The use of the sun for energy is steeped in solar power history. Although the collection and use we see today was not developed until the late 19th century, ancient societies used it for warmth and as a growing tool.

Ancient civilizations used the sun to heat their dwellings and grow their plants, as Native Americans, Greeks, and Romans went about their daily lives. Romans thought of the idea involving the capturing of sun through glass to make more pronounced use of it.

The Romans took it a step further than heating for their homes and made crude greenhouses in which to collect the sun to grow plants and vegetables more quickly. It extended their growing season and gave them larger crops.

The pueblos and other hillside dwellings were often built by Native American and Greeks facing the sun so they could collect the warmth to heat their houses, then at night the air would cool and they had fresh heat that would enter in the morning.

Although Greece and America are thousands of miles and oceans away from each other, the sun’s power was such an obvious resource to them that they both recognized it in the period when they both began to build communities.

Several centuries went by before any thing else was discovered for the use of the sun’s power. By the end of the 18th century Horace de Saussare had a new invention. It was a sun collector that he used to boil ammonia to power cooling. It acted as a refrigerant and the sun was gathered in a conical device.

The steam engine was the next major development in solar power history. The engine that was invented used expensive and difficult equipment, so it did not last long. Scientists continued to search and came up with a cell for collection that is similar to what we use today. That was in the late 19th century.

A home solar energy system combined with home built wind generator can really slash your electrical bill.

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