Photovoltaics

PV systems use semiconductor materials that convert sunlight directly to electricity.

Photovoltaics, or PV for short, is a solar power technology that uses solar cells or solar photovoltaic arrays to convert light from the sun directly into electricity. Photovoltaics is also the field of study relating to this technology and there are many research institutes devoted to work on photovoltaics. The manufacture of photovoltaic cells has expanded dramatically in recent years. As of the end of 2006, the total worldwide installed PV capacity was 5.7 gigawatt at peak (GWp), a 36% increase from 2005. Installations increased by 19%. Roughly 90% of this generating capacity consists of grid-tied electrical systems.  Such installations may be ground-mounted (and sometimes integrated with farming and grazing) or building integrated. Financial incentives, such as preferential feed-in tariffs for solar-generated electricity and net metering, have supported solar PV installations in many countries including Germany, Japan, and the United States.