photovoltaic

adjective

pho·to·vol·ta·ic | \ˌfō-tō-väl-ˈtā-ik,

-vōl-\

Definition of photovoltaic

: of, relating to, or utilizing the generation of a voltage when radiant energy falls on the boundary between dissimilar substances (such as two different semiconductors)

Other Words from photovoltaic Sunshine and Photovoltaic Example Sentences Learn More about photovoltaic

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Sunshine and Photovoltaic

The -voltaic part of photovoltaic comes from the name of Alessandro Volta, inventor of the electric battery. Thus, unlike photoelectric cells, which use electricity for certain small tasks, photovoltaic (or PV) cells actually produce electricity. Solar cells, the standard type of photovoltaic cells (often called simply photocells), operate without chemicals and with no moving parts to create energy directly from sunlight. Much research is now being done on creating an alternative technology—solar film, which could be stuck onto almost any surface, or possibly even sprayed on.

Examples of photovoltaic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The roof is designed as a photovoltaic system that captures sunlight and turns it into electricity for powering the module’s appliances and lighting as well as storage as passive heating. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Tiny house from UN Environment and Yale raises the bar for eco-living," 11 July 2018 By the end of last year, the country had just 50 megawatts of photovoltaic systems installed — less than Kyrgyzstan or the state of Louisiana. — Alexandra Zavis, latimes.com, "Oil-rich Saudi Arabia is turning to another resource to power the kingdom — sunshine," 31 May 2018 Some folks have generators and photovoltaic electric systems to tide us over should the power go out. — Sunset, "Eruptions and Evacuations Continue on Hawaii’s Big Island," 22 Jan. 2018 The project is expected to provide for 700 jobs and consist of more than 350,000 photovoltaic cells. — Rye Druzin, San Antonio Express-News, "German company to build 100 MW solar project in Texas," 15 June 2018 In 1977, solar photovoltaic panels were for wild-haired inventors and eccentric millionaires. — Nathanael Johnson, WIRED, "Where Can Climate Activists Find Common Ground?," 9 July 2018 China added 50 gigawatts of solar power last year, accounting for more than half of all global solar photovoltaic module installations. — Don Lee, latimes.com, "The roiled solar power market shows how Trump's tariffs can disrupt an industry," 7 July 2018 The project is expected to provide for 700 jobs and consist of more than 350,000 photovoltaic cells. — Rye Druzin, San Antonio Express-News, "German company to build 100 MW solar project in Texas," 15 June 2018 The project is expected to provide for 700 jobs and consist of more than 350,000 photovoltaic cells. — Rye Druzin, San Antonio Express-News, "German company to build 100 MW solar project in Texas," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'photovoltaic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near photovoltaic

photovisual magnitude

photovoltaic cell

photozincograph

photozincography

Statistics for photovoltaic

Last Updated

13 Sep 2018

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Time Traveler for photovoltaic

The first known use of photovoltaic was circa 1889

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