A class of energy producer that produces both heat and electricity from a single fuel.

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

A water heater that releases hot water from the top of the tank when a hot water tap is opened. To replace that hot water, cold water enters the bottom of the tank to ensure a full tank.

The water content of a substance (a solid fuel) as measured under specified conditions being the: Dry Basis, which equals the weight of the wet sample minus the weight of a (bone) dry sample divided by the weight of the dry sample times 100 (to get percen ...

Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) is an ether compound used as a gasoline blending component to raise the oxygen content of gasoline. MTBE is made by combining isobutylene (from various refining and chemical processes) and methanol (usually made from nat ...

A plastic foam insulation product, pressed or extruded into board-like forms, used as sheathing and insulation for interior basement or crawl space walls or beneath a basement slab; can also be used for exterior applications inside or outside foundations, ...

The total amount of electricity produced by a power plant.

Technologies that pertain to the generation of electricity.

The ratio of the electric power produced by a photovoltaic device to the power of the sunlight incident on the device.

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 two times of the year when the sun crosses the equator and night and day are of equal length; usually occurs on March 21st (spring equinox) and September 23 (fall equinox).

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.

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

An exterior door that protects the primary door.

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

The average time a minority carrier exists before recombination.

A popular term for highly insulating window with a heat loss so low it performs better than an insulated wall in winter, since the sunlight that it admits is greater than its heat loss over a 24 hour period.

A solar energy system that produces electricity with a PV module, and collects thermal energy from the module for heating. There are no commercially available systems available (as of 11/97).

A process used to apply photovoltaic semi-conductor material to a substrate by a physical vapor deposition process where high-energy ions are used to bombard elemental sources of semiconductor material, which eject vapors of atoms that are then deposited ...

The process of modifying a building's structure.