photovoltaic
adjective
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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
Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2024
Sources: The Guardian, Chatham House More rental homes are getting solar power
Australia has the highest per capita solar capacity installed in the world, with photovoltaic panels providing power for about one-third of homes.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Apr. 2024
The photovoltaic panels at the Kapaia solar-plus-storage facility, operated by the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative in Hawaii, are capable of generating 13 megawatts under ideal conditions.
—Benjamin Kroposki, IEEE Spectrum, 13 Apr. 2024
Its 438 photovoltaic panels, along with solar panels on the roofs of two nearby buildings, will supply a shade over five percent of the college’s electricity.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
The cathedrals in Salisbury and Gloucester have them, and this project may open the door to more: A neighboring Cambridge college, Trinity, is contemplating whether to put photovoltaic panels on the roof of its chapel, which dates to the 16th century.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Vermont doesn’t offer incentives for installing photovoltaic panels, but the IRA extended the 30 percent federal tax credit through 2032, bringing our eventual outlay to $22,236.
—Tik Root, Grist, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Despite the fact that some states have gone so far as to ban use of these materials, there’s no evidence that today’s photovoltaic cells contain arsenic, germanium, hexavalent chromium or perfluoroalkyl substances.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024
Wind in China’s Solar Sails As the U.S. tries to diversify the clean energy supply chain with Indian solar, China still dominates photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing, accounting for nearly 80% of global production.
—Dipka Bhambhani, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'photovoltaic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Photovoltaic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/photovoltaic. Accessed 5 May. 2024.
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