IES - Integrated Energy Solutions Inc.

Your one source energy solution ©

Some definitions of Alternative Energy terms

Alternating current (AC)
Electric current in which the direction of flow is reversed at frequent intervals. The most common type of household electricity.
Ampere or amp (A)
The unit of measurement for the electric current. One amp is produced by an electric force of 1 volt acting across a resistance of 1 ohm.
Ampere-Hour (Ah/AH)
A measure of the flow of current (in amperes) over one hour; used to measure battery capacity.
Annual solar savings
The amount of energy saved by using a solar system as compared to a nonsolar system.
Array -
An assemblage of individual elements. In a PV system this is the term for the entire collection of solar panels.
BIPV -
Building integrated Photo Voltaics. This term is used to describe Photovoltaic cells and modules designed to be a part of, and blend in with, other building elements. An example would be Solar PV shingles, or Solar PV Standing seam roofing.
Charge Controller
A component of a photovoltaic system that controls the flow of current to and from the battery to protect it from over-charge and over-discharge. The charge controller may also indicate the system operational status.
Circuit breaker
A safety device that shuts off power when it senses too much current.

Conversion efficiency
The percentage of electricity that is created by a solar cell as compared to the amount of energy needed to generate that electricity.
Current
The flow of electricity between two points. Measured in amps.
Direct current (DC)
Electrical current that flows only in one direction. The most common form of electricity used in cars, boats and RVs.
Disconnect
Switch gear used to connect or disconnect components in a photovoltaic system.
Distributed systems
Installed systems that are installed at or near the location where the electricity is used, as opposed to central systems that supply electricity to grids.
Duty Cycle
The ratio of active time to total time. Used to describe the operating regime of appliances or loads in photovoltaic systems.
Electric Current
The flow of electrical energy (electricity) in a conductor, measured in amperes.
Electric circuit
The path followed by electricity, beginning from the generating source, continuing through the devices that use the electricity, and then traveling back to the source.
Electrical grid
A large distribution network that delivers electricity over a wide area.
Energy
Usable power. Measured in kWh.
Energy audit
A process that determines how much energy you use in your house or apartment.
Fossil fuels
Fuels that are formed underground from the remains of dead plants and animals. i.e. oil, natural gas, and coal are fossil fuels.
Greenhouse effect
When heat from the sun becomes trapped in the Earth's atmosphere due to certain gases.
Greenhouse gases
The gases responsible for trapping heat from the sun within the Earth's atmosphere. i.e. water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, and nitrogen oxides.
Grid
A distribution network, including towers, poles, and wires that a utility uses to deliver electricity.
Grid-connected PV system
A solar system that is tied in to the utility's network. When generating more power than necessary, the system supplies the surplus to the grid. At night, the system draws power from the grid.
Hertz (HZ)
The frequency of electrical current described in cycles per second, i.e. Appliances in the United States use 60 HZ.
Hybrid System
A solar electric or photovoltaic system that includes other sources of electricity generation, such as wind or diesel generators.
Inverter
An inverter converts the electricity generated from a solar system from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) for use in the home.
Junction box
The point on a solar module where it connects, or is strung, to other solar modules.
Kilowatt (kW)
A unit of electrical power, one thousand watts.
Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
One thousand watts acting over a period of one hour. The kWh is a unit of energy.
Load
Anything that is connected to an electrical circuit and draws power from that circuit. Usually expressed in terms of amperes or watts in reference to electricity.
Megawatt (MW)
One million watts; 1,000 kilowatts.
Module
see photovoltaic module
National Electrical Code (NEC)
The U.S. minimum inspection requirements for all types of electrical installations, including solar systems.
NREL
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory. A national lab that concentrates on studying and developing renewable energy sources.
Net metering
A practice used in conjunction with a solar electric system where your electric meter tracks your net power usage, spinning forward when you use electricity from the utility, and spinning backward when your system is generating more electricity than you need.
Orientation
A term used to describe the direction that a solar module faces. The two components of orientation are the tilt angle (the angle the panel makes from the horizontal) and the aspect angle (the angle the panel makes from North).
Panel
A term used to describe a solar module.
Passive solar home
A house that utilizes part of the building as a solar collector, as opposed to active solar, such as PV.
Peak load
The largest amount of electricity being used at any one point during the day.
Peak Watt
A unit used to rate the performance of solar cells, modules, or arrays; the maximum nominal output of a photovoltaic device, in watts (Wp) under standardized test conditions, usually 1,000 watts per square meter of sunlight with other conditions, such as temperature specified.
Photovoltaic (PV)
The conversion of light into electricity. Photo means light, voltaic means electric.
Photovoltaic (PV) Effect
The phenomenon that occurs when photons, the "particles" in a beam of light, knock electrons loose from the atoms they strike. When this property of light is combined with the properties of semiconductors, electrons flow in one direction across a junction, setting up a voltage. With the addition of circuitry, current will flow and electric power will be available.
Photovoltaic array
An interconnected system of solar modules that function as a single electricity-producing unit.
Photovoltaic cell
Made from silicon, this is the basic unit of a solar module that collects the sun's energy.
Photovoltaic module
The layers of glass, plastic, and silicon cells framed in metal, which collect the sun's energy.
Photovoltaic system
A complete set of components that converts sunlight into usable electricity.
PV
Abbreviation for photovoltaic.
Rated power
Nominal power output of an inverter; some units cannot produce rated power continuously.
Semiconductor
A material that has an electrical conductivity in between that of a metal and an insulator. Typical semiconductors for PV cells include silicon, gallium arsenide, copper indium diselenide, and cadmium elluride.
Silicon (Si)
A chemical element that is the most common semiconductor material used in making PV cells.
Solar cell
see photovoltaic cell
Solar energy
Energy from the sun.
Solar module
see photovoltaic module
Solar power
Electricity generated from sunlight.
Stand alone
A solar system that operates without connection to a grid or another supply of electricity. A battery bank stores unused daylight production for nighttime power. Commonly used in remote regions such as mountains, ocean platforms or communication towers.
Thin film
A solar PV module constructed with sequential layers of thin film semiconductor materials usually only micrometers thick. Currently, thin-film technologies account for around 12 percent of all solar modules sold worldwide. This share is expected to increase, since thin-film technologies represent a potential route to lower costs.
Tilt angle
The angle of inclination of a module measured from the horizontal.
Volt (V)
The measurement of the force given the electrons in an electric circuit.
Watt (W)
The unit of electric power done in a unit of time. One ampere of current flowing at a potential of one volt produces one watt of power.
Watt-hour (Wh)
A unit of energy equal to one watt of power being used for one hour.