Amorphous Solar Panes - Amorphous or Thin Film panels are typically created by vapor deposition similar to printing on a plastic backing. This process makes amorphous panels cheaper to produce than mono or polycrystalline solar panels. However, Amorphous panels are about 50% less efficient than poly or monocrystalline panels. Therefore, to make them a viable solution you require a lot of room but they do tolerate high temperatures much better, so a low cost desert environment makes them an ideal solution.
ASICs - An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is an integrated circuit (IC) customized for a particular use, rather than intended for general-purpose use. For example, a chip designed solely to run a cell phone is an ASIC.
Balance of Systems - The balance of system or BOS encompasses all components of a photovoltaic system other than the photovoltaic panels. This includes wiring, switches, support racks, an inverter, and batteries in the case of off-grid systems. In the case of free-standing systems, land is sometimes included as part of the BOS.
Keywords: Solar Panel Installation, Solar Panel Systems, Solar Panel Costs, Solar Installation, Solar Systems, Solar Power Costs, Photovoltaic Systems Installation, Photovoltaic System Design, Photovoltaic System Costs, PV Systems, Cost of Photovoltaic Systems, Renewable Energy, Balance of System Costs, Solar Balance of System, BOS, B.O.S.
BOS - BOS (balance of system) encompasses all components of a photovoltaic system other than the photovoltaic panels. This includes wiring, switches, support racks, an inverter, and batteries in the case of off-grid systems. In the case of free-standing systems, land is sometimes included as part of the BOS.
Keywords: Solar Panel Installation, Solar Panel Systems, Solar Panel Costs, Solar Installation, Solar Systems, Solar Power Costs, Photovoltaic Systems Installation, Photovoltaic System Design, Photovoltaic System Costs, PV Systems, Cost of Photovoltaic Systems, Renewable Energy, Balance of System Costs, Solar Balance of System
Central Inverter - Central inverters are best suited for larger installations where power consumption is expected to remain stable or where panel access is difficult. The more wattage an installation is expected to generate, the more likely you are going to employ a central inverter solution as wattage conversion becomes more affordable.
Combiner Box - The Combiner Box is an electrical distribution box where the DC circuit breakers are placed. Note that the breakers are usually sold separately. The Combiner Box combines the multiple DC inputs coming from the panel terminations and converts these into one DC output. The output of the combiner box is connected to the charge controller or the inverter, depending on the type of system installed.
Energy Harvesting - Energy harvesting (also known as power harvesting or energy scavenging) is the process by which energy is derived from external sources (e.g., solar power, thermal energy, wind energy, salinity gradients, and kinetic energy), captured, and stored for small, wireless autonomous devices, like those used in wearable electronics and wireless sensor networks.
Ethernet - Ethernet is a computer networking technology for local area networks (LANs) commercially introduced in 1980 and later standardized to IEEE 802.3. Systems communicating over Ethernet divide a stream of data into individual packets called frames. Each frame contains source and destination addresses and error-checking data so that damaged data can be detected and re-transmitted.
F.I.T. - Stands for 'feed-in tariff' (standard offer contract advanced renewable tariff or renewable energy payments) is a policy mechanism designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies. It achieves this by offering long-term contracts to renewable energy producers, typically based on the cost of generation of each different technology.Technologies such as wind power, for instance, are awarded a lower per-kWh price, while technologies such as solar PV and tidal power are currently offered a higher price, reflecting their higher costs.
Feed in Tariffs A feed-in tariff (FIT, standard offer contract advanced renewable tariff or renewable energy payments) is a policy mechanism designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies. It achieves this by offering long-term contracts to renewable energy producers, typically based on the cost of generation of each different technology.Technologies such as wind power, for instance, are awarded a lower per-kWh price, while technologies such as solar PV and tidal power are currently offered a higher price, reflecting their higher costs.
Grid Parity Grid parity is the point at which alternative means of generating electricity is at least as cheap as grid power.
HAN - Home Area Network
HAN Networks - A home network or home area network (HAN) is a residential local area network (LAN). It is used for communication between digital devices typically deployed in the home, usually a small number of personal computers and accessories, such as printers and mobile computing devices.
HEV - A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle and electric vehicle which combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) propulsion system with an electric propulsion system.
Homeplug - HomePlug is the family name for various power line communications specifications that support networking over existing home electrical wiring. Several specifications exist under the HomePlug moniker, with each offering unique performance capabilities and coexistence or compatibility with other HomePlug specifications.
Intentional Energy Harvesting - Intentional Energy Harvesting is where an RF signal is transmitted to power the device
Kinetic Energy - The kinetic energy of an object is the energy which it possesses due to its motion.[1] It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic energy unless its speed changes. The same amount of work is done by the body in decelerating from its current speed to a state of rest.
Load Balancing - Load balancing (electrical power) (daily peak demand reserve) refers to the use of various techniques by electrical power stations to store excess electrical power during low demand periods for release as demand rises.
Metrology - Metrology is the science of measurement. Metrology includes all theoretical and practical aspects of measurement.
Micro Inverter - A solar micro-inverter, also referred as microinverter or micro inverter, converts direct current (DC) from a single solar panel to alternating current (AC). The electric power from several micro-inverters is combined and fed into an existing electrical grid. Micro-inverters contrast with conventional string or central inverter devices, which are connected to multiple solar panels.
Monocrystalline Solar Panel - Monocrystalline silicon is also used in the manufacturing of high performance solar cells. Since, however, solar cells are less demanding than microelectronics for as concerns structural imperfections, monocrystaline solar grade (Sog-Si) is often used, single crystal is also often replaced by the cheaper polycrystalline or multicrystalline silicon. Monocrystalline solar cells can achieve 17% efficiency whereas other types of less expensive cells including thin film and polycrystalline are only capable of achieving around 10% efficiency.
NIST Standard - The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), is a measurement standards laboratory which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce.
PHEV - A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV), or plug-in hybrid is a hybrid vehicle which utilizes rechargeable batteries, or another energy storage device, that can be restored to full charge by connecting a plug to an external electric power source (usually a normal electric wall socket).
Photovoltaic Solar Panel - A solar cell (also called photovoltaic cell or photoelectric cell) is a solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect.
PHY - PHY is an abbreviation for the physical layer of the OSI model. An instantiation of PHY connects a link layer device (often called a MAC) to a physical medium such as an optical fiber or copper cable. A PHY device typically includes a Physical Coding Sublayer (PCS) and a Physical Medium Dependent (PMD) layer. The PCS encodes and decodes the data that is transmitted and received. The purpose of the encoding is to make it easier for the receiver to recover the signal.
Piezoelectric Effect - The piezoelectric effect is understood as the linear electromechanical interaction between the mechanical and the electrical state in crystalline materials with no inversion symmetry.[3] The piezoelectric effect is a reversible process in that materials exhibiting the direct piezoelectric effect (the internal generation of electrical charge resulting from an applied mechanical force) also exhibit the reverse piezoelectric effect (the internal generation of a mechanical strain resulting from an applied electrical field).
PLC - Power line communication or power line carrier (PLC), also known as power line digital subscriber line (PDSL), mains communication, power line telecom (PLT), power line networking (PLN), or broadband over power lines (BPL) are systems for carrying data on a conductor also used for electric power transmission.
Power Line Communications - Power line communication or power line carrier (PLC), also known as power line digital subscriber line (PDSL), mains communication, power line telecom (PLT), power line networking (PLN), or broadband over power lines (BPL) are systems for carrying data on a conductor also used for electric power transmission.
PV Solar Panels - A photovoltaic system (or PV system) is a system which uses one or more solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity. It consists of multiple components, including the photovoltaic modules, mechanical and electrical connections and mountings and means of regulating and/or modifying the electrical output.
RF Energy Harvesting - RF Energy Harvesting uses the energy from radio signals to generate electricity. This RF energy can come in two forms: intentional where an RF signal is transmitted to power the device, or unintentional where RF signals in a particular location are strong enough to power the device.
Seebeck Effect - The Seebeck effect is the conversion of temperature differences directly into electricity and is named for German physicist Thomas Johann Seebeck, who, in 1821 discovered that a compass needle would be deflected by a closed loop formed by two metals joined in two places, with a temperature difference between the junctions.
SEP 2.0 - Smart Energy version 2.0 is currently under development in cooperation with a number of other standards development groups. It will offer IP-based control for advanced metering infrastructure and home area networks. This version will not replace ZigBee Smart Energy version 1, rather it will offer utilities and energy service providers another choice when creating their advanced metering infrastructure and home area networks (HANs).
Smart Energy Profile ZigBee Smart Energy Profile is the world's leading standard for interoperable products that monitor, control, inform and automate the delivery and use of energy and water. It helps create greener homes by giving consumers the information and automation needed to easily reduce their consumption and save money, too.
Smart Grid - Smart grid is a type of electrical grid which attempts to predict and intelligently respond to the behaviour and actions of all electric power users connected to it - suppliers, consumers and those that do both – in order to efficiently deliver reliable, economic, and sustainable electricity services.
Smart Meter - A smart meter is usually an electrical meter that records consumption of electric energy in intervals of an hour or less and communicates that information at least daily back to the utility for monitoring and billing purposes.Smart meters enable two-way communication between the meter and the central system.
Solar Combiner - The Solar Combiner Box is an electrical distribution box where the DC circuit breakers are placed. Note that the breakers are usually sold separately. The Combiner Box combines the multiple DC inputs coming from the panel terminations and converts these into one DC output. The output of the combiner box is connected to the charge controller or the inverter, depending on the type of system installed.
Solar Energy Harvesting - Solar Energy Harvesting started in calculators, which utilize amorphous solar cells that were designed for indoor low light environments in conjunction with low power ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits).
Thermoelectric - Thermoelectric is another potential source of energy, using the difference between two temperatures to create electricity. This is called the Seebeck Effect, which uses the reactions of different metals to generate electricity.
Thin Film Panels - Thin Film or Amorphous panels are typically created by vapor deposition similar to printing on a plastic backing. This process makes amorphous panels cheaper to produce than mono or polycrystalline solar panels. However, Amorphous panels are about 50% less efficient than poly or monocrystalline panels. Therefore, to make them a viable solution you require a lot of room but they do tolerate high temperatures much better, so a low cost desert environment makes them an ideal solution.
Time of Use Programs - Time of use (TOU) net metering employs a specialized reversible smart (electric) meter that is programmed to determine electricity usage any time during the day. Time-of-use allows utility rates and charges to be assessed based on when the electricity was used (i.e., day/night and seasonal rates). Typically the production cost of electricity is highest during the daytime peak usage period, and low during the night, when usage is low. Time of use metering is a significant issue for renewable-energy sources, since, for example, solar power systems tend to produce energy during the daytime peak-price period, and produce little or no power during the night period, when price is low.
Time Synchronization - Synchronization is timekeeping which requires the coordination of events to operate a system in unison.
TOU Programs - Time of use (TOU) net metering employs a specialized reversible smart (electric) meter that is programmed to determine electricity usage any time during the day. Time-of-use allows utility rates and charges to be assessed based on when the electricity was used (i.e., day/night and seasonal rates). Typically the production cost of electricity is highest during the daytime peak usage period, and low during the night, when usage is low. Time of use metering is a significant issue for renewable-energy sources, since, for example, solar power systems tend to produce energy during the daytime peak-price period, and produce little or no power during the night period, when price is low.
Unintentional Energy Harvesting - Unintentional Energy Harvesting is where RF signals in a particular location are strong enough to power the device
ZigBee - ZigBee is a specification for a suite of high level communication protocols using small, low-power digital radios based on an IEEE 802 standard for personal area networks.