More important are photovoltaic solar cells, a rival technology that converts sunlight directly to electricity.

更重要的是光电太阳能电池，它是一种关键的技术能直接将太阳光转化成电力。

This technology, unlike photovoltaic cells, can generate energy even when the sky is overcast or at night.

与光伏电池不同的是，即使是阴天或晚上这种技术也可以产生能量。

Simply put, they consist of multiple photovoltaic cells that are usually made of silicon.

简而言之，它们由多个通常由硅制成的光伏电池组成。

Nowadays, many photovoltaic cells are able to absorb a range of wavelengths, from the blue to near infrared.

如今，许多光伏电池能够吸收从蓝色到近红外的一系列波长。

The increase in solar panels photovoltaic cells has been tremendous over the last decade, and come far faster than anybody thought that it would.

过去十年间，太阳能光伏电池的使用有了大幅度增加，这大大超出了人们的预想。

ALMOST 150 years after photovoltaic cells and wind turbines were invented, they still generate only 7% of the world's electricity.

光伏电池和风力发电机发明近150年后，它们的发电量仍只占全球总量的7%。

There are still lots of engineering challenges to solve before solar transport becomes common, like the price, mass, and efficiency of photovoltaic cells.

在太阳能运输变得普遍之前， 仍有许多工程挑战需要解决，例如光伏电池的价格、质量和效率。

Over 17,000 solar panels made of thin slices from a single crystal of silicon – also known as monocrystalline photovoltaic cells – cover the body, tail, and wings of the plane.

超过 17,000 块由单晶硅薄片制成的太阳能电池板（也称为单晶光伏电池）覆盖了飞机的机身、尾部和机翼。