ABSTRACT
Photovoltaic solar energy is the direct conversion of sunlight to electricity. The panels that accomplish this are basically a series of silicon wafers that are interconnected by metal strips to conduct electrical current. In effect, any electrical device can be powered, but the constraint of economics is to be considered. When using photovoltaics for supplying electricity in large quantities, consider the following economic facts; Remoteness. Today, perhaps the most practical use for photovoltaics other than communications and small-lighting generation is water pumping. Water is essential for any sort of agriculture, be it farming or ranching. To use the windmill in many places in the world, one has to purchase and maintain it, and provide a standby internal combustion engine to pump during nonwindy periods. The sizing constraint with photovoltaics to accommodate for cloudy weather or for climate using known solar insolation, is possible with data which has been collected by the US Department of Energy for many years.
