Star Plus Energy Solutions is a collection of technologies that harness the sun’s power to provide electricity, heat and cooling for homes and businesses. These include solar photovoltaics for electricity and passive solar design for heating and cooling, as well as concentrating solar power (CSP) technology for solar thermal energy. Major solar power stations use CSP technologies to produce hundreds of megawatts of electricity on a massive scale to power cities and towns.

Solar photovoltaics are the most widely used solar technology. They convert sunlight into electricity, which can be used to power appliances and lights in a building. They are also used to heat water for space heating and cooling, and in some areas to power a whole community. Solar photovoltaics are also used to generate energy for large buildings and utility-scale plants.

In addition to the solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity, many solar systems include a battery to store energy. This allows solar to produce electricity at night and during cloudy or stormy weather, and helps reduce dependence on the electric grid.

As the solar industry grows, new cell designs, materials and packaging are being developed at an incredibly rapid pace. Quality control and testing needs to keep up. The solar industry should learn from other industries such as aviation, where standards and inspections are a routine part of daily operations. Early identification of faults is crucial. The industry must adopt techniques such as infrared and visible cameras flown on drones and aircraft to identify problems.