Solar power

Solar power is electricity generated from sunlight, chiefly through photovoltaic cells or solar-thermal systems. It can be produced at utility scale or by small, distributed installations.

Photovoltaic effect: The creation of voltage or electric current in a material when it absorbs light. This effect directly converts absorbed sunlight into electrical current in solar cells.
Solar farm: A large installation of solar panels or mirrors that generates electricity for distribution. Utility-scale farms supply solar electricity to the grid.
Wind power: Electricity generated by converting the kinetic energy of moving air. Wind is another variable renewable source, with generation patterns that can complement solar.
Solar intermittency: Variation in solar electricity output caused by changing sunlight, weather, and the day-night cycle. Its changing output creates balancing and storage needs as solar supplies a larger share of electricity.
Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel: A French physicist who discovered the photovoltaic effect in 1839. His discovery established that light could produce electrical effects in materials.
Solar cell: A semiconductor device that converts light into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect. Individual solar cells are the basic units in most photovoltaic power systems.
Rooftop solar power: Electricity generated by solar installations mounted on building rooftops. Rooftop systems produce power near the homes and businesses that consume it.
Hydropower: Electricity generated by harnessing the energy of moving or falling water. Reservoir hydropower can provide dispatchable electricity when solar generation falls.
Net metering: A billing arrangement that credits electricity customers for power they export to the grid. It has shaped the economics of rooftop solar in many electricity markets.
Charles Fritts: An American inventor who built an early selenium solar cell in the 1880s. His device was an early attempt to turn sunlight directly into electricity.

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