Glossary

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A

AC
Alternating current. Electrical energy which reverses its direction at regular intervals.

Ampere or amp
Electric current is measured in amperes or amps.

Amp Hours
The number of amps used or produced in a given hour. Batteries are rated in amp hours.

Array
A group of solar electric modules connected together in a power system.

C

Current
The rate of flow of an electric charge. Current is measured in amps.

D

DC
Direct current. Electrical energy flowing in one direction and of substantially constant value.

I

Inverter
An appliance used to convert independent DC power into standard household AC current.

K

Kilowatt or kW
A thousand watts. (see Watts)

M

MA
Milliamps, 1000 MA = 1 amp.

Micro-inverter
A solar photovoltaic (PV) micro-inverter is a device that converts direct current (DC) from a single solar module (panel) to alternating current (AC).

Module
Modular solar electric charger; used interchangeably with solar electric panel.

P

Photovoltaic

Converting light into electricity. Photo means “light” voltaic means “electric”. Often referred to as “PV” for short. More commonly referred to as “solar electric”.

S

Solar Cell
The smallest basic solar electric device which generates electricity when exposed to light.

Solar Electric
The preferred term used to describe something which uses sunlight to produce electricity. “Photovoltaic” is the more technical term.

Solar Panel

Solar panels are a grouping of solar modules that can be connected in series, in parallel, or in series-parallel to generate a higher voltage or current than can be provided by one solar modules.

V

Voltage or Volts
Voltage is the rating of the amount of electrical pressure that causes electricity to flow in the power line. If electricity were water, voltage would measure the amount of pressure at the faucet.

W

Watts
A watt is a measurement of total electrical power. Volts x amps = watts.

Watt Hour
The quantity of electrical energy used or produced when one watt is used for one hour.