Frequently Asked Questions

‘Photovoltaic’ is a marriage of two words: ‘photo’, from Greek roots, meaning light, and ‘voltaic’, from ‘volt’, which is the unit used to measure electric potential at a given point.

Photovoltaic systems use cells to convert solar radiation into electricity. The cell consists of one or two layers of a semi-conducting material. When light shines on the cell it creates an electric field across the layers, causing electricity to flow. The greater the intensity of the light, the greater the flow of electricity is.

The most common semi conductor material used in photovoltaic cells is silicon, an element most commonly found in sand. There is no limitation to its availability as a raw material; silicon is the second most abundant material in the earth’s mass.

A photovoltaic system therefore does not need bright sunlight in order to operate. It can also generate electricity on cloudy days.