In 1921, Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize for his proposed experiment with solar energy and photovoltaics.

Many of us known Einstein as a genius who invented the equation E = mc². Others knew him as a physics pioneer who formulated the Theory of Relativity. However, what was least expected was that Albert Einstein actually won the Nobel Prize for his experiment with solar energy and photovoltaics. Einstein successfully demonstrated the photoelectric effect showing that light comes in a tiny discreet unit called photon.

Photoelectric effect occurred when a metallic surface is exposed to electromagnetic radiation above a certain frequency which is specific to the surface of the material. When the metallic surface receives light with the correct frequency, it will absorb the photons and produces current. With current comes electricity that we use to power all the electrical apparatus in our daily life. As such, this demonstrated the very basic concept of how we obtain solar energy.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoelectric_effect

Filed under: Solar Energy Facts