Differences
This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.
Next revision | Previous revision Next revisionBoth sides next revision | ||
luminous:glossary [2008-02-23 12:28] – created takufoam | luminous:glossary [2008-02-23 12:49] – takufoam | ||
---|---|---|---|
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
- | PV-Vocabulary | + | ===== PhoEf glossary ===== |
- | 3D-Solar Cell: capture photons from sunlight using an array of miniature “tower” structures that resemble high-rise buildings in a city street grid. Animation on: www.gatech.edu/ | + | **3D-Solar Cell:** capture photons from sunlight using an array of miniature “tower” structures that resemble high-rise |
+ | buildings in a city street grid. Animation on: www.gatech.edu/ | ||
- | Amp: short for ampere, the unit used to measure the instantaneous flow of electrons, theoretically, | + | **Amp:** short for ampere, the unit used to measure the instantaneous flow of electrons, theoretically, |
- | Amp-hour: measure of a batteries ability to sustain a flow of energy over time; 60 amp-hours indicated a battery can deliver one amp for sixty hours. | + | |
- | Balance of System (components): | + | |
- | Base-load electricity: | + | |
- | Biodegradation: | + | |
- | Charge controller: the device in a stand-alone energy system that feeds electricity from the source, typically a PV array, to the battery bank. The charge controller protects the batteries from overcharging. | + | |
- | Clean energies: Clean describes any energy source the exploitation of which does not generate significant amounts of pollution, and therefore negatively impact the health of human populations and the biosphere as a whole. | + | |
- | Current: flow. In a river, the current is usually strongest near the center where the river is deepest. In electrical terms, current means the electrons flowing through a conductor, and is measured in amperes, one amp meaning 6.02x1023 electrons. | + | |
- | Distributed energies: Distributed describes any energy source that can be deployed – often rapidly - on small, medium or large scales close to the point of consumption. | + | |
- | Distributed generation (DG): contrasts with centralized generation, a term that characterizes conventional large-scale fossil fuel or nuclear power plant generation. | + | |
- | Doping: Semiconductors into which tiny quantities of impurities (boron, phosphorus) have been deliberately diffused. This process dramatically alters the behaviour of the semiconductor in a very usefull manner. | + | |
- | Efficiencies of a PV cell/ | + | |
- | Usually efficiencies are determined under standard test conditions of 1,000 W/m2 illumination and 25°C. The spectral distribution of the light is expressed in terms of an optical air mass (AM) number. AM0 corresponds to the spectrum in space, AM1 to the spectrum at the earth' | + | |
- | Electrolysis: a chemical process in which the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water are separated by the application of electricity. (4) | + | **Amp-hour:** measure of a batteries |
- | Electrolyte: | + | |
- | Energy Payback Time: the time required to produce an amount of energy that is equal to the amount of energy consumed during the fabrication (of the device). | + | |
- | Energy Return on Investment: is the ratio of electricity generated, divided by the energy required to build and maintain the equipment. | + | |
- | External Costs (aka Externality): | + | |
- | Field Assisted Simultaneous Synthesis and Transfer | + | **Balance of System** |
- | Fuel cell: is an electrochemical device similar to a battery, but differing from the latter in that it is designed for continuous replenishment | + | **Base load electricity:** the smallest amount |
- | Grid-excited inverter: an inverter changes DC electricity -- the kind that comes out of PVs -- into AC or house current. A grid-excited inverter, which is connected to the power grid and exports locally-harvested electricity into it, only operates when the grid is energized. | + | |
- | Inverter: a device that converts DC electricity, as produced by PVs and stored in batteries, into AC house current, the kind used by most familiar household devices. | + | **Current:** flow. In a river, the current |
- | KW: - kiloWatt. | + | **Distributed energies:** Distributed describes any energy source that can be deployed – often rapidly |
- | kWh – kiloWatt hour: labour done by letting work 1000 Watt during 1 hour. | + | **Distributed generation (DG):** contrasts with centralized generation, a term that characterizes conventional large-scale fossil fuel or nuclear |
- | Lead-acid batteries: the commonest and most cost-effective form of storage batteries, found in vehicles, uninterruptible | + | |
- | Load: in electricity, | + | **Doping:** semiconductors into which tiny quantities of impurities (boron, phosphorus) have been deliberately diffused. This process dramatically alters the behavior of the semiconductor |
- | Low-voltage: in electrical | + | **Efficiencies of a pv-cell/ |
- | Lumens: an exact measure | + | **Electrolysis:** a chemical process in which the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water are separated by the application |
- | 1 megawatt peak of PV-modules: is the amount that delivers 1 MW of electric | + | **Electrolyte:** " |
- | power under standard illumination conditions (1,000 W/m2, 25 or 28 C)). | + | |
- | MPP- tracking - Maximum Power Point Tracking: - a transformer has to deliver the max. power at all possible light circumstances which goes with a certain voltage delivered by the panel. This voltage depends on the amount of light falling on the panel. Power is the product | + | **Energy Payback Time:** the time required |
- | Mono-Crystalline Silicon Cells: high-grade, single-crystal, | + | |
- | Multicrystalline (polycrystalline) Silicon Cells: many crystals | + | **Energy Return on Investment:** is the ratio of electricity generated, divided by the energy required to build and maintain the equipment. |
- | Ohm's Law: the mathematical product | + | **External Costs (aka Externality):** arises when the social or economic activities |
- | Open-circuit voltage | + | **Field Assisted Simultaneous Synthesis and Transfer |
- | Organic Photovoltaic (OPV): refers | + | **Fuel cell:** is an electrochemical device similar |
- | Over-voltage: a circumstance in which the voltage is too high -- sun shining on a PV array on a cold day with snow on the ground might produce more voltage than a charge controller can handle, and so the over-voltage protection cuts the connection. | + | **Grid-excited inverter:** an inverter changes DC electricity |
- | Passive Solar: | + | **Inverter: |
- | The south side of a building always receives the most sunlight. Therefore, buildings designed for passive solar heating usually have large, south-facing windows. Materials that absorb and store the sun's heat can be built into the sunlit floors and walls. The floors and walls will then heat up during the day and slowly release heat at night, when the heat is needed most. This passive solar design feature is called direct gain. | + | |
- | Other passive solar heating design: | + | **KW:** kiloWatt. |
- | Sunspace: (much like a greenhouse) is built on the south side of a building. As sunlight passes through glass or other glazing, it warms the sunspace. Proper ventilation allows the heat to circulate into the building. | + | |
- | Trombe wall: is a very thick, south-facing wall, which is painted black and made of a material that absorbs a lot of heat. A pane of glass or plastic glazing, installed a few inches in front of the wall, helps hold in the heat. The wall heats up slowly during the day. Then as it cools gradually during the night, it gives off its heat inside the building. | + | **kWh – kiloWatt hour:** labor done by letting work 1000 Watt during 1 hour. |
+ | |||
+ | **Lead-acid batteries: | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Load:** in electricity, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Low-voltage: | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Lumens:** an exact measure of quantity of light. A 60-watt incandescent light bulb and an 18-watt compact fluorescent light bulb each produce about 1,000 lumen. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **1 megawatt peak of pv-modules: | ||
+ | |||
+ | **MPP- tracking - Maximum Power Point Tracking:** - a transformer has to deliver the max. power at all possible light circumstances which goes with a certain voltage delivered by the panel. This voltage depends on the amount of light falling on the panel. Power is the product of voltage and current and hence at a given voltage there is a specific current. At every voltage there is an optimal current (maximum power point). In the inverter the electronic parts look under every circumstances this optimal point: MPP-tracking | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Mono-Crystalline Silicon Cells:** high-grade, single-crystal, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Multicrystalline (polycrystalline) Silicon Cells:** many crystals of silicon in a semi-chaotic state, typical of medium-grade, | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Ohm' | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Open-circuit voltage (Voc):** is the voltage across the positive and negative terminals under open-circuit conditions, and the current is zero, which corresponds to a load resistance of infinity. (See Short-circuit current (Isc)) | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Organic Photovoltaic (OPV):** refers to polymers that are capable of generating electrical power from light. | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Over-voltage: | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Passive Solar:** the natural power of solar heat and light. Many buildings are designed to take advantage of this natural resource through the use of passive solar heating and daylighting. The south side of a building always receives the most sunlight. Therefore, buildings designed for passive solar heating usually have large, south-facing windows. Materials that absorb and store the sun's heat can be built into the sunlit floors and walls. The floors and walls will then heat up during the day and slowly release heat at night, when the heat is needed most. This passive solar design feature is called direct gain. Other passive solar heating design: | ||
+ | - //Sunspace:// (much like a greenhouse) is built on the south side of a building. As sunlight passes through glass or other glazing, it warms the sun space. Proper ventilation allows the heat to circulate into the building. | ||
+ | - //Trombe wall:// is a very thick, south-facing wall, which is painted black and made of a material that absorbs a lot of heat. A pane of glass or plastic glazing, installed a few inches in front of the wall, helps hold in the heat. The wall heats up slowly during the day. Then as it cools gradually during the night, it gives off its heat inside the building. | ||
Peak Watt: is the amount of power produced when the module receives 1,000 watts per square meter of exposure to the sun (insolation). It is used for rating PV-Systems. | Peak Watt: is the amount of power produced when the module receives 1,000 watts per square meter of exposure to the sun (insolation). It is used for rating PV-Systems. |