461 articles
Polymer solar cell
A polymer solar cell is a lightweight, flexible photovoltaic device that converts light into electricity using a thin film of conjugated polymer donor paired with an acceptor material.
Potential induced degradation
Potential induced degradation (PID) is a loss of photovoltaic module power caused by leakage currents that move sodium ions from the glass into the solar cells.
Power optimizer
A power optimizer is a DC-to-DC converter fitted to an individual photovoltaic module that tracks that module's maximum power point before power reaches a central string inverter.
Probabilistic solar forecasting
Probabilistic solar forecasting predicts future solar irradiance or photovoltaic power output as a probability distribution rather than a single value, quantifying uncertainty for grid operators, utilities, and market decisions.
Pseudo-halide anion engineering in perovskites
Pseudo-halide anion engineering is a perovskite solar cell strategy that introduces halide-like polyatomic anions, mainly thiocyanate and formate, to passivate defects and has enabled efficiencies exceeding 25%.
PTAA
PTAA, poly[bis(4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine], is an amorphous poly(triaryl)amine polymer semiconductor used as a hole transport layer in perovskite solar cells, where it conducts holes while blocking electrons; it was originally used in organic light-emitting diodes.
Puerto Peñasco Solar Project
The Puerto Peñasco Solar Project (Central Fotovoltaica Puerto Peñasco) is a solar power plant built by Mexico's utility CFE near Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, planned to reach 1,000 MW.
PV Tech
PV Tech is a trade publication covering the global solar photovoltaic supply chain, launched in 2009 by London-based Solar Media Limited and known for its PV ModuleTech Bankability Ratings.
Qcells
Qcells, also known as Hanwha Q CELLS (한화큐셀), is a solar cell and module maker founded in Germany in 1999, acquired by South Korea's Hanwha Group in 2012.
Quantum dot solar cell
A quantum dot solar cell (QDSC) is a third-generation photovoltaic device using semiconductor nanocrystals whose size-tuned bandgaps absorb different parts of the solar spectrum, with certified efficiencies reaching 18.1%.
Quartz Mountain (solar farm)
Quartz Mountain is the name of a solar farm with no verifiable record; the nearest namesake is the 120 MW North Fork plant near Quartz Mountain State Park in Hobart, Oklahoma.
Quasi-Z-source inverter
The quasi-Z-source inverter is a single-stage DC-to-AC converter that boosts and inverts in one stage, introduced by Anderson and Peng in 2008 for photovoltaic and fuel-cell uses.
Ramp rate
Ramp rate is the speed at which a generator's power output changes over time, usually as %/min or MW/min. Grid codes limit it to tame cloud-driven solar variability.
Rapid shutdown
Rapid shutdown (RSD) is a National Electrical Code safety requirement, in effect since 2014, requiring rooftop solar array conductors to drop to safe voltage limits within seconds so firefighters avoid electrocution.
REC Group
REC Group is a solar panel manufacturer founded in 1996 in Oslo, Norway, with operational headquarters in Singapore, and wholly owned by Reliance Industries since 2021.
Recombination layers in tandem solar cells
A recombination layer, also called the interconnecting layer (ICL), is the thin internal layer that connects the stacked sub-cells of a tandem solar cell in series so their voltages add.
Redstone Solar Thermal Power Project
The Redstone Solar Thermal Power Project is a 100 MW concentrated solar power plant with 12 hours of molten salt storage near Postmasburg, South Africa, developed by ACWA Power.
Renogy
Renogy (如果新能源) is an American renewable energy company founded in 2010 as a student project at Louisiana State University, making solar panels, lithium batteries, and portable power stations.
Reverse bias breakdown
Reverse bias breakdown is the onset of large reverse current in a solar cell under reversed voltage, occurring around −2 V in perovskite cells and causing hot spots and degradation.
Reverse-bias degradation of perovskite solar cells
Reverse-bias degradation is the efficiency loss perovskite solar cells suffer under negative voltage, typically when partial shading drives a cell in a series module below zero volts.
Reversible hydration of MAPbI3
Reversible hydration of MAPbI3 is the uptake of water vapor by methylammonium lead iodide, a perovskite used in solar cells, forming hydrates that revert on drying.
Rooftop solar power
Rooftop solar power is electricity generated by photovoltaic panels mounted on residential, commercial, and industrial building roofs, typically grid-connected so buildings draw power at night and export surpluses.
Rosendin Electric
Rosendin Electric is an American electrical contractor founded in 1919 in San Jose, California, employee-owned since 1992, known for data center, utility-scale solar, and battery storage construction.
Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite
A Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite is a layered two-dimensional variant of the perovskite structure, named for Ruddlesden and Popper, whose late-1950s compounds underpin stable perovskite solar cells.
Ruddlesden–Popper perovskite solar cells
Ruddlesden–Popper perovskite solar cells use a layered two-dimensional perovskite light absorber whose bulky organic cations improve stability against moisture, heat, and light at some cost to efficiency.
Salvador Solar Plant
The Salvador Solar Plant, also called PV Salvador, is a 70 MW photovoltaic plant in Chile's Atacama Desert, opened in 2014 as the world's largest merchant solar plant.
Samson I Solar Energy Center
Samson I Solar Energy Center is a 250 MW utility-scale solar farm in northeast Texas, the first phase of Invenergy's Samson Solar Energy Center, operating since 2023.
San Fernando PV solar farm
The San Fernando PV solar farm is a 125 MW photovoltaic power plant in Benjamín Hill, Sonora, Mexico, developed by Fisterra Energy and operating since 2020.
Saratoga Solar Park
Saratoga Solar Park, also called the Saratoga Solar Project, is a 135 MW solar and 45 MW battery storage facility in Wood County, Wisconsin, scheduled for service in 2028.
Satellite-derived irradiance
Satellite-derived irradiance is the estimation of surface solar irradiance from satellite imagery rather than ground instruments, the principal method for mapping irradiance globally since the 1960s.