Although this question isn’t ever asked, we like the answer so we thought we’d share it.
Albert Einstein provided the breakthrough for modern photovoltaic technology in 1905, when he described the nature of light and used this to explain the nature of the photoelectric effect. He later won a Nobel prize for this theory. It took some time from that discovery to the production of the first photovoltaic module in 1954, but by the 60s engineers started to make use of the technology to provide power for spacecraft, and through use in space programs around the world the technology progressed to being a potential source for domestic and commercial energy.