The Golden Gate Bridge with solar panels
A solar panel was an energy generation technology utilized on Earth.
At one point, Earth nearly choked to death on pollution. However, its inhabitants woke up, and within a generation, everything from trucks to toasters were covered in solar panels. (DIS: "An Obol for Charon")
Schematics of the Mariner 2, Nimbus 1, and Ranger 5 spacecraft depicting the locations of the solar panels was stored in the USS Enterprise's library computer database. This database was accessed by the Talosians in 2254. (TOS: "The Cage")
By 2258, the Golden Gate Bridge's tubes appeared to be covered in solar panels. It was again around the beginning of the 25th century. (DIS: "People of Earth"; DIS: "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2"; PIC: "Remembrance")
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Background information[]
Retconned material shows solar panels and solar platforms used aboard NASA's Mariner 2, Nimbus 1, and Ranger 5 space probes when they were launched in the mid-20th century. Solar panels were also included in the International Space Station.
Schematics of the Mariner 2 and Ranger 5 spacecraft were from the archives of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration – Jet Propulsion Laboratory.