A concrete pad that sits on gravel or crushed rock, well-compacted soil either level with the ground or above the ground.

Infrared or radiant heat.

A particle of light that acts as an individual unit of energy.

A utility owned by stockholders or other investors; sometimes referred to as a private utility, in contrast to a public utility that is owned by a government agency or cooperative.

A method of depositing thin semiconductor photovoltaic) films. With this method, physical processes, such as thermal evaporation or bombardment of ions, are used to deposit elemental semiconductor material on a substrate.

A device or material with a high resistance to electricity flow.

An unregulated subsidiary of an electric utility that is allowed to generate and sell wholesale power as an independent energy producer, and is exempt from the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935.

Solar Two is a retrofit of the Solar One project (see above). It is demonstrating the technical feasibility and power potential of a solar power tower using advanced molten-salt technology to store energy. Solar Two retains several of the main components ...

A measure of the moisture content of air; may be expressed as absolute, mixing ratio, saturation deficit, relative, or specific.

A device that that converts direct current electricity (from for example a solar photovoltaic module or array) to alternating current for use directly to operate appliances or to supply power to a electricity grid.

A group of solar photovoltaic modules connected together.

A cooling device that uses mechanical energy to produce chilled water.

Standardized codes used to classify businesses by type of activity they engage in.

A system of astronomical time in which the sun crosses the true north-south meridian at 12 noon, and which differs from local time according to longitude, time zone, and equation of time.

A law that requires electric utilities to purchase electricity produced from qualifying power producers that use renewable energy resources or are cogenerators. Utilities are required to purchase power at a rate equal to the avoided cost of generating the ...

A load management objective that moves loads from on-peak periods to off-peak periods.

The amount of conditioned air to be supplied by a cooling system; usually the maximum amount to be delivered based on a specified number of cooling degree days or design temperature.

An automatic valve that is opened or closed by an electromagnet.

A type of combustion heating system in which combustion air is drawn directly from outside and the products of combustion are vented directly outside. These features are beneficial in tight, energy-efficient homes because they will not depressurize a home ...

A type of inverter that produces square wave output.; consists of a DC source, four switches, and the load. The switches are power semiconductors that can carry a large current and withstand a high voltage rating. The switches are turned on and off at a c ...