00:00 Solar power began with the discovery of the photovoltaic effect in 1839, and the first solar cell was created in 1883 with an efficiency of 1%.

01:57 The big advancement in solar cells was the use of silicon, specifically single crystal silicon, which led to the accidental discovery of the first PN junction and the release of the world's first practical silicon-based solar cell with 6% efficiency in 1954.

03:44 Hoffman Electronics took an early lead in solar cell technology, continuously improving efficiency from 2% in 1955 to 14% in 1960, although there wasn't much demand due to high costs and inefficiency.

05:42 Major advances in solar cells occurred in the 1970s, including the development of gallium arsenide cells and amorphous silicon cells, which are cheaper to produce and can be used in thin films; the cost per watt of solar power has significantly decreased over the years, with the price for traditional silicon solar cells being only $0.20 per watt in 2020.

07:38 Solar power installations reached 629 gigawatts globally by the end of 2019, with China having the largest share, followed by the United States and India; while solar power has its limitations, such as not producing electricity at night and being dependent on factors like latitude and sunshine, it can still be effectively used by connecting to the electrical grid or using batteries.

09:22 Solar power can be stored using batteries, but the cost and limitations of grid-scale batteries make it challenging to support an entire grid; alternative options like pumping water or using Concentrating Solar Thermal Power (CSP) exist, but they have their own limitations.

10:59 Concentrating Solar Thermal Power (CSP) systems are large-scale installations that use mirrors to focus solar heat onto a central tower, and while solar power has become cheaper and more efficient, it still faces challenges with variable production and energy storage.