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Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially used for electricity generation and as photosensors.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the US specializes in the research and development of renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy systems integration, and sustainable transportation. NREL is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Department of Energy and operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, a joint venture between MRIGlobal and Battelle. Located in Golden, Colorado, NREL is home to the National Center for Photovoltaics, the National Bioenergy Center, and the National Wind Technology Center.
A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect. It is a form of photoelectric cell, a device whose electrical characteristics vary when it is exposed to light. Individual solar cell devices are often the electrical building blocks of photovoltaic modules, known colloquially as "solar panels". Almost all commercial PV cells consist of crystalline silicon, with a market share of 95%. Cadmium telluride thin-film solar cells account for the remainder. The common single-junction silicon solar cell can produce a maximum open-circuit voltage of approximately 0.5 to 0.6 volts.
Spain is one of the first countries to deploy large-scale solar photovoltaics, and is the world leader in concentrated solar power (CSP) production.
Solar power, also known as solar electricity, is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Solar panels use the photovoltaic effect to convert light into an electric current. Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and solar tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight to a hot spot, often to drive a steam turbine.
A photovoltaic system, also called a PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity, a solar inverter to convert the output from direct to alternating current, as well as mounting, cabling, and other electrical accessories to set up a working system. Many utility-scale PV systems use tracking systems that follow the sun's daily path across the sky to generate more electricity than fixed-mounted systems.
Cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaics is a photovoltaic (PV) technology based on the use of cadmium telluride in a thin semiconductor layer designed to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity. Cadmium telluride PV is the only thin film technology with lower costs than conventional solar cells made of crystalline silicon in multi-kilowatt systems.
Between 1992 and 2023, the worldwide usage of photovoltaics (PV) increased exponentially. During this period, it evolved from a niche market of small-scale applications to a mainstream electricity source. From 2016-2022 it has seen an annual capacity and production growth rate of around 26%- doubling approximately every three years.
Narec, since 2014 known as the National Renewable Energy Centre, is a part of the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, a British technology innovation and research centre for offshore wind power, wave energy, tidal energy and low carbon technologies. ORE Catapult's head office is in Glasgow, Scotland. The centre operates multi-purpose offshore renewable energy test and demonstration facilities. It is similar to other centres, such as NREL in the US and National Centre for Renewable Energies (CENER) in Spain. The National Renewable Energy Centre is based in Blyth, Northumberland.
Antonio Luque López is a Spanish scientist and entrepreneur in the field of photovoltaic solar energy. In 1979 he founded the Institute of Solar Energy of the Technical University of Madrid (IES-UPM) and was its director till his retirement in 2017; he is currently its honorary president as well as professor emeritus in this university. He invented the bifacial solar cell in the late 1970s, today one of the mainstream solar cell technologies, and founded Isofoton in 1981 for its industrial production. He is, arguably, one of the fathers of the science and technology of concentrator photovoltaics and has been active in the research and development of high-efficiency photovoltaic conversion devices, inventing the intermediate band solar cell.
A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system designed for the supply of merchant power. They are different from most building-mounted and other decentralized solar power because they supply power at the utility level, rather than to a local user or users. Utility-scale solar is sometimes used to describe this type of project.
Solar power in France including overseas territories reached an installed capacity figure of 11.2 GW in 2020, and rose further to 17.1 GW at the end of 2022. Government plans announced in 2022 foresee solar PV capacity in France rising to 100 GW by 2050.
Solar power in Cyprus benefits from over 3,300 hours of sunlight annually, giving it the highest potential in the European Union (EU).
The European Becquerel Prize for Outstanding Merits in Photovoltaics is a prize to honour scientific, technical or managerial merits in the field of photovoltaic solar energy. It has been established in 1989 by the European Commission at the occasion of the 150th anniversary of a groundbreaking experiment by Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel, also known as Edmond Becquerel, in which he discovered the photovoltaic effect. The prize is awarded to a single individual who is recognized for continuous achievements in the field of photovoltaic energy conversion. The prize is primarily a European award but not restricted exclusively to European citizens. The prize is granted by the European Commission. The Becquerel Prize Committee selects the individual to be honoured.
A bifacial solar cell (BSC) is any photovoltaic solar cell that can produce electrical energy when illuminated on either of its surfaces, front or rear. In contrast, monofacial solar cells produce electrical energy only when photons impinge on their front side. Bifacial solar cells can make use of albedo radiation, which is useful for applications where a lot of light is reflected on surfaces such as roofs. The concept was introduced as a means of increasing the energy output in solar cells. Efficiency of solar cells, defined as the ratio of incident luminous power to generated electrical power under one or several suns (1 sun = 1000W/m2 ), is measured independently for the front and rear surfaces for bifacial solar cells. The bifaciality factor (%) is defined as the ratio of rear efficiency in relation to the front efficiency subject to the same irradiance.
Soiling is the accumulation of material on light-collecting surfaces in solar power systems. The accumulated material blocks or scatters incident light, which leads to a loss in power output. Typical soiling materials include mineral dust, bird droppings, fungi, lichen, pollen, engine exhaust, and agricultural emissions. Soiling affects conventional photovoltaic systems, concentrated photovoltaics, and concentrated solar (thermal) power. However, the consequences of soiling are higher for concentrating systems than for non-concentrating systems. Note that soiling refers to both the process of accumulation and the accumulated material itself.
pvlib python is open source software for simulating solar power of photovoltaic energy systems.
The IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference is the longest running technical conference dedicated to photovoltaics, solar cells, and solar power. The first PVSC was in 1961 at the NASA headquarters in Washington DC. The number of conference areas have expanded and now include PV reliability and solar resource. The conference has also had many diverse and distinguished keynote speakers like Sarah Kurtz who won the conference's William Cherry Award in 2012. PVSC is also where the most notable breakthroughs in PV are often first announced, such as record Solar-cell efficiency, new technologies like perovskite, TOPCon, heterojunction (HJT), and tandem cells, derivation of new algorithms, and discoveries of new phenomena such as Potential-induced degradation and light and elevated temperature induced degradation (LeTID).
3Sun is a photovoltaic panel factory established in 2010 in Catania, Italy. In 2015, Enel Green Power became the company's sole shareholder. 3Sun was established as a joint venture by Enel Green Power, Sharp Corporation, and STMicroelectronics, each owning 33% of 3Sun. Between 2011 and 2014, 3Sun built a photovoltaic cell and module plant in Catania that employed thin-layer technology. Sharp contributes the amorphous silicon multi-junction thin-film technology, Enel Green Power manages the commercial distribution, and STMicroelectronics provides personnel specialized in processes and research and development. On March 6, 2015, Enel Green Power has been the sole owner of 3Sun.
The European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition is an international scientific conference and industry exhibition in the solar energy industry. The event covers developments in different aspects of photovoltaics, including science, technology, systems, finance, policies, and markets. The conference topics include the spectrum of photovoltaics value chain, such as policy considerations and foundational aspects.
References
- 1 2 3 "About". wcpec-8.com. WCPEC-8. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ↑ "WCPEC-8 Facts & Figures". wcpec-8.com. WCPEC-8. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ↑ Kenny, Robert; Serra, João M. (24 June 2022). "EU PVSEC 2021: state of the art and developments for photovoltaics at the forefront". EPJ Photovoltaics. 13 (E1): E1. Bibcode:2022EPJPv..13E...1K. doi: 10.1051/epjpv/2022011 . Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ↑ "8th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (WCPEC-8)". EU Science Hub – Joint Research Centre. European Commission. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ↑ Troeger, Anna (2 January 2023). "Combating the Energy Crisis". Solar RRL. 7 (1). doi:10.1002/solr.202201038 . Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ↑ "Welcome Address from the General Chair of the WCPEC-9 Organizing Committee". wcpec-9.com. WCPEC-9. Retrieved 21 March 2024.