If we think as broadly as possible, attempts to "tame" the great star that warms our planet began in ancient times in the time of paganism, when each element was embodied in a separate deity. However, of course, then about the use of solar energy, even speech could not be - in the world magic reigned.
The topic of using the energy of the Sun on Earth began to rise actively only at the end of the 14th - early 20th century. Alexander Edmond Becquerel, who managed to become the pioneer of the photovoltaic effect, made a real breakthrough in science in 1839. The study of this topic has increased significantly, and already 44 years later, Charles Fritz was able to design the first ever module, based on gold-plated selenium. Such use of the energy of the Sun on Earth gave a small amount of electricity released - the total output was then not more than 1%.
Nevertheless, for the whole of humanity, this was a real breakthrough, opening up new horizons of science, which we had never even dreamed of before. A significant contribution to the development of solar energy was made in due time by Albert Einstein himself. In today's world, the name of the scientist is more often associated with his famous theory of relativity, but in fact, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for studying the external photoelectric effect.
To this day, the technology of using the energy of the Sun on the Earth is experiencing rapid ups and downs, but the rapid decline, but this branch of knowledge is constantly replenished with new facts, and we can hope that in the foreseeable future we will open the door to a completely new world.