists.

Russell Ohl was a noted researcher in semiconductors. He specialized in the study of the properties of crystals. He discovered the PN junction, which showed how the impurities in crystals impacted the flow of electricity. From this work, he was able to determine that super-purifying geranium was the key to making reusable semiconductor material for diodes. It was his work with diodes that led to his creation of the silicon solar cell in 1946. It was considered an “accident” and occurred while he was working at Bell labs on his semiconductors. By infusing silicon with certain impurities, the silicon becomes sensitive to light. Ohl’s work was considered advanced and only understood by a few of his colleagues