photovoltaic

American  

[foh-toh-vol-tey-ik, -vohl-] / ˌfoʊ toʊ vɒlˈteɪ ɪk, -voʊl- /

adjective

Electricity.

1. of or relating to the photovoltaic effect.

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photovoltaic British  

/ ˌfəʊtəʊvɒlˈteɪɪk /

adjective

1. of, concerned with, or producing electric current or voltage caused by electromagnetic radiation, esp visible light from the sun

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photovoltaic Scientific  

/ fō′tō-vŏl-tā′ĭk,-vōl- /

1. Capable of producing a voltage, usually through photoemission, when exposed to radiant energy, especially light.

2. See more at photoelectric solar cell

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Etymology

Origin of photovoltaic

First recorded in 1920–25; photo- + voltaic

Example Sentences

The photovoltaic industry uses about as much of the precious metal as jewelers, and rising prices have jacked up costs.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the Adani Group's factory in Mundra, in India's western state of Gujarat, assembly lines churn out photovoltaic panels around the clock.

From Barron's

The mirror-and-tower technology that once seemed so promising was outpaced by flat photovoltaic solar panels, which soon proved cheaper and more efficient and became the industry standard.

From Los Angeles Times

But it produced far less power than expected, and at more than four times the cost of new solar photovoltaic projects.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Nowadays, especially...electronics, photovoltaic generation, and batteries for all kinds of applications, including motorcycles and motor vehicles, come from China because they are truly very efficient."

From Barron's