From Space to Earth

The Story of Solar Electricity

By

John Perlin

Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts

One of The Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s Books of Note

Reviews

“The step-by-step progress of photovoltaics has elicited little fanfare. It is my hope that From Space to Earth will end the silence. The book is gripping to read and its themes long overdue in book-length form”. – Photon Magazine

“This ‘just in time’ story of the development of photovoltaics merits the most serious attention and cannot fail to stimulate the reader’s interest in both the episodes recounted, and their interdisciplinary applications and prospects. The author has provided us with a ‘good read’, and the illustrations enhance one’s enjoyment. It is a fascinating story, told so that even an individual without technical training can comprehend the breakthroughs which led to today’s widespread and ever increasing adoption of solar power. – Frank P. Davidson, former president of the American Society for Macro-Engineering, and Senior Adviser to the MIT Macro-Engineering Research Group, in Interdisciplinary Sciences Review.

"John Perlin's book gives a taste of the tremendous difficulties that early pioneers had to overcome to turn Charles Fritts' 1885 invention of a selenium-based solar module to today's booming photovoltaic business. Perlin gives a vivid and fascinating account of the advances of photovoltaics on Earth. Presenting the development of photovoltaic cells in such a personalized manner makes it a much more lively and interesting read than a mere technical account would have done." - Dr. Michael Gratzel, Institut de Photonique et Interfaces, Ecole Polytechnique Federale, Lausanne, Switzerland, in Nature.

"John Perlin's delightful tour through the development of photovoltaics (PV) answers not only the question of what is new under the sun, but most importantly, how we got there. Perlin charts the evolution of the photovoltaic industry from its beginnings to the present. It's the best and most readable book on photovoltaic research, policy, and market growth."- Dr. Daniel M. Kammen, Director, Energy Research Group, University of California, Berkeley, in Whole Earth.

“Twenty years ago John Perlin published Let it Shine, a comprehensive and authoritative history of solar energy that remains today one of the best books on the subject. Perlin’s present book is an equally impressive story of the twentieth-century solar photovoltaics industry. Even diehard opponents of solar energy should find it compelling.” - Dr. Anthony Stranges, Associate Professor of History, Texas A&M, in Isis, the official journal of the History of Science Society.