A Brief History of Residential Solar Panels in Yuba City
A Brief History of Residential Solar Panels in Yuba City
Did you know that the very first state in America to utilize solar panels in a residential solar system in a big way was California? A ground breaker in renewable energy policies and initiatives, California began to advocate a series of policies, smart architecture and innovative technology including residential solar panel systems as answer to the 1970’s US energy crisis. Since then, California has continued to be a leader in the widespread adoption of utilizing solar power as a source of clean, sustainable energy.
Often credited as being the first city in California to actively use residential solar panel installations, Berkeley began the very first substantial incentive program for homeowners to install solar systems call the Solar Access Program. Not only did it provide financial compensation it also made the permitting processes easier. Berkeley paved the way for solar panels in Yuba City and all across California significantly increasing the popularity of sunlight as an alternative source of energy.
While the inaugural residential solar panels in Yuba City are not documented specifically it is thought that homeowners in the area first embraced the technology for their homes around the same time as the Berkeley initiative started to catch on in the late seventies or early eighties due to rising concerns about both the energy crisis mentioned above and over increased awareness of environmental problems.
The history of solar energy and how it has developed into a viable option for residential use in Yuba City is fascinating! Some of the more monumental milestones include:
- Interestingly, solar panels in Yuba City can trace their origins all the way back to ancient civilizations where the Greeks and Romans used architectural design to capture and use the sun’s rays as a source for heat and light.
- In the 19th century there were even experiments to see if ovens and steam engines could use solar power as a source of energy.
- The photovoltaic effect was discovered in 1839 by Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel, a French physicist who laid the foundation for the development of solar photovoltaic technology when he learned that some materials can produce electric current when they are exposed to sunlight.
- The first solar cells were made using silicone in 1954 by American scientists at Bell Laboratories and then later used in the sixties and seventies to power communication systems, scientific instruments and equipment during space exploration missions.
Bountiful sunlight, forward-thinking ideologies and concern for the world we live in have made California a maverick in not only making solar energy attainable but also affordable. California offers various policies and incentives including net metering, rebate programs, and the California Solar Initiative (CSI).
While we don’t have the record for the exact first solar panels in Yuba City, we do know that residential solar panel installations are now more affordable, more accessible and more profitable than at any other time in history.
If you’re interested in harnessing the power of the sun to generate long term energy savings and help the environment reach out to a top solar panels installer in Yuba City today!