A discussion on the diversity in the applications of photovoltaic systems

References on the diverse applications of photovoltaic (PV) systems around the world are classified. The classes presented are (i) stand-alone, (ii) grid-connected, (iii) PV-thermal, (iv) PV-wind, and (v) dedicated applications. 73 papers are cited and classified into these five categories including a brief summary of each paper. Out of these, 42 papers relate to grid-connected applications in many industrialized countries of the world. These papers reflect the importance given to such applications. Due to the rapidly changing nature of PV and related industries, only papers published during the last ten years are considered