Solar panel technology was developed iteratively and with several contributions from diverse scientists. Naturally, there is considerable disagreement over the precise date of their creation and the inventor's identity.
Edmond Becquerel (1820-1891):
Some claim that French physicist Edmond Becquerel, who discovered light could boost energy output when two metal electrodes were inserted into a conducting solution, is responsible for the discovery of the solar cell. This innovation, known as the "photovoltaic effect," had an impact on following selenium-based PV technologies.
Willoughby Smith (1828-1891):
He identified the photoconductive potential of selenium in 1873, which paved the way for William Grylls Adams and Richard Evans Day to identify the photoelectric effect of selenium in 1876.
Charles Fritts (1850-1903):
Some historians attribute Charles Fritts with the actual creation of solar cells because he produced the first solar cells manufactured from selenium wafers a few years later, in 1883.
Gerald Pearson , Calvin Fuller, Daryl Chapin:
However, silicon, not selenium, is used to create solar cells as we know them today. Therefore, some believe that Gerald Pearson, Calvin Fuller, and Daryl Chapin's development of the silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell at Bell Labs in 1954 is responsible for the genuine invention of solar panels. Because it was the first instance of solar energy that could genuinely power an electric device for a number of hours throughout the day, many believe that this moment shows the actual invention of PV technology.