12 Facts About Photovoltaic systems

PV Photovoltaic systems convert light directly into electricity, and are not to be confused with other solar technologies, such as concentrated solar power or solar thermal, used for heating and cooling.

Nowadays, most PV Photovoltaic systems are grid-connected, while off-grid or stand-alone Photovoltaic systems account for a small portion of the market.

About 99 percent of all European and 90 percent of all U S solar power systems are connected to the electrical grid, while off-grid systems are somewhat more common in Australia and South Korea.

The installed capacity for both small rooftop systems and large solar power stations is growing rapidly and in equal parts, although there is a notable trend towards utility-scale systems, as the focus on new installations is shifting away from Europe to sunnier regions, such as the Sunbelt in the U S, which are less opposed to ground-mounted solar farms and cost-effectiveness is more emphasized by investors.

The levelised cost of electricity from large-scale PV Photovoltaic systems has become competitive with conventional electricity sources in an expanding list of geographic regions, and grid parity has been achieved in about 30 countries.

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PV Photovoltaic systems are generally designed in order to ensure the highest energy yield for a given investment.

In 2013, rooftop Photovoltaic systems accounted for 60 percent of worldwide installations.

Portable and mobile PV Photovoltaic systems provide electrical power independent of utility connections, for "off the grid" operation.

Such Photovoltaic systems are so commonly used on recreational vehicles and boats that there are retailers specializing in these applications and products specifically targeted to them.

Standards specifying the usage of electrical wiring in PV systems include the IEC 60364 by the International Electrotechnical Commission, in section 712 "Solar photovoltaic power supply systems", the British Standard BS 7671, incorporating regulations relating to microgeneration and photovoltaic systems, and the US UL4703 standard, in subject 4703 "Photovoltaic Wire".

For very large Photovoltaic systems, the added maintenance of tracking is a substantial detriment.

Furthermore, as storage devices for PV Photovoltaic systems are stationary, the lower energy and power density and therefore higher weight of lead-acid batteries are not as critical as, for example, in electric transportation Other rechargeable batteries considered for distributed PV Photovoltaic systems include sodium–sulfur and vanadium redox batteries, two prominent types of a molten salt and a flow battery, respectively.