Solar power

Solar power

Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), or indirectly using concentrated solar power (CSP). Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. Photovoltaics convert light into electric current using the photoelectric effect.

Industry: Energy

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Solar power

photocurrent

Energy; Solar power

An electric current induced by radiant energy.

photoelectric cell

Energy; Solar power

A device for measuring light intensity that works by converting light falling on, or reach it, to electricity, and then measuring the current; used in photometers.

photoelectrochemical cell

Energy; Solar power

A type of photovoltaic device in which the electricity induced in the cell is used immediately within the cell to produce a chemical, such as hydrogen, which can then be withdrawn for use.

photon

Energy; Solar power

A particle of light that acts as an individual unit of energy.

superconductivity

Energy; Solar power

The abrupt and large increase in electrical conductivity exhibited by some metals as the temperature approaches absolute zero.

duty cycle

Energy; Solar power

The ratio of active time to total time. Used to describe the operating regime of appliances or loads in photovoltaic systems.

superstrate

Energy; Solar power

The covering on the sunny side of a photovoltaic (PV) module, providing protection for the PV materials from impact and environmental degradation while allowing maximum transmission of the ...