| GLOSSARY |
| Alternating Current (AC) | An electric current that reverses direction at frequent, regular intervals. |
| Array | Photovoltaic modules grouped together. |
| Crystalline Silicon | A kind of photovoltaic (PV) cell made from a single crystal or polycrystalline slice of silicon. |
| Current | The flow of electric charge in a conductor between two points. |
| Direct Current (DC) | Electric current that flows in one direction. |
| Efficiency | The ratio of output power to input power. |
| Electric Current | Magnitude of the flow of electrons. |
| Electric Losses | The difference between primary electricity and delivered electricity. Losses are due to the conversion and transportation of electric energy to the final customer. |
| Greenhouse Effect | A term used to describe the roles of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other trace gases in keeping the Earth's surface warmer than it would be otherwise. These gases are relatively transparent to incoming shortwave radiation, but are relatively opaque to outgoing longwave radiation. The latter radiation, which would otherwise escape to space, is trapped by these gases within the lower levels of the atmosphere. The subsequent reradiation of some of the energy back to the Earth maintains surface temperatures higher than they would be if the gases were absent. There is concern that increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, and man-made halogenated substances, may enhance the greenhouse effect and cause global climate changes. |
| Greenhouse Gases | Those gases, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane that are transparent to solar radiation but opaque to longwave radiation thus preventing longwave radiation energy from leaving the atmosphere. Increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may contribute to an increase in average global temperatures resulting in adverse climate changes. |
| Grid | The network of transmission and distribution lines, and transformers used in centralized power systems. |
| Insolation | Solar radiation striking an area. Expressed in watts per square meter. |
| Inverter | A solid state device which changes a DC input to an AC output. |
| Kilowatt (kW) | One thousand (1,000) watts. |
| Kilowatt-hour | A unit of energy equal to that expended by one kilowatt in one hour |
| Load | The amount of electrical power being consumed at any given moment by an appliance or device. |
| Module | A predetermined electrical configuration of solar cells laminated into on assembly. |
| Peak Load | The maximum load or electrical power consumption occurring in a given period. |
| Polycrystalline Silicon | Silicon which has solidified rapidly enough to produce many small crystals which are arbitrarily arranges. |
| Silicon | A semiconductor material commonly used in photovoltaic cells. |
| Single-Crystal Silicon | A material formed from a single silicon crystal. |
| Solar Cell | A photovoltaic cell. |
| Tilt Angle | The angle an array is from horizontal. |
| Watt | A unit of power. |
| Watt-hour | A unit of energy equal to the power of one Watt operating for one hour |
