American Experience: The Sun Queen by WFYI

For nearly 50 years, chemical engineer and inventor Maria Telkes applied her prodigious intellect to harnessing the power of the sun. She designed and built the world’s first successfully solar-heated modern residence and identified a promising new chemical that, for the first tie, could store heat like a battery. Yet, along the way, she was undercut and thwarted by her male colleagues at MIT. Despite these obstacles, Telkes perserverd and, upon her death in 1995, held more than 20 patents. She is now recognized as a visionary pioneer in the field of sustainable energy. Discover the story of this largely forgotten heroine, whose innovations continue to shape how we power our lives today.

The Sun Queen Trailer