The Photovoltaic unit has the main objective of carrying out research and development activities in the area of solar photovoltaic technology. Some of the areas being considered include; Solar Cells material and technology, inverters and charge controllers, system design and implementation among others.
The first practical application of solar photovoltaic was to power orbiting satellites, spacecraft, and pocket calculators, but today the majority of solar photovoltaic modules are used for stand- alone, mini- grid, grid applications. The unit had carried out studies in different type of modules and developed many research and pilot projects in photovoltaic applications. Below are some of the projects: