How is photovoltaics different than other solar energy conversion technologies?
There are a variety of ways to convert sunlight into useful energy. One method used for many centuries is to convert sunlight into heat, which can then be used for building heating or water heating. Two common examples of solar energy into heat are solar pool heating and solar water heaters. There are also two ways to convert sunlight into electricity. One is solar thermal electricity generation, which uses much of the technology from conventional utility electricity generation. In most utility electricity generation, heat is generated by burning a fuel such as coal or by a nuclear reaction, and this heat is turned into electricity. In solar thermal generating systems, the heat is created by focusing sunlight onto a spot rather than burning fuels, but the remainder of the electricity generation process is the same as conventional utility generation. Photovoltaics is another mechanisms for converting sunlight into electricity. Photovoltaics, (also called solar electricity, solar batteri
