Page 79 - ISES SWC50

1975
• The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) was established as the state’s energy research institute. FSEC
later becomes a world leader in solar energy research.
• Solec International was established by Ishaq Shahryar.
• The American government encouraged JPL Laboratories to conduct research in the field of photovoltaic
systems for application on Earth.
• Bill Yerkes started Solar Technology International (STI).
• Lucas Industries (UK) entered solar market.
• Kyocera Corporation began research into solar power technology, led by Kazuo Inamori.
• Panasonic started research and development of amorphous solar cells.
• Sanyo, under the guidance of Yukinori Kuwano, became involved with PV focussing first on amorphous
silicon under the brand Amorton.
• Total (French oil company) buys majority share of Photon Power (based in El Paso Texas) and established
a pilot production plant for Cadmium sulphide solar cells in partnership with Libbey-Owens-Ford (US
glass company).

1976
• David Carlson and Christopher Wronski, RCA Laboratories, fabricated the first amorphous silicon
photovoltaic cells which had an efficiency of 2.4%.
• Solec International was established by Ishaq Shahryar.
• The idea of fluorescent photovoltaic cell is independently developed by German scientists Adolf Goetzberger,
W. Greubel, W.H. Weber and J. Lamb.
• Telecom Australia were mandated to provide phone service to everyone in Australia. Senior Power
engineer Arnold Holderness came across solar at Sharps headquarters in Japan in 1975 but the price was
too high. With $20 per watt from the USA, Michael Mack from Telecom found it was cost effective to start
the roll out of solar power phones across the country.
• Zoltan Kiss founded Chronar Corporation in New Jersey, USA.
• Guy Smekens, Spigniew Szawlowsky and Rene Grosjean established the PV company Energies Nouvelles
at Environnement (ENE) in Brussels.

1977
• The U.S. Department of Energy opened the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) as a Federal facility
dedicated to harnessing power from the sun.
• Total photovoltaic manufacturing production exceeded 500 kilowatts.
• NASA LeRC commenced implementing photovoltaic systems in six meteorological stations in different
locations within USA. NASA LeRC introduced additional trial demonstration projects.
• In the American Indian reservation, Papago Indian Reservation located in southern Arizona, NASA LeRC
constructed a 3.5 kW PV system - the first system ever to satisfy the demands of the entire village. It was
used for water pumping and power supply of 15 households.
• Captain Lloyd Lomer from USA Coast Guard had previously installed a demonstration solar unit on a buoy
in Alaska to prove solar would work on navigational buoys. In 1977 he obtained funding to commence
solarizing the Coast Guards Installations.
• AEG Solartechnik (Germany) started their terrestrial business after providing cells to satellites.
• Atlantic Richfield acquired Solar Technology International (STI) and STI becomes ARCO Solar.

1978
• The first solar-powered calculator is released.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlawed dumping batteries in Ocean and therefore both
Automatic Power and Tideland Signal Corporation, began supplying solar lights to the oil rigs in the gulf
and around the world. Note, other Solar Navigational Light Manufacturers of the time included Integrated
Power and Orga.
• Leroy-Somer (French electrical conglomerate) invested in Solarex and commenced the jointly owned
subsidiary France Photon managed by Alain Ricaud.
• Telecom Australia constructed their first large scale solar powered telecommunications system with
thirteen (13) solar powered repeaters 40kms apart from Tennant Creek to Alice Springs in the Northern
Territory. From this success Telecom went on to build seventy similar projects with the longest being 2420
kilometres using forty-three (43) repeaters spaced 57kms apart.

ISES SWC50 - The Century of Solar-Stories and Visions | 61