What Does Photovoltaic Mean?
Photovoltaic is used to describe equipment that generates electricity from light. A photovoltaic device does this through the use of semiconductors that can be electrically charged by certain wavelengths of light. The electrically charged semiconductor then transmits energy in the form of electricity.
Photovoltaic solar cells are subject to many forms of corrosion and degradation. Electrical connections can become tarnished in the presence of salt water or salt air, and polymers can be destroyed by intense, continuous ultraviolet light.