The outlook for U.S. grid-connected solar photovoltaic electric power is sunny to partly cloudy. The forecast calls for state and local incentives to continue making PV economically viable in some applications. High-pressure disturbances in the West and Northeast, resulting from energy uncertainty and environmental concerns, will also raise customer interest. High costs and continued reliance on subsidies continue to create partly cloudy conditions, but we can expect prices to continue to drop and reliability to continue to rise. Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy is a process whereby free electrons are created when light shines on chemically treated semiconductor (mainly silicon) solar cell collectors. The resulting DC current is then converted to AC via an inverter. The process of sunlight collection is only about 10 to 15 percent efficient, but conversion of DC to AC is remarkably efficient, with as much as 85 percent of the total amount of energy from the solar cell remaining after inversion.
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