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Glossary
Amorphous Silicon: A thin film, silicon photovoltaic cell having no crystalline structure
Ampere (amp): a unit of electrical current or rate of flow of electrons. One volt across one ohm of resistance
causes a current flow of one amp.
Ampere-hour: A measure of the flow of current over one hour; used to measure battery capacity.
Array: An inner connected system of PV modules that function as a single electricity producing unit. The
modules are assembled as a discreet structure, with common support or mounting.
Array operating voltage: The voltage produced by a photovoltaic array when exposed to sunlight and connected
to a load.
Azimuth Angle: The angle between true south and the point on the horizon directly below the sun.
Battery cycle life: The number of cycles, to a specified depth of discharge, that a cell or battery can undergo
before failing to meet its specified capacity or efficiency performance criteria.
BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle
Cadmium: The chemical element used in making certain types of solar cells and batteries.
Cathode: The negative pole or electrode of an electrolytic cell, vacuum tube, etc, where electrons enter the
system opposite of an anode.
Crystalline Silicon: A type of photovoltaic cell made from a slice of single crystal silicon or polycrystalline silicon.
DC: Direct Current
Discharge: The withdrawal of electrical energy from a battery.
Electrode: A conductor that is brought in conducting contact with a ground
Energy Audit: A survey that shows how much energy used
Feed-in tariff: Being able to sell electric back to the electric company
Fixed tilt array: A photovoltaic array set in at a fixed angle with respect to horizontal.
Frequency: The number of repetitions per unit time of a complete wave form, expressed in Hertz (Hz).
Gallium: A chemical element, metallic in nature used in making certain kinds of solar cells.
Gigawatt (GW): A unit of power equal to a billion watts.
Grid: An integrated system of electricity distribution, usually covering a large area.
Grid-connected system: A solar electric or PV system in which the PV array acts like a central generating plant,
supplying power to the grid.
Inverter: A device that converts direct current electricity to alternating current either for stand alone systems or
supply power to an electricity grid.
Joule: A metric unit of energy or work; one joule per second equals one watt or 0.737 foot pounds; 1 btu equals
1055 joules.
Kilowatt (KW): A standard unit of electrical power equal to one thousand watts, or to the energy consumption at
a rate of one thousand joules per second.
Kilowatt hour (KWhr): One thousand watts acting over a period of one hour.
Load: The demand on an energy producing system; the energy consumption or requirement of a piece or group
of equipment. Usually expressed in terms of amperes or watts in reference to electricity.
Megawatt (MW): One thousand kilowatts or a million watts.
Module: solar panel
Mountain Top Removal: They destroy the forest and blow-up the top of the mountain, to get to the coal inside the
mountain
National Electrical Code (NEC): Contains guidelines for all types of electrical installations.
Net Metering: An agreement by the solar system owner and the electric company that allows the system owner to
buy and sell energy in the form of electric credits.
Ohm: A unit of electrical resistance .
Photon: A particle of light that acts as an individual unit of energy.
Photovoltaic (PV): pertaining to the direct conversion of light into electricity.
Rectifier: A device that converts AC to DC.
Standard Test Conditions (STC): Conditions under which a module is typically tested in a laboratory.
String: A number of PV modules interconnected in series to produce the operating voltage required by the load.
Surge Capacity: The maximum power, usually 3 to 5 times the rate of power, that can be provided over a short
time.
Tilt Angle: The angle at which a PV array is set to face the sun relative to a horizontal position.
Wafer: A thin sheet of semiconductor (PV material) made by cutting it from a single crystal or ingot.
Watt: The rate of energy transfer equivalent to one ampere under an electrical pressure of one volt. One watt
equals 1/746 horsepower.
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