In June 1866 a high school mathematics teacher in Tours, in central France, attached a toy steam engine to a small metal container full of water. Working with a mechanic friend, the teacher placed the device in front of a curved mirror. Shaped like a shallow trough, the mirror focused the sun’s rays on the container. After an hour, the water began to boil. Steam gushed out, driving the steam engine—“a success that surpassed my expectations,” the teacher crowed. It was the first true example of solar power: converting energy from the sun into mechanical force that could accomplish useful tasks.
...more
