Terminologies
ELECTRICAL DEFINITIONS
Ø Voltage (V): It is the electrical potential energy. Unit is volts
Ø Current (I): It is the flow of electrons through a conductor. Unit is in Amperes A or amps.
Ø Resistance, R: It is anything that impedes the flow of current through a circuit. Unit is in ohms, Ω. NB: Current flowing through a resistance creates HEAT.
Ø Energy: It is the capacity of something to perform work. Solar energy falls on PV panels which convert it to electrical energy and then stored in batteries.
Ø Power, P: It is the rate at which work is done. Unit is Watts.
Ø Ampere-Hour: It is the amount of energy stored in a battery that will allow one ampere of current to flow for one hour.
Ø Watt-Hour: It is the measure of energy equivalent to a power consumption of one watt for one hour.
Ø Circuit: It is the term used to describe a path over which current flows when a voltage is applied.
Ø DC: Direct current is the current that flows in only one direction through a circuit.
Ø AC: Alternating current is the current that periodically reverses direction as it flows through a circuit.
Ø Receptacles/Outlet: It is the wall feature into which appliances are plugged.
SOLAR POWER DEFINITIONS
Ø Ultraviolet Light, UV: It is the light with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light. It can pass through some clouds that block much visible light.
Ø Photovoltaic, PV: It is a material that produces voltage when exposed to radiant energy such as light
Ø PV Panel or Solar Panel: It is an assembly of PV cells wired together to provide power when illuminated by sunlight.
Ø PV Array or Solar array: They both refer to a group of PV panels wired together.
Ø Azimuth: It is the direction of the sun from the observer.
Ø Elevation: It is the angular measurement of the sun’s height in the sky
Ø Insolation: The amount of solar radiation received by a PV panel.
Ø Daylight Saving Time, DST: It is the regional practice of advancing clocks one hour in summer to provide more hours of daylight in the evening. Also known as summer time.
Ø Solar Noon: It is the moment the sun is at an azimuth of 1800 i.e. due south and it is at its highest elevation of the day
Ø Harvest: It refers to the amount of power collected by a PV array during a particular time period in a day.
Ø Battery: It is a device consisting of cells that produce electricity from a chemical reaction. It uses Lead plates and Sulphuric acid too create its reaction mostly.
Ø Depth of Discharge, DOD: It is the lowest a battery should be discharged to ensure long life.
Ø Charge Controller: It is an electronic device that adjusts the amount of power being sent to charge batteries in the system.
Ø Inverter: It is an electronic device that converts DC to AC