Читать книгу Photovoltaics from Milliwatts to Gigawatts - Tim Bruton - Страница 24

This chapter has described how photovoltaics evolved from some very simple experiments in the early nineteenth century to become a key enabling technology for the reliable functioning of satellite systems. Much of the current digital age relies heavily on the ability of satellites to communicate data; without them, modern society would not function. The development of solar cells for space use was the foundation stone for the large‐scale terrestrial industry that exists today. Subsequent chapters in this book describe how this technology migration occurred and how it continues to develop toward large‐scale deployment at the terawatt scale.

Figure 1.16 Assembly of solar arrays for use in space

(Courtesy Spectrolab Corp)