Photovoltaic system the outer edge. Electrically connected and mounted on a supporting structure, solar modules build a string of modules, often called solar panel. A solar array consists of one or many such panels. A photovoltaic array, or solar array, is a linked collection of solar modules. The power that one module can produce is seldom enough to meet requirements of a home or a business, so the modules are linked together to form an array. Most PV arrays use an inverter to convert the DC power produced by the modules into alternating current that can power lights, motors, and other loads.
History of photovoltaic growth History of photovoltaic growth The history of photovoltaic growth includes previous forecast and annual deployment figures by country. Most PV deployment figures in this article are provided by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association in the "Global Outlook for Photovoltaics" report, the "Observatoire des énergies renouvelables" or EurObserv'ER's "Photovoltaic Barometer" report, and the IEA-PVPS (photovoltaic power systems) "Snapshot" and "Trends" report. In 2013, worldwide deployment of solar PV amounted to almost 40 GW (39,953 MW)—an increase of about 35 percent over the previous year. Cumulated capacity increased by 38 percent to more than 139 GW. This is sufficient to generate at