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Solar Thermal Power Plants Solar power plants produce electricity from solar energy. They use mirrors and lenses to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam and achieve higher temperatures. The heat produced is then used to boil water and drive a steam turbine that generates electricity without creating any harmful emissions.

Photovoltaic Cells Solar panels made of photovoltaic cells (PV) are a popular technology used to convert solar energy into electricity. Photovoltaic cells are made of semiconductor materials like silicon. When sunlight hits these cells, it frees electrons from their atoms. The flow of electrons through the cell generates electricity.

● ● Kamuthi Solar Power Project in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is the largest solar energy-generating facility in the world. It powers one hundred fifty thousand homes. ● ● The photovoltaic effect was discovered by a French physicist, A. E Becquerel, in 1954. Climate Facts

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