A photovoltaic (PV) or solar cell is the basic building block of a PV (or solar electric) system. An individual PV cell is usually quite small, typically producing about 1 or 2 watts of power. To boost the power output of PV cells, we connect them together to form larger units called modules. Modules, in turn, can be connected to form even larger units called arrays, which can be interconnected to produce more power, and so on. In this way, we can build PV systems able to meet almost any electric power need, whether small or large.
PV systems can be classified into two general categories: flat-plate systems or concentrator systems.
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| Issue Time: |
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2008-11-21 |
| Expire Time: |
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2008-12-05 |
