myth becomes reality

Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, was one of the speakers at last night's Ashden Awards. He told the audience that the 100th object in his History of the World in A Hundred Objects had not yet been chosen. One of the strongest candidates for the 100th object was the photovoltaic panel.

Ever since humans migrated from Africa a million years ago, he said, they have dreamt of harnessing the energy of the sun for the moments when the sun isn't shining. It had become one of the central myths of mankind. With the photovoltaic panel, that idea - that societies could flourish by storing the energy of the sun - looks more than possible. It was an object that would change the world.

See Ashden Awards International Finalists and Ashden Awards UK winners and the Guardian's report Eigg Islanders win top prize for green living