Traditionally, solar cells have been used to provide small amounts of power for "stand alone" systems in remote areas. However, over recent years, the most rapidly growing market sector has been in applications that are connected to the standard electricity supply network, particularly grid-connected private homes. Other significant applications of this type include central station and building integrated photovoltaics. This course explores the technical and broader issues relevant to such applications. System components, principally inverters, and operational issues, such as "islanding" and its prevention, are treated in detail.