Photovoltaic systems: an end‐of‐millennium review

The production of electricity from photovoltaics continues to attract worldwide interest, most recently as a power source for distributed energy generation. Today's photovoltaic systems are already being used effectively for smaller power needs in remote applications. For both of these applications, the issues of reliability, efficiency, safety, and low cost are the principal drivers of system technology. This review uses these design issues to provide a system perspective on the current status of the technology, the changes it has already experienced and the necessity for improvements, especially in tomorrow's systems. The discussion of remaining issues focuses on the reduction of area-related and collector costs, the accurate prediction of performance and lifetime, and the need for developing much better information on recurring costs for maintenance and component replacement. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This paper was produced under the auspices of the US Government and it is therefore not subject to copyright in the US.