But there is also another form of solar energy that has started to emerge called a pico solar system or pico pv for short. It uses small compact and light weight solar photovoltaic panels to generate just a few watts of power in a wide range of small and portable applications.

Solar pico PV systems have experienced significant development in the last few years, combining the use of very efficient lights (mostly LEDs) with sophisticated charge controllers and efficient batteries.

A new generation of small PV systems for lighting and communication The concept of pico PV systems and their application in real-world circumstances are explained.

Toxic solar PV “e-waste” is already becoming a problem in the developing world. Goals and Design UCSC and the University of Edinburgh have joined together to create the Off-Grid Solar Scorecard to promote sustainable design and bring attention to solar PV products’ end of life.

What are Pico Solar PV systems? Pico PV: panel capacity and size? Advantage of modularity. Simple mobile phones: battery capacities of 700 to 1000 mAh. With lithium-ion (3.7 V) this equals 2.6 to 3.7 Wh. Charging efficiency 90%: about 3 to 4 Wh for full charge (smart phones: more) .

Two new reports on rural electrification applications for pico and hybrid PV systems have been published by the Photovoltaic Power System Programme from the International Energy Agency (IEA PVPS).

These pico-solar products range from solar lanterns, to powerful solar lights that can charge phones and radios to small solar home systems, with panels ranging from less than 1 to around 10 Watt peak.

We will tackle this research question from a sociology of the global markets of pico solar systems (lamp, kit and plug-and-play SHS) – including both the branded goods and low-cost/generic ones...

Pico-scale solar products in Africa offer a very viable market for private investors and a vehicle for achieving pico-economic growth by governments.