Energy term of the day: photovoltaics

Photovoltaic, or PV, materials generate electrical energy using sunlight. Known primarily as solar PV (or simply, solar panels), photovoltaics is literally translated as ‘light electricity’.

There are records of people using PV as a means of generating electricity as far back as the 1800s – though it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that the process was fully understood.

Wikipedia page.