What Is Photovoltaic Energy?

Photovoltaic energy is the conversion of the sun's light directly into electricity through a photovoltaic (PV) cell, often referred to as a solar cell. The cell itself is the basis of a PV system. One cell cannot provide adequate power for most applications, but many cells can be placed together to form modules; modules are connected to form arrays that produce power. Because arrays are dependent on sunlight, climate conditions have a great effect on the amount of energy received by an array and on its performance.