Solar Photovoltaics
Semiconductor devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity for calculators, satellites, rooftops, and utility-scale power.
Core metadata
- ID: solar_photovoltaics
- Era: Modern
- First known date: 1955 (exact)
- Region: United States and global energy systems
- Review status: source_checked
- Maturity: established
Prerequisites
- Photolithography (photolithography)
- Semiconductor Devices (semiconductor_devices)
- Solar Power (solar_power)
Dependents
- Renewable Microgrids (renewable_microgrids)
- SmallSats & CubeSats (smallsat_cubesats)
- Space-Based Solar Power (space_based_solar_power)
- Utility-Scale Solar PV (utility_scale_solar_pv)
Fields
Field lanes
- Semiconductors & Integrated Circuits: Materials & Devices
- Energy Systems & Grid: Renewables
Node sources
- Bell Labs Demonstrates the First Practical Silicon Solar Cell (American Physical Society, 2009, generic_overview) • Supports: node, maturity
- Solar (International Energy Agency, 2026, official_agency) • Supports: node, maturity
Prerequisite edge evidence
Edge/source evidence summary:
- Prerequisite edges: 3
- Average edge confidence: 68%
- Prerequisite sources: 3
- expert_inference: 2
- review: 1
| Prerequisite | Type | Confidence | Evidence level | Note | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semiconductor Devices (semiconductor_devices) | required | 86% | review | DOE describes photovoltaic cells as semiconductor devices that convert sunlight into electricity, making semiconductor behavior core to the technology. |
|
| Solar Power (solar_power) | historical_predecessor | 58% | expert_inference | Solar photovoltaics are a specific implementation within the broader solar-electricity lineage represented by the solar power node. |
|
| Photolithography (photolithography) | commercial_or_scaling_dependency | 60% | expert_inference | Photolithography and related microfabrication support some PV device prototyping and manufacturing, but the first practical silicon solar cell does not make photolithography a universal hard prerequisite. |
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