![](/template/termwiki/images/likesmall.jpg)
Home > Industry/Domain > Energy > 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
Add a new termContributors in Solar power
Solar power
peak power current
Energy; Solar power
Amperes produced by a photovoltaic module or array operating at the voltage of the I-V curve that will produce maximum power from the module.
peak power point
Energy; Solar power
Operating point of the I-V (current-voltage) curve for a solar cell or photovoltaic module where the product of the current value times the voltage value is a maximum.
peak sun hours
Energy; Solar power
The equivalent number of hours per day when solar irradiance averages 1,000 w/m2. For example, six peak sun hours means that the energy received during total daylight hours equals the energy that ...
peak watt
Energy; Solar power
A unit used to rate the performance of solar cells, modules, or arrays; the maximum nominal output of a photovoltaic device, in watts (Wp) under standardized test conditions, usually 1,000 watts per ...
phosphorous (P)
Energy; Solar power
A chemical element used as a dopant in making n-type semiconductor layers.