substrate

The physical material upon which a photovoltaic cell is made.

The available capacity remaining in a cell or battery, expressed as a percentage of the rated capacity. For example, if 25 amp-hours have been removed from a fully charged 100 amp-hour cell, the state of charge is 75 percent.

Conditions under which a module is typically tested in a laboratory: (1) Irradiance intensity of 1000 W/square meter (0.645 watts per square inch), AM1.5 solar reference spectrum, and (3) a cell (module) temperature of 25 °C, plus or minus 2 °C (77 °F, plus or minus 3.6 °F).

A fixed set of conditions (including meteorological) to which the electrical performance data of a photovoltaic module is translated from the set of actual test conditions [ASTM E 1036].

Technique for mounting a PV array on a sloped roof, which involves mounting the modules a short distance above the pitched roof and tilting them to the optimum angle. This promotes air flow to cool the modules.

An autonomous or hybrid photovoltaic system not connected to a grid. Some stand-alone systems require batteries or some other form of storage. Also, stand-alone PV system.

The tendency of amorphous silicon photovoltaic devices to lose efficiency upon initial exposure to light; named for Dr. David Staebler and Dr. Christopher Wronski; work performed at RCA.

The inverter consists of a DC source, four switches, and the load. The switches are power semiconductors that can carry a large current and withstand a high voltage rating. The switches are turned on and off at a correct sequence, at a certain frequency. The square wave inverter is the simplest and the least expensive […]

Intermediate-grade silicon used in the manufacture of solar cells. Less expensive than electronic-grade silicon.

Method of producing electricity from solar energy by using focused sunlight to heat a working fluid, which in turn drives a turbogenerator.