Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to site search

Latest news

From a previous delivery: hospital staff carry in the equipment themselves

Another Biohaus solar shipment heads to Ukrainian hospitals

-

A Biohaus Foundation truck packed with solar modules and batteries is due to leave Paderborn for five sites across Ukraine. Among them are hospitals in Kyiv, Sumy and Trostianets, which will need power they can rely on as winter approaches.

Neat rows of storage: Greece’s 4.7 GW will need many more

Greece set to rank 4.7 GW of battery storage projects

-

Around 720 projects with 9 GW of capacity are competing for grid connections worth around €2 billion in investment, but analysts are split on how much will actually be built.

Our guest author Gerard Scheper, CEO of European Solar

Opinion: Europe needs battery suppliers who stay after the sale

-

As manufacturers bypass distributors and sell C&I storage directly to installers and EPCs, buyers must establish who handles integration, commissioning and repairs. Removing a distributor does not remove the work, says market expert Gerard Scheper.

Public ownership is back on the Westminster agenda

Great British Grid and the state’s return to network investment

-

Andy Burnham’s new public grid body will co-invest with private operators and bid for transmission work. What is it, how does it work and why does the politics matter?

New mounting technology is opening up even more areas for solar power

Solar Investors Guide – Innovations for mounting

-

Energy crises and rising fossil and nuclear prices are making solar and battery storage more attractive than ever, driving demand across industrial rooftops, open land and car parks – find out more in the latest guide.

Latest videos

More videos

PV on Tour PV Guided Tours


 

markets

financing

hybrid generators

inverter

mounting

What is photovoltaics?

Photovoltaics (PV) refers to the generation of electrical energy from sunlight. At the heart of this process are the solar-active semiconductors known as solar cells, which capture sunlight and convert it directly into electricity.

From a technical standpoint, a PV system or solar installation functions as a generator. Here, individual solar cells are combined into a solar module, which is protected from the elements. These modules are then assembled into a larger solar generator, which can be mounted on rooftops, façades, open ground or specially designed structures. The electricity generated is direct current (DC), which is converted into alternating current (AC) by an inverter. This AC power can be used directly on site or fed into the public grid via the building’s connection. The electricity is typically supplied to the local utility or grid operator.

Larger PV systems installed on open land are often called solar parks. These feed power into the grid via dedicated transformers and switchgear. In many countries special Acts and regulations govern remuneration for solar power, whether via feed-in tariffs or market premiums for direct sales to third parties.

Self-consumption can be increased by using solar power for heating water, room heating, air conditioning or refrigeration. Battery storage systems help by storing surplus solar electricity for later use. These so-called solar batteries improve system reliability, especially when solar output dips.

Not all incoming sunlight is converted into electricity. The conversion rate depends on the intensity and wavelength of the incoming light spectrum. This ratio between usable electrical output and the maximum available solar radiation is known as efficiency.

The performance of a solar generator or storage system is defined by its output. When multiplied by the number of sunshine hours, this gives the solar yield – the amount of electricity generated per day, month or year. In addition to charging and discharging power, solar batteries are also rated by their capacity, or the amount of energy they can store. Power is measured in kilowatts (kW) or megawatts (MW), while energy and yield are expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh) or megawatt-hours (MWh). (HS)