Silicone solar cell demonstration unit

Ferranti silicon solar cell demonstration unit designed by Alan Bardsley c.1971

This object gives an insight into the early microcircuit and solar power industry in the UK.

Engineers and scientists at Ferranti were instrumental in the development of microchip and solar cell technology.

By the 1960s people began exploring ways of exploiting sunlight to provide electrical power in remote locations and for small devices.

Alan Bardsley was an engineer in the Semiconductor Division at Ferranti between 1956 and 1968. In 1969 he became Government liaison and contract negotiator of the Ferranti Semiconductor Division, where he worked until 1974 negotiating Government contracts for these new technologies. He contributed significantly to the development of microchip and solar cell technology at Ferranti.