Photovoltaics is the direct conversion of light into electrical energy through a solar cell. This happens thanks to the physical photo effect. This effect is completely free of any hazardous emissions and does not need any moving parts. The physical effect was originally discovered by the Physicist Becquerel. Until the discovery of the transistor in 1949, the observed effect was not given much attention. It was only at the beginning of the semiconductor era in the early 1950s that Bequerel's findings were used and, in 1954, the first solar cell was developed from crystalline silicon in the USA.

In the early phase, the solar cells were mainly used on satellites for energy supply. It was with the first oil crisis in 1973 that the finite nature of fossil resources became the focus of public attention. This led to increased research activities in the field of photovoltaics. The main objective of photovoltaic research has been to reduce costs in order to contribute to broader dissemination of this technology.