The efficiency of solar cells has evolved in a surprising way since their invention in the nineteenth century.
What began as a scientific discovery with minimal yield, has since become one of the key technologies for the global energy transition. This historical tour shows how innovation, new materials, and constant research have enabled us to capture more and more energy from the sun, bringing us closer to a cleaner and more sustainable future.
The evolution of solar cells has been as follows:
1839 – The photovoltaic effect is discovered
1883 – First solar cell (≈1% efficiency)
1954 – Silicon cells (≈6%)
1970s – Space use and early commercial applications (12–15%)
1990s – New materials and thin layers (up to 20%)
2010 – Popularization of solar energy (15 – 17% commercial)
2015–2020 – Perovskites revolutionize the technology (up to 25%).
Today – Tandem cells (two or more layers of stacked semiconductors) exceed 30% in laboratory and 24% commercially.