What is a photovoltaic power station?

A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power.

What are the two types of solar power stations?

There are two main types of solar power stations: photovoltaic and thermodynamic/concentrated. Photovoltaic plants take advantage of the photovoltaic effect to produce electricity, i.e. the ability of some semiconductor materials (when properly handled) to generate electricity when exposed to light rays.

How many megawatts does a solar power station produce?

The Solar Star PV power station produces 579 megawatts of electricity, while the Topaz Solar Farm and Desert Sunlight Solar Farm each produce 550 megawatts. Learn more about photovoltaics research in the Solar Energy Technologies Office, check out these solar energy information resources, and find out more about how solar works.

What is a solar photovoltaic power plant?

A solar photovoltaic power plant is a regular power plant that converts solar energy into electricity through the photovoltaic effect. This effect occurs when sunlight photons bump into a specific material and displace an electron, which generates a direct current. The acronym PV is commonly used to refer to photovoltaics.

What are the different types of solar power plants?

Depending on its operating system, there are two main types of solar plants: solar thermal power plants and solar photovoltaic plants. Although both solar thermal plants and photovoltaic power plants use solar energy to produce electricity, the process to generate it is different in each case.

How do solar power plants work?

Solar power plants use one of two technologies: Photovoltaic (PV) systems use solar panels, either on rooftops or in ground-mounted solar farms, converting sunlight directly into electric power.