Energy Eden

Absorbers: Dark colored material or surface that soaks up the heat in a solar collector.Annual Solar Savings: The annual solar savings of a solar building is the energy savings attributable to a solar feature relative to the energy requirements of a non-solar building.Anode: The positive electrode in an electrochemical cell (battery). Also, the earth or ground in a cathodic protection system.Base Load: The average amount of electric power that a utility must supply in any period.Cloud Enhancement: The increase in solar intensity caused by reflected irradiance from nearby clouds.Crystalline Silicon: A type of photovoltaic cell made from a slice of single-crystal silicon or polycrystalline silicon.Days of Storage: The number of consecutive days the stand-alone system will meet a defined load without solar energy input.Diffuse Insolation: Sunlight received indirectly as a result of scattering due to clouds, fog, haze, dust, or other obstructions in the atmosphere. Opposite of direct insolation.Direct Insolation: Sunlight falling directly upon a collector. Opposite of diffuse insolation.Energy Density: The ratio of available energy per pound; usually used to compare storage batteries.Fresnel Lens: An optical device that focuses light like a magnifying glass; concentric rings are faced at slightly different angles so that light falling on any ring is focused to the same point.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.Light Trapping: The trapping of light inside a semiconductor material by refracting and reflecting the light at critical angles; trapped light will travel further in the material, greatly increasing the probability of absorption and hence of producing charge carriers.Orientation: Placement with respect to the cardinal directions, N, S, E, W.Photovoltaic (PV): Pertaining to the direct conversion of light into electricity.Reverse Current Protection: Any method of preventing unwanted current flow from the battery back to the photovoltaic array (usually at night).Solar Cell: A photovoltaic cell.Solar Panel: A panel consisting of multiple solar cells.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.Vented Cell: A battery designed with a vent mechanism to expel gases generated during charging.Wafer: A thin sheet of semiconductor (photovoltaic material) made by cutting it from a single crystal or ingot.Zenith Angle: The period of time that a charged battery, when filled with electrolyte, can remain unused before dropping below a specified level of performance.