Photovoltaics

Ancient Greeks and Romans saw great benefit in what we now refer to as passive solar design—the use of architecture to make use of the sun’s capacity to light and heat indoor spaces. The Greek philosopher Socrates wrote, “In houses that look toward the south, the sun penetrates the portico in winter.”

Romans advanced the art by covering south facing building openings with glass or mica to hold in the heat of the winter sun.

Through calculated use of the sun’s energy, Greeks and Romans offset the need to burn wood that was often in short supply. The Romans were the first to use glass in windows to trap solar warmth in the home. They even had laws which made it an offence to obscure a neighbour’s access to sunlight.

The Romans were also the first in the history of solar power to use glasshouses to create the right growing conditions for exotic plants and seeds they brought to Rome from the far reaches of their empire.