The story of photovoltaics begins in 1939, with the discovery of the photovoltaic effect, which enables the energy from light to be converted into electricity. When a ray of light strikes a layer of semiconductor material, the photons - the particles of energy the ray consists of - transfer their energy to the electrons of the material, which immediately begins to move, creating a continuous electric current. The material currently used for the production of photovoltaic cells is silicon. Photovoltaic technology can be used wherever there is sunlight and here, in view of its latitude, Italy has an advantage. The modular nature of the system means that the wattage can be increased at any time simply by adding extra modules. The equipment does not produce pollution of any sort and its operation is totally innocuous. The operational costs are reduced to a minimum and the average life is around 25 years. In addition, photovoltaics are the source of energy production most consistent with the Kyoto treaty, because they make the evenly distributable micro-production of energy possible. The equipment can in fact be of different sizes, from a 3 kW roof installation with a 24 m2 surface area sufficient for the needs of a four person family to mega-installations with dozens of megawatts. 

Environmental Impact 

It is the purest and most noble form of energy because it does not draw on the resources of the planet. The sun is a universal resource, with a life cycle longer than the Earth and it is an inexhaustible source of energy. During operation, the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere is nil. When the installation is finally dismantled, all the basic materials (aluminium, glass, silicon and the electronic components) can be recycled and reused.