Solar energy has been around since the beginning of time, but it wasn’t until the late 19th century that humans began to harness its power. In the United Kingdom, solar energy has been used for decades, but it wasn’t until the turn of the 21st century that it really began to take off.
The history of solar energy in the UK can be traced back to the 1950s, when the first solar panels were developed. These early panels were large and inefficient, but they laid the groundwork for the modern solar panels we use today.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, solar energy was used primarily for remote applications such as powering satellites and remote weather stations. It wasn’t until the 1980s that solar energy began to be used for more mainstream applications.
One of the earliest examples of solar energy being used in the UK was in 1984, when the first solar-powered car was built. The car, called the Sinclair C5, was a three-wheeled electric vehicle that was powered by a small solar panel on its roof.
In the 1990s, solar energy continued to gain popularity in the UK, with the construction of several large-scale solar power plants. These plants were designed to generate electricity for the National Grid, and they paved the way for the large-scale solar projects we see today.
It wasn’t until the early 2000s, however, that solar energy really began to take off in the UK. In 2002, the government introduced the Renewable Obligation Scheme, which required energy suppliers to source a certain percentage of their energy from renewable sources.
This scheme provided a huge boost to the solar industry, as it made solar energy much more economically viable. In the years that followed, the cost of solar panels continued to fall, making them even more accessible to businesses and homeowners.
Today, the UK is one of the leading countries in the world when it comes to solar energy. The country has over 13 GW of installed solar capacity, which is enough to power over 3 million homes. Solar energy is now a mainstream source of electricity in the UK, and it is expected to play an increasingly important role in the country’s energy mix in the years to come.
In conclusion, solar energy has been around in the UK for decades, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that it really began to take off. The introduction of the Renewable Obligation Scheme provided a huge boost to the industry, and the falling cost of solar panels has made them accessible to businesses and homeowners alike. Today, the UK is one of the leading countries in the world when it comes to solar energy, and it is expected to continue to play an increasingly important role in the country’s energy mix in the years to come.
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