Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. Sunlight can be converted directly into electricity using photovoltaics, or indirectly with concentrating solar power, which normally focuses the sun's energy to boil water which is then used to provide power, and technologies such as the sterling engine dishes which use a sterling cycle engine to power a generator. Photovoltaics were initially used to power small and medium-sized applications, from the calculator powered by a single solar cell to off-grid homes powered by a photovoltaic array.
The only significant problem with solar power is installation cost, although cost has been decreasing due to the learning curve and the advances made by aspiring DIY-ers to build their own solar panels. Developing countries have started to build solar power plants, replacing other sources of energy generation. Since solar power is intermittent, it must be combined either with storage or other energy sources to provide continuous power, although for small distributed producer/consumers, net metering makes this transparent to the consumer.
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