In partnership with the University of Arizona, from November 1-5, 1955, SRI held the first World Symposium on Applied Solar Energy. Five hundred engineers and scientists and 29,000 people participated over five days.
Since then, SRI researchersā work in solar technology has resulted in more than a dozen U.S. and international patents. In 1974, for example, researchers at RCAās David Sarnoff Research Center (now part of SRI) designed the worldās first amorphous solar silicon cell.
SRIās facilities today are equipped to conduct a wide range of solar experiments. Work includes developing a licensable process for manufacturing solar-grade silicon, a novel application of graphene for photovoltaic cells, and development of thin-film solar cells.
