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XII. Solar Vocabulary
VocabularyAltitude- the elevation of ground level Alternating Current (AC)- used to indicate an alternating potential rather than a current. The electricity used in your home. Amorphous Solar Panels- solar panels made from molten silicon that is spread directly across large plates of stainless steel or similar material. Ampere- the ampere, in practice often shortened to amp, is an SI base unit of electric current. The ampere is a measure of the amount of electric charge passing a point per unit time. Around 6.242 × 10^18 electrons passing a given point each second constitutes one ampere. Azimuth- an arc of the horizon measured between a fixed point (as true north) and the vertical circle passing through the center of an object usually in astronomy and navigation clockwise from the north point through 360 degrees "B" Grade Solar Panels- solar panels that have tiny blemishes, such as cracks in the solar cells. these types of panels are not UL listed and can't be used for government rebates. The blemishes are very small and in most cases hard to see. They typically don't affect the power output of the solar panel. Current- a flow of electricity through a conductor. Deflection- a term that is used to describe the degree to which a structural element is displaced under a load Direct Current (DC)- power derived from a battery or rectified source where electrons flow only in one direction. This is the type of electricity generated by common batteries such as flashlight batteries Gigawatt- is equal to one billion watts Grid Tie Inverter- an electrical device that allows solar power users to complement their grid power with solar power. Insolation- solar radiation received at the earth's surface. Irradiance- the density of radiation incident on a given surface usually expressed in watts per square centimeter or square meter Kilowatt- is equal to one thousand watts Kilowatt Hour- (kwh) is a unit of energy. power in kilowatts multiplied by time in hours equal kilowatt hours. Megawatt- is equal to one million watts Monocrystalline Solar Panels- solar panels made from single crystals of silicon National Electrical Code- is a United States standard for the safe installation of electrical wiring and equipment. Net Metering- where a utility company buys back any excess electricity that your alternative energy system produces at the same retail rate that you buy electricity from them at. Off the Grid- refers to living in a self-sufficient manner without reliance on one or more public utilities. Photovoltaics- the field of technology and research related to the application of solar cells for energy by converting sunlight directly into electricity. Polycrystalline Solar Panels- solar panels from multiple amounts of silicon crystal Solar Array- is a linked collection of solar panels Solar Cell- is a device that converts sunlight directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. Solar Noon- the moment when the sun appears the highest in the sky Solar Panel- a packaged interconnected assembly of solar cells Solar Thermal- using solar energy to convert into heat energy. Used to heat swimming pools and hot water heaters. Solid Conductor- conductor having a single solid wire instead of strands of fine wire twisted together. Stranded Wire- a conductor composed of a group of wires or a combination of groups of wires, usually twisted together. Also known as stranded conductor. Terawatt- is equal to one trillion watts UL Listing- Underwriters' Laboratories is a nationally recognized, nonprofit safety-testing agency for the US. Voltage- Voltage is a representation of the electric potential energy per unit charge. If a unit of electrical charge were placed in a location, the voltage indicates the potential energy of it at that point. In other words, it is a measurement of the energy contained within an electric field, or an electric circuit, at a given point. Watt- a unit of power that measures a rate of energy conversion. Wire Gage- gauge for measuring the diameter of wire
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