This is a photo of the world’s first rooftop solar panel installation.

[katemorley@hachyderm.io]

This is a photo of the world’s first rooftop solar panel installation. It looks much like I would expect: a more rustic version of modern solar panels. What stunned me was date: this photo is from 1884! More details here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/sponsored/brief-history-solar-panels-180972006/

[dan@mastodon.durrans.com]

@katemorley It feels like we were on the cusp of something great around the turn of the last century. And then the motor car arrived and we never looked back.

[simoncox@seocommunity.social]

@katemorley
I am intrigued by the possible nefarious actions of a certain oil magnet in the story of these panels - I say possible but nothing in the last 100 years of the oil industries actions would suggest otherwise.

[ollivdb@nrw.social]

@katemorley
@BlumeEvolution

Fascinating, isn't it. Photovoltaik could have been massively in the market since 100 years and yet we used mainly oil, coal and gas.

[aedius@lavraievie.social]

@katemorley

Thanks I'm adding it to my collection of facts.

The first electric car is from 1880 and they where more popular than the one with gasoline in 1900.

But then gasoline véhicule got cheaper...

The timeline could have been so different, without all the lead poisoning and all the CO2 in the atmosphere.

[peteriskrisjanis@toot.lv]

@katemorley cheap oil destroyed it all, because capitalism

[dtfdpr@mastodon.social]

RE: https://hachyderm.io/@katemorley/115994947626865723

@katemorley Essentially, we lost 150 years to stuff that kills us.

[grb090423@mastodon.social]

@katemorley

Thank you Edmond Becquerel.

[khleedril@cyberplace.social]

@simoncox @katemorley *magnate*

[aarblaster@mastodonapp.uk]

@katemorley this is a brilliant fact. I had no idea. Thanks for sharing the link too!