Lumeta Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) solar modules represent the cutting edge in solar technology – the perfect marriage of form and function.
Glossary Of Terms
Amorphous Silicon: A thin-film, silicon photovoltaic cell having no crystalline structure. Manufactured by depositing layers of doped silicon on a substrate.
Balance of System: Represents all components and costs other than the photovoltaic modules/array. It includes design costs, land, site preparation, system installation, support structures, power conditioning, operation and maintenance costs, indirect storage, and related costs.
BIPV (Building-Integrated Photovoltaics): A term for the design and integration of photovoltaic (PV) technology into the building envelope, typically replacing conventional building materials. This integration may be in vertical facades, replacing view glass, spandrel glass, or other facade material; into semitransparent skylight systems; into roofing systems, replacing traditional roofing materials; into shading "eyebrows" over windows; or other building envelope systems.
Current at Maximum Power (Imp): The current at which maximum power is available from a module.
Direct Current (DC): A type of electricity transmission and distribution by which electricity flows in one direction through the conductor, usually relatively low voltage and high current. To be used for typical 120 volt or 220 volt household appliances, DC must be converted to alternating current, its opposite.
Distributed Systems: Systems that are installed at or near the location where the electricity is used, as opposed to central systems that supply electricity to grids. A residential photovoltaic system is a distributed system.
Feed-in Tariffs (FIT): the electricity utility buys PV electricity from the producer under a multiyear contract at a guaranteed rate.
Grid: A network of electric power lines and connections that are controlled by utility companies.
Grid-Connected System: A solar electric or photovoltaic (PV) system in which the PV array acts like a central generating plant, supplying power to the grid.
Grid Lines: Metallic contacts fused to the surface of the solar cell to provide a low resistance path for electrons to flow out to the cell interconnect wires.
Inverter: A device that converts direct current electricity to alternating current either for stand-alone systems or to supply power to an electricity grid.
I-V Curve: A graphical presentation of the current versus the voltage from a photovoltaic device as the load is increased from the short circuit (no load) condition to the open circuit (maximum voltage) condition. The shape of the curve characterizes cell performance.
Junction Box: A photovoltaic (PV) generator junction box is an enclosure on the module where PV strings are electrically connected and where protection devices can be located, if necessary.
Kilowatt (kW): A standard unit of electrical power equal to 1000 watts, or to the energy consumption at a rate of 1000 joules per second.
Kilowatt-Hour (kWh): 1,000 thousand watts acting over a period of 1 hour. The kWh is a unit of energy. 1 kWh=3600 kJ.
Maximum Power Point (MPP): — The point on the current-voltage (I-V) curve of a module under illumination, where the product of current and voltage is maximum. For a typical silicon cell, this is at about 0.45 volts.
Net Metering: The process by which an on-site generator (such as photovoltaic (PV)) operating independently of the utility grid, can be interconnected to the grid. The electric meter will show the NET difference between what is generated on site to what is supplied by the grid. Photovoltaics, or PV for short, is a technology that converts light directly into electricity. Photo means "light", voltaic means "electric". Often referred to as “PV” and “solar-electric” for short. Photovoltaic production has been doubling every two years, increasing by an average of 48 percent each year since 2002, making it the world’s fastest-growing energy technology.
Photovoltaics, or PV for short is a technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity. Photo means "light", voltaic means "electric". Often referred to as "PV" and "solar-electric" for short. Photovoltaic production has been doubling every two years, increasing by an average of 48 percent each year since 2002, making it the world's fastest-growing energy technology.
Photovoltaic (PV) Cell: The smallest semiconductor element within a PV module to perform the immediate conversion of light into electrical energy (direct current voltage and current). Also called a solar cell.
Photovoltaic (PV) Module: The smallest environmentally protected, essentially planar assembly of solar cells and ancillary parts, such as interconnections, terminals, [and protective devices such as diodes] intended to generate direct current power under unconcentrated sunlight. The structural (load carrying) member of a module can either be the top layer (superstrate) or the back layer (substrate).
Photovoltaic (PV) Panel: often used interchangeably with PV module (especially in one-module systems), but more accurately used to refer to a physically connected collection of modules (i.e., a laminate string of modules used to achieve a required voltage and current).
Photovoltaic (PV) System: A complete set of components for converting sunlight into electricity by the photovoltaic process, including the array and balance of system components.
Renewable Energy: Energy that is derived from sources that are not depletable. Examples would be: solar energy (solar-electric, solar-thermal), biomass, geothermal energy, wind energy, etc.
Single-Crystal Silicon: Material with a single crystalline formation. Many photovoltaic cells are made from single-crystal silicon.
Solar Cell: The smallest basic solar-electric device, which generates electricity when exposed to light.
Solar Energy: Electromagnetic energy transmitted from the sun (solar radiation). The amount that reaches the earth is equal to one billionth of total solar energy generated, or the equivalent of about 420 trillion kilowatt-hours.
Standard Test Conditions (STC): Conditions under which a module is typically tested in a laboratory.
Substrate: The physical material upon which a photovoltaic cell is applied.
Superstrate: The covering on the sunny side of a photovoltaic (PV) module, providing protection for the PV materials from impact and environmental degradation while allowing maximum transmission of the appropriate wavelengths of the solar spectrum.
Thin Film: A layer of semiconductor material, such as copper indium diselenide or gallium arsenide, a few microns or less in thickness, used to make photovoltaic cells.
Thin Film Photovoltaic Module: A photovoltaic module constructed with sequential layers of thin film semiconductor materials, usually one to 10 microns. This type of device uses far less material than a conventional silicon photovoltaic (PV) panel.
Tilt Angle: The angle at which a photovoltaic array is set to face the sun relative to a horizontal position. The tilt angle can be set or adjusted to maximize seasonal or annual energy collection.
Watt: The rate of energy transfer equivalent to one ampere under an electrical pressure of one volt. One watt equals 1/746 horsepower, or one joule per second. It is the product of voltage and current (amperage).