One major difference between solar and PV technology is that solar panels generate heat from the sun’s energy, but PV cells convert sunlight directly into electrical power. This means that while both technologies rely on the sun’s radiation as an energy source, PV offers a more efficient way to harness this power.
Although solar and photovoltaic are two terms often used interchangeably, they don’t mean the same thing. Solar is a term that can be used to refer to various forms of energy derived from sunlight, including thermal energy. Photovoltaic is an energy conversion process where sunlight is used to generate electricity.
Solar PV, or photovoltaic solar energy, is the type of solar energy that is produced on rooftops of homes and businesses to generate electricity directly from solar energy. Solar thermal technologies, on the other hand, use the sun’s energy to generate heat, and electricity is then produced from that. Australia receives thousands of times more solar energy from the sun each year than all fossil fuel use combined.
Solar PV panels have only 15 to 20% efficiency. Because of that, you’ll need more of this type of panel to absorb and convert solar energy. These panels consist of solar cells with two layers of semi-conducting material and silicon. When a photovoltaic cell is hit by sunlight, they create an electric field through the photovoltaic effect.
In a nutshell, solar power is the immediate generation of electricity from sunlight, akin to an instant burst of energy. On the other hand, solar energy encompasses a broad spectrum of applications, from electricity generation to providing heat, regulating our climate, and even sustaining life on Earth.
There are two main types of solar energy technology: photovoltaics (PV) and solar thermal. Photovoltaics (PV) is the rooftop solar you see on homes and businesses - it produces electricity directly from solar energy. Solar thermal technologies use the sun’s energy to generate heat, and electricity is generated from that.