PV in Use: Getting the Job Done with Solar Electricity
DOE and one of its partners, the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency, are working to improve socioeconomic conditions in the Sunderbans region of West Bengal, India. These rooftop PV modules on a village health center in West Bengal provide power for refrigerators containing medicines and vaccines, for lights, and for other important needs.
After decades of use on Earth and in space, solar electricity made its debut on another planet in 1997 when "Sojourner" began exploring Mars. High-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) cells located on top of the Sojourner vehicle generated 16 watts of power at noon on Mars, which was enough to carry out a day's mission.
Modern solar electric power-generation systems such as photovoltaics (or PV) are some of the most elegant and environmentally benign energy systems ever invented. But do people actually use them? The answer is yes — and not just in space. PV systems can also be found in the most isolated spots on Earth as well as in the heart of some of our largest cities. And every place in between.
Today's PV systems are used to generate electricity to pump water, light up the night, activate switches, charge batteries, supply power to the utility grid, and much more. PV has so many uses today that it probably already touches your life in some way. You might have noticed the small PV systems attached to emergency telephones along the highways. But PV provides power in many ways we can't see — for all kinds of satellites in space, including those that keep modern communication systems "up and running."
To make PV systems even more efficient, affordable, and available, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its partners in universities and industry continue to conduct advanced research and development in this exciting, important energy technology. Here, we describe some of PV's current major uses, or applications, grouped in these categories:
- PV in Simple, "Stand-Alone" Systems
- PV Systems with Battery Storage
- PV Systems with Backup Generator Power
- PV and Hybrid Power Systems
- PV Connected to the Utility Grid
- PV Systems and Net Metering
- PV for Utility Power Production
We've also included illustrative examples in some case studies that illustrate many of today's everyday uses for PV energy systems.