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 term

Contributors in Solar power

Become a Contributors

Solar power

intrinsic semiconductor

Energy; Solar power

An undoped semiconductor.

inverter

Energy; Solar power

A device that converts direct current electricity to alternating current either for stand-alone systems or to supply power to an electricity grid.

ion

Energy; Solar power

An electrically charged atom or group of atoms that has lost or gained electrons; a loss makes the resulting particle positively charged; a gain makes the particle negatively charged.

irradiance

Energy; Solar power

The direct, diffuse, and reflected solar radiation that strikes a surface. Usually expressed in kilowatts per square meter. Irradiance multiplied by time equals insolation.

ispra guidelines

Energy; Solar power

Guidelines for the assessment of photovoltaic power plants, published by the Joint Research Centre of the Commission of the European Communities, Ispra, Italy.

i-type semiconductor

Energy; Solar power

Semiconductor material that is left intrinsic, or undoped so that the concentration of charge carriers is characteristic of the material itself rather than of added impurities.

i-v curve

Energy; Solar power

A graphical presentation of the current versus the voltage from a photovoltaic device as the load is increased from the short circuit (no load) condition to the open circuit (maximum voltage) ...