A device that reduces heat loss at night and during cloudy periods and heat gain during the day in warm weather. A movable insulator could be an insulative shade, shutter panel, or curtain.

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.

The total amount of electricity produced by a power plant.

ICS solar systems are also called "batch" or "breadbox" water heaters. They combine the collector and storage tank in one unit. The sun shining into the collector strikes the storage tank directly, heating the water. The large thermal mass of the water, p ...

A unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms or 2,204.6 pounds.

The average amount of solar radiation that reaches the earth's upper atmosphere on a surface perpendicular to the sun's rays; equal to 1353 Watts per square meter or 492 Btu per square foot.

The process of burning; the oxidation of a material by applying heat, which unites oxygen with a material or fuel.

A column of gas at standard conditions of temperature and pressure (32 degrees Fahrenheit and one atmosphere).

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

In a solar photovoltaic device, an n-type dopant, such as phosphorus, that puts an additional electron into an energy level very near the conduction band; this electron is easily exited into the conduction band where it increases the electrical conductivi ...

A photovoltaic device where incident sunlight is split into different spectral regions, with an optical apparatus, that are directed to individual photovoltaic cells that are optimized for converting that spectrum to electricity.

The gaseous byproducts of the combustion of a fuel.

A system where heat is supplied to areas of a building from a single appliance through a network of ducts or pipes.

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.

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

The loss in static pressure of a fluid (liquid or gas) in a system due to friction from obstructions in pipes, from valves, fittings, regulators, burners, etc, or by a breech or rupture of the system. Pressurization Testing

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

Electric power plant or utility capacity on line and running at low power in excess of actual load.

All the natural and living things around us. The earth, air, weather, plants, and animals all make up our environment.

The sum of sensible heat and latent heat in a substance above a base temperature, typically 32 degrees Fahrenheit.