Introduction

Typical PV grid-tie system

Typical PV grid-tie system

Photovoltaics (PV) is a term which covers the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry.

A typical photovoltaic system employs solar panels, each comprising a number of solar cells, which generate electrical power. PV installations may be ground-mounted, rooftop mounted or wall mounted. The mount may be fixed, or use a solar tracker to follow the sun across the sky.

Solar PV has specific advantages as an energy source: its operation generates no pollution[1] and no greenhouse gas emissions once installed, it shows simple scalability in respect of power needs and silicon has large availability in the Earth’s crust.

PV systems have the major disadvantage that the power output is dependent on direct sunlight, so about 10-25% is lost if a tracking system is not used, since the cell will not be directly facing the sun at all times. Dust, clouds, and other things in the atmosphere also diminish the power output. Another main issue is the concentration of the production in the hours corresponding to main insolation, which don’t usually match the peaks in demand in human activity cycles Unless current societal patterns of consumption and electrical networks mutually adjust to this scenario, electricity still need to be made up by other power sources, usually hydrocarbon.

by Wikipedia