They use this sunlight to create direct current (DC) electricity through a process called "the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic technology, often abbreviated as PV, represents a revolutionary method of harnessing solar energy and converting it into electricity. Solar panels, also called PV panels, are combined into arrays in a PV system. PV systems can also be installed in grid-connected or off-grid (stand-alone) configurations. Most of the technology works on the principle of reflection, radiation and. Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry.