Solar power is the most abundant and most widely available source of energy in the world. Unlike electromagnetic induction, which is used by all other forms of commercial energy generation, solar power could also be directly converted to electrical energy using the photovoltaic effect.

There are three basic forms of solar energy utilization. The first form is the application of photovoltaic cells to directly convert sunlight into electricity. With varying costs and efficiencies, photovoltaic cells come in various materials such as monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin film. These photovoltaic cells are also sometimes coupled with concentrators that basically concentrate sunlight onto the cell. These concentrated photovoltaics (CPV), as it is called, it the second form of solar energy utilization.

The third form does not use the photovoltaic effects, but instead use electromagnetic induction. The third type, known as concentrated solar power (CSP) or solar thermal energy, concentrates large amounts of sunlight onto heat conducting surfaces, which is then transferred to a heat exchangers to convert water into steam, which then drives steam turbines. These three forms could be applied to various forms depending on the on-site requirements or available solar resource.