Who Installed The First Solar Panels Onto A Rooftop?

Daniel Bracewell • 30 May 2023

Utility is often a deciding factor when people and businesses alike opt to work with flat roof specialists on their construction projects.

A flat roof has the unique advantage of being more than just a shelter from the rain. It can be used as a storage space for HVAC units, a rooftop garden area or even a pool.

However, one of the most asked-about features of a flat roof is installing solar panels, which allow businesses to save money on their energy bills by taking advantage of sunlight instead and lessening the burden of energy bills.

The invention of the solar panel itself is a matter of some debate, with the person to discover how solar cells work and the person who created the first panels being quite different.

It was Edmond Becquerel in 1839 who first noticed that light exposure by certain materials could create an electrical charge later known as the photovoltaic effect.

However, the amounts of electricity generated were so small that the observation would be forgotten for over three decades until it was rediscovered by Willoughby Smith, who discovered specifically that the element selenium could cause this effect.

This effect was replicated and written extensively about by William Grylls Adams and Richard Evans Day.

However, the first person to put it into practice and make a solar panel you could buy was Charles Fritts, an inventor from Boston Massachusetts.

He coated the selenium with a thin layer of gold, making a technically capable solar cell that was incredibly inefficient and not generating enough electricity to be viable.

He would test this, however, by fitting a solar panel onto a New York City rooftop in 1884, and ultimately his design would be used as a light sensor for cameras.

It would take until 1954 for a commercially viable solar cell made primarily of silicon to be made.

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Can You Install Solar Panels On A Flat Roof?

by Daniel Bracewell • 10 December 2025

If you’re exploring how to lower your energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint, you may be looking at the likes of solar panels for your home. But what if your property has a flat roof rather than a pitched roof? Can you still install solar panels on a flat roof? The short answer is yes, you can! In fact, it is often easier to install solar panels on a flat roof than it is to fit them to a sloped roof, which might make this an even more appealing avenue to explore when you’re looking at flat roof ideas . In many cases, you also don’t need planning permission to install solar panels on your flat roof. Of course, there are exceptions if you have a listed building or live in a conservation area, but if you own your house (different rules apply for flats too), you should be free to add solar panels to your home as you choose. There are different kinds of mounting systems for flat roof solar panels and which is most appropriate for your home will depend on the direction it faces. It is worth noting that the cost of installing solar panels is often higher on flat roofs because of the mounting system, but some of this can be offset by the lower labour costs because the installation process is usually more straightforward. One of the main reasons homeowners install solar panels is to reduce their energy bills. Many report savings of hundreds of pounds each year, which means these panels often pay for themselves relatively quickly. What’s more, under the Smart Export Guarantee , you can sell any energy you don’t use back to the National Grid, which can increase the rate at which your investment in solar panels pays for itself. So, if you are exploring ways to make the most of your flat roof, consider solar panels as an option to reduce your energy bills and do good for the environment.