A PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM IS A DIRECT LINE TO THE SUN.

Solar power plants take advantage of what is known as the photovoltaic (photoelectric) effect. Photovoltaics is the direct conversion of sunlight into electrical current and is achieved with the aid of solar modules. In its basic form, the technology is very simple.

The module

Crystalline technology solar modules are manufactured from silicon wafers. The purposeful introduction of different specific impurities creates a light sensitive system made from silicon. With thin film technology, semiconducting materials are applied to a glass plate. When sunlight hits the solar module, a voltage develops between the treated silicon or the semiconduction materials and direct current is generated.

The system

A solar power system is made up of an array of modules connected together in series in what is known as 'strings'. Several strings are connected in parallel with an inverter, which turns the DC into grid-compliant AC and feeds it into the energy provider's electricity network.

The light

Solar electricity is produced both from direct sunlight as well as from the more diffuse light of cloudy days. To extract maximum performance from the system, components must be perfectly matched and optimally adjusted to suit the design of the particular building and its geographical location.

Recycling

A photovoltaic system is a natural cycle, from beginning to end. It is almost completely recyclable. From the glass, the silicon, the aluminum frames of the modules, to the copper in the cables - the raw materials are all reusable. They form what is, to all intents and purposes, a closed ecological cycle.