Solar PV

Solar cells, also called photovoltaic cells, convert the sunlight directly into electricity. This electricity is then fed through an inverter that converts the DC current into AC power.

Photovoltaics (often called Solar PV) gets its name from the process of converting light (photons) to the electricity we use. This was first used in 1954 by scientists at Bell Laboratories who created a working solar cell made from silicon that generated an electric current when exposed to sunlight. Over the years the process and technology has improved and now electricity from solar cells has become cost effective due to the drop in prices in recent years.

The vast majority of PV cells now sold are made from Silicon, these cells are then placed within larger modules that you find on roofs and even mounted to the ground. These modules are the most cost effective solution as well as being a very efficient and practical option. There are new types of solar cell being developed and improved all the time, such as thin-film and flexible cells, however they are not yet in wide use for most applications yet.

However the latest technology improvements to the standard silicon modules have included: use of percium cell technology; use of half cells to improve daylight collection; use of optimisation to reduce the impact of differential output from individual modules; use of back plate and multi-busbar technology to improve the efficiency of electricity collection from solar cells.