The late 1800’s were a dirty, smoky world in the United States. Demand for energy was high as industry boomed, but there was no oil yet. The Philadelphia city fathers placed an embargo on flues and chimneys emitting ‘a certain degree of darkness. The now-forgotten solar panel world of Frank Schuman had not yet begun, and the people were the poorer for it.
Dawning of the Forgotten World of Shuman’s Solar Panels
Frank was still a lad when he took up employment in his uncle’s metal-working factory in Philadelphia. It was not long before his inventive mind hit on the idea of strengthening glass with internal wires in 1890. Schools and prisons lapped it up and he launched his career.
We can’t say when it happened, but the day dawned when Frank looked up towards the blazing sky. A day when he conceived the idea of harnessing the power of the sun. But right then he was too busy electroplating the city founder’s statue with aluminum to prevent the acid rain staining it.
Scientific American was impressed. They wrote both inventions up in 1892. Frank was made! He resigned his job and set himself up in business, where disposable income allowed him allowed him time to delve into his now forgotten world of solar panels.
Frank Shuman’s Inventive World Goes Into Overdrive
By now, the safety glass business had turned into a money spinner. Frank wrote articles for the press hinting at a ‘direct-acting solar engine’ that would make the city air ‘healthy and pure’ again. He continued tinkering with reflectors he placed on insulated boxes, so he could swivel them to follow the sun.
Finally, Frank aimed the reflectors at water held in a vacuum to lower its boiling point, and used the steam to power an engine. Things were looking up for his technology in Egypt in 1913. And then America entered the oil age, and Frank’s forgotten solar panel world faded from the pages of time.
More Information
Harmless Battery You Could Actually Eat
