Solar energy technologies have a long history. Between 1860
and the First World War, a range of technologies were developed
to generate steam, by capturing the sun’s heat, to run engines and
irrigation pumps [1]. Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells were invented at
Bell Labs in the United States in 1954, and they have been used in
space satellites for electricity generation since the late 1950s [2].
The years immediately following the oil-shock in the seventies saw
much interest in the development and commercialization of solar
energy technologies. However, this incipient solar energy industry
of the 1970s and early 80s collapsed due to the sharp decline in
oil prices and a lack of sustained policy support [3]. Solar energy
markets have regained momentum since early 2000, exhibiting
phenomenal growth recently. The total installed capacity of solar
based electricity generation capacity has increased to more than
40 GW by the end of 2010 from almost negligible capacity in the
early nineties [4].