• Nyob rau xyoo 1839, thaum tus neeg muaj hnub nyoog 19- xyoo Fabkis Becquerel tau ua ib qho kev sim ntawm lub cev, nws pom tias thaum ob lub hlau electrodes nyob rau hauv cov kua conductive tau irradiated nrog lub teeb, cov tam sim no yuav nce, yog li nrhiav tau lub "photovoltaic nyhuv;
• Xyoo 1930, Lange thawj zaug tau thov kom siv "photovoltaic effect" los ua "solar cells" los hloov lub hnub ci zog rau hauv hluav taws xob;
• Xyoo 1932, Audubote thiab Stola ua thawj "cadmium sulfide" hnub ci cell;
• Xyoo 1941, Orr nrhiav pom cov nyhuv photovoltaic ntawm silicon;
• Thaum lub Tsib Hlis 1954, Tswb Labs Chapin, Fuller thiab Pierson tau muab lub hnub ci monocrystalline silicon solar cell nrog kev ua haujlwm ntawm 6 feem pua, uas yog lub ntiaj teb thawj lub hnub ci cell. Nyob rau hauv tib lub xyoo, Wicker thawj zaug pom tias gallium arsenide muaj cov nyhuv photovoltaic, thiab tso cadmium sulfide zaj duab xis rau iav los ua lub hnub ci. Lub tswv yim photovoltaic zog tsim tshuab uas hloov lub hnub ci zog rau hauv hluav taws xob tau yug los thiab tsim.