The Photovoltaic Effect was first observed in the 19th century and was developed for use in space technology and again during the oil crises of the 1970s. The silicon technology has also benefited from developments in semi-conductors for the computer industry.

Worldwide the use of solar power tends to have a greater uptake in the western industrialised countries as it is still fairly expensive and there is a higher demand for electricity. However, the biggest use of solar energy is to provide electricity for spacecraft. In addition to this third world countries are increasingly using solar power to aid rural electrification and to enable the operation of equipment such as medical refrigeration, light bulbs and other equipment that removes the need of diesel power.

To date there has been a relatively slow uptake of solar energy in the UK because it has been seen as relatively expensive. Over the passed five years this has been partly addressed through the introduction of government capital grants of up to 50% to help with the finances of purchasing and installing solar energy. Also, as the UK does not receive as much sun as other countries, many believe that PV systems will not work in our climate. However, PV systems installed in the UK do not rely on it being sunny throughout the whole day for them to be effective.

Across the UK there are already thousands of systems in operation reliably meeting the relatively small power requirements of applications such as remote telephone booths, navigation aids and roadside monitoring systems. Within the leisure industry PV is used to provide lighting and electricity for caravans and yachts and even to power garden features such as fountains and garden lamps.

PV can also meet a sizeable proportion of the electricity demand at home and work. The fastest growing application for PV in the UK is on buildings connected to the mains electricity grid. This type of application is known as Building Integrated Photovoltaics  and there are many impressive examples of PV incorporated into buildings already in operation in the UK.