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Solar irradiance forecasting
Solar irradiance forecasting is the prediction of solar radiation reaching the ground over horizons from minutes to several days, underpinning photovoltaic power forecasting and grid operation.
Solar One (Barstow, California)
Solar One was a 10 MW solar thermal power tower pilot plant near Barstow, California, operated from 1982 to 1988 by the Department of Energy and utility partners.
Solar panel
A solar panel, also called a solar PV module, is an assembly of solar cells sealed between protective layers that converts sunlight directly into electricity.
Solar pond
A solar pond is a body of water that collects and stores solar energy as heat, typically using a salt gradient that traps warm, salty water at the bottom.
Solar power
Solar power, also called solar electricity, converts sunlight into electricity through photovoltaic cells or concentrating solar-thermal systems, and is now the fastest-growing source of new electricity capacity.
Solar power by country
Solar power by country covers how photovoltaic capacity and generation are distributed worldwide. By 2025 global PV capacity reached 2.96 TW, and solar supplied 8.7% of global electricity, led by China.
Solar power in China
Solar power in China generates electricity from photovoltaic panels and concentrated solar thermal plants; China holds the largest installed capacity, manufacturing industry, and annual market.
Solar power in Germany
Solar power in Germany is electricity from photovoltaic systems, reaching 117 GW of installed capacity by the end of 2025, one of two pillars of renewables alongside wind.
Solar power in India
Solar power in India, also known as solar energy in India, grew from 2.82 GW of installed capacity in 2014 to 105.65 GW by March 2025.
Solar power in Japan
Solar power in Japan is the generation of electricity from photovoltaic systems, which grew rapidly after the 2012 feed-in tariff and supplied 9.2% of Japan's electricity in FY 2022.
Solar power in the United States
Solar power in the United States, also called solar energy in the United States, converts sunlight into electricity through photovoltaic panels and solar-thermal plants, supplying about 7% of utility-scale generation in 2025.
Solar power tower
A solar power tower is a concentrating solar power plant whose heliostat mirrors focus sunlight on a receiver atop a central tower to generate electricity.
Solar process heat
Solar process heat, also called Solar Heat for Industrial Processes (SHIP), is heat from solar thermal collectors supplied to industrial processes below about 250 °C.
Solar salt
Solar salt is a molten 60/40 blend of sodium and potassium nitrate used in concentrating solar power plants to store heat for generating electricity after sunset.
Solar shingles
Solar shingles, also called solar roof tiles, are photovoltaic cells that look and function like conventional roofing materials while generating electricity, commercially available since 2005 and costing 60 to 190 percent more than solar panels.
Solar Star
Solar Star, formerly Antelope Valley Solar Projects, is a 579 MW photovoltaic power plant near Rosamond, California, the world's largest when completed in June 2015.
Solar thermal collector
A solar thermal collector, or solar heat collector, is a device that converts sunlight into useful heat for hot water, space heating, and industrial processes.
Solar thermal energy
Solar thermal energy, also called solar thermal electric power, is heat captured from sunlight, used for water heaters, industry, and concentrating power plants, unlike photovoltaics.
Solar thermochemical fuel production
Solar thermochemical fuel production uses concentrated sunlight to split water and CO2 into hydrogen or syngas, which can be converted into drop-in fuels like kerosene.
Solar thermochemical hydrogen production
Solar thermochemical hydrogen production (STCH, also called solar thermal water splitting) makes hydrogen with heat from concentrated sunlight, cycling metal oxides between reduction and steam re-oxidation to split water.
Solar thermophotovoltaic system
A solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV) system converts sunlight to electricity via a heated intermediate emitter, whose thermal radiation a photovoltaic cell converts, reshaping the spectrum to cut losses.
Solar tracker
A solar tracker is a mounting system that orients PV panels toward the sun as it moves, increasing energy yield by up to 27 percent over fixed arrays.
Solar Two
Solar Two was a 10-megawatt experimental solar power tower plant east of Barstow, California, that operated from 1996 to 1999 using molten nitrate salt for heat storage.
Solar water heating
Solar water heating (SWH), also called a solar hot water system, uses solar thermal collectors to heat water for domestic, pool, or industrial use, usually with a storage tank and backup heater.
SolarCity
SolarCity was an American solar energy company founded in 2006 by brothers Lyndon and Peter Rive; it pioneered solar leasing and was acquired by Tesla in 2016.
SolarEdge Technologies
SolarEdge Technologies is an Israeli smart energy company founded in Herzliya in 2006 that makes DC-optimized solar inverters, power optimizers, batteries, and EV chargers, shipped to 145 countries.
Solarex
Solarex was an American photovoltaic manufacturer founded in Rockville, Maryland in 1973 by former COMSAT engineers Joseph Lindmayer and Peter Varadi, absorbed into BP Solar in 1999.
Solaris Energy Infrastructure
Solaris Energy Infrastructure is a Houston, Texas company, founded in 2014 and traded on the NYSE as SEI, that provides mobile power generation and oilfield logistics equipment.
SolarPower Europe
SolarPower Europe, formerly the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, is a Brussels-based trade association with more than 300 members, founded in 1985 and renamed in 2015.
SolarSquare
SolarSquare is a Mumbai-headquartered residential rooftop solar company founded in 2015 by Shreya Mishra, Neeraj Jain, and Nikhil Nahar, serving nearly 50,000 homes across 29 Indian cities.