Solar power, also known as solar electricity, is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Solar panels use the photovoltaic effect to convert light into an electric current. Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and solar tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight to a hot spot, often to drive a steam turbine.
In 2023, solar power systems generated 5% of the world's electricity, compared to 1% in 2015, when the Paris Agreement to limit climate change was signed. Along with onshore wind, in most countries, the cheapest levelised cost of electricity for new installations is utility-scale solar. (Full article...)