Solar Panels and the Murray Hill Bell Labs Facility
- Date Range
- April 25, 1954 – November 3, 2010
- Title
- Solar Panels and the Murray Hill Bell Labs Facility
- What occurred
- In April 1954, three scientists at Bell Labs in Murray Hill collaborated to produce the first practical photovoltaic cell, which allowed for the production of solar panels to provide alternative energy in the United States. They were initially used to power phone services for farmers living in rural areas. More than 50 years later, in November of 2010, the facility presented a plan to construct a 1.2-megawatt system of solar panels at the same campus where they were invented. The new system has enough power to supply 200 family homes, and covers almost the entire front lawn of the campus. The plan was part of Alcatel-Lucent's pledge to cut their greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2020, and also was helped by the state of New Jersey and its incentives for the use of solar energy. The original solar panels, which each only provided enough energy for the phone service of one family, are still on display in the facility's technology exhibit.
- Location
- 600 Mountain Ave bldg 5, New Providence, NJ 07974
- Image Citation
- https://www.cleanenergyauthority.com/solar-energy-news/bell-labs-installs-solar-110310
- Student name(s)
- Josh Vaidman