What is the difference between solar panel and photovoltaic panel?

Solar photovoltaic systems, also known as photovoltaics, referred to as photovoltaics (Photovoltaics; word source "photo-" light, "voltaics" volts), refers to the use of photovoltaic semiconductor materials to convert solar energy into DC power facilities. The core of photovoltaic facilities is solar panels. At present, the semiconductor materials used for power generation mainly include: monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon and cadmium telluride. As countries are actively promoting the application of renewable energy in recent years, the photovoltaic industry has developed rapidly.

As of 2010, solar photovoltaics have been put into use in hundreds of countries around the world. Although its power generation capacity still accounts for only a small part of the total human electricity consumption, since 2004, the photovoltaic power generation capacity connected to the grid has increased at an average annual rate of 60%. By 2009, the total power generation capacity had reached 21GW, which is currently the fastest growing energy source. It is estimated that there is no photovoltaic system connected to the grid, and the current capacity is about 3 to 4GW.

The photovoltaic system can be installed on a large scale on the ground to become a photovoltaic power station, or it can be placed on the roof or external wall of a building to form a photovoltaic building integration. Since the advent of solar cells, the use of materials, continuous advancements in technology, and the mature development of the manufacturing industry have driven the price of photovoltaic systems to become cheaper. Not only that, many countries invest a large amount of research and development funds to promote photovoltaic conversion efficiency, and give financial subsidies to manufacturing companies. More importantly, policies such as feed-in tariff subsidies and renewable energy ratio standards have greatly promoted the widespread application of photovoltaics in various countries.

In fact, there is not much difference between solar panel and photovoltaic panels. Most of the solar panels with larger size and higher power will be called photovoltaic panels by many people. There is nothing wrong with either statement. Welcome everyone to learn more about them.