What happened to solar energy in the 1950s?

By the end of the 1950s, interest in solar energy declined. Oil, of course, was dominant, and even in the international development context solar energy was passed over for other economic and energy projects.

When did solar homes start?

This experimentation with solar homes took place decades before photovoltaics became feasible as a way to turn sunlight into electricity, and long before the counter-cultural developments of the 1960s and 1970s led to another wave of interest in designing for the sun.

Why did solar house heating become popular in the 1950s?

Increasing production of oil, coal, and natural gas in the 1950s, however, as well as a new fascination with the possibilities of nuclear power, undercut these innovative solar designs and technologies. By the mid-1950s, the interest in solar house heating had shifted towards two new experimental frontiers.

When did solar design start?

This emphasis on technical innovation led to the founding of the Association for Applied Solar Energy and a competition for the design of a solar house held in Phoenix, Arizona in 1957. A second strategy incorporated solar design into American-funded development projects in other countries.

How did solar architecture evolve in the postwar era?

The postwar experiments with solar architecture emerged as part of American engagement with modern architectural styles. Solar construction used new materials and applied novel designs to achieve both energy efficiency and cultural relevance. The “solar house principle” involved three main design elements.

When was the first solar power station built?

Shuman's invention was tested in Egypt in 1913, showing how water could be pumped from the Nile without burning fossil fuels (Credit: Alamy) The world's first solar power station was built before World War One, created by a man with a vision for cleaner air. The early 1900s was an age of coal and iron.