A complete PV power system composed of the module (or arrary), and balance-of-system (BOS) components including the array supports, electrical conductors/wiring, fuses, safety disconnects, and grounds, charge controllers, inverters, battery storage, etc.

A light control device that allows light levels to be manually adjusted. A dimmer can save energy by reducing the amount of power delivered to the light while consuming very little themselves.

The measure of closeness in shape between a waveform and it's fundamental component.

A solid-state electrical device that converts light directly into direct current electricity of voltage-current characteristics that are a function of the characteristics of the light source and the materials in and design of the device. Solar photovoltai ...

A combustion heating appliance in which heat is captured from the burning of a fuel for distribution, comprised mainly of a combustion chamber and heat exchanger.

A smaller version of standard fluorescent lamps which can directly replace standard incandescent lights. These lights consist of a gas filled tube, and a magnetic or electronic ballast.

An electrically charged atom or group of atoms that has lost or gained electrons; a loss makes the resulting particle positively charged; a gain makes the particle negatively charged.

A type of anaerobic digester that has a mechanical mixing system and where temperature and volume are controlled to maximize the anaerobic digestion process for biological waste treatment, methane production, and odor control.

The quantity of heat required to change the temperature of one unit weight of a material by one degree.

A small groove scribed into the surface of a solar photovoltaic cell which is filled with metal for contacts.

Transmit high-voltage electricity from the transformer to the electric distribution system.

A term used to describe short and long-term affects on the Earth's climate as a result of human activities such as fossil fuel combustion and vegetation clearing and burning.

The outer casing of a window that sits in a designated opening of a structure and holds the window panes in place.

A valve operated by a thermostat that can be installed in solar water heating systems to mix cold water with water from the collector loop to maintain a safe water temperature.

A thermostat that can be set to automatically lower temperatures in an unoccupied house and raise them again before the occupant returns.

Materials that prevent or slow down the movement of heat.

Fuels formed in the ground from the remains of dead plants and animals. It takes millions of years to form fossil fuels. Oil, natural gas, and coal are fossil fuels.

The temperature that a system is designed to maintain (inside) or operate against (outside) under the most extreme conditions.

A type of heating appliance that performs more than one function, for example space and water heating.

An open-loop solar heating system in which the heat transfer fluid from the collector loop and the piping drain into a drain whenever freezing conditions occur.