photovoltaic
adj.adj. describing a way to make electricity directly from sunlight. You usually see this word when people talk about solar panels.
adj. relating to the production of electric current at the junction of two substances exposed to light. Typically describes the technology or process used in solar energy systems.
The house has a photovoltaic system on the roof.
The government is offering subsidies to encourage homeowners to install photovoltaic panels to reduce carbon emissions.
Advances in thin-film photovoltaic technology have significantly increased the efficiency of solar energy harvesting in regions with lower average sunlight hours.
From photo- + voltaic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Typically used as an attributive adjective before nouns like 'cell', 'panel', or 'array'.
Last updated May 11, 2026