A chemical element, of atomic number 14, that is semi-metallic, and an excellent semiconductor material used in solar photovoltaic devices; commonly found in sand.

The quantity of heat that a cooling appliance is capable of removing from a room in one hour.

Energy loads that can be shut off or disconnected at the supplier's discretion or as determined by a contractual agreement between the supplier and the customer.

The percentage of a building's seasonal energy requirements that can be met by a solar energy device(s) or system(s).

A method of financial and economic analysis used to determine present and future values of investments or expenses.

The power required to energize the magnetic field of a generator.

An interior or exterior movable panel that operates on hinges or slides into place, used to protect windows or provide privacy.

That amount of cooling energy to be supplied (or heat and humidity removed) based on the sensible and latent loads.

Those gases, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, tropospheric ozone, methane, and low level ozone that are transparent to solar radiation, but opaque to long wave radiation, and which contribute to the greenhouse effect.

see Solar Spectrum above.

A steady-state fermentation process.

The region between an n-layer and a p-layer in a single material, photovoltaic cell.

A generator with a single armature coil, which may have many turns and the alternating current output consists of a succession of cycles.

A solar thermal technology that uses a modular mirror system that approximates a parabola and incorporates two-axis tracking to focus the sunlight onto receivers located at the focal point of each dish. The mirror system typically is made from a number of ...

The amount of heat required to raise a unit mass of a substance through one degree, expressed as a ratio of the amount of heat required to raise an equal mass of water through the same range.

Thermal energy that is used in agricultural and industrial operations.

The difference between the brightness of an object compared to that of its immediate background.

The weight of water vapor, per unit weight of dry air.

A type of water heater in which heated water is stored within the tank. Hot water is released from the top of the tank when a hot water faucet is turned. This water is replaced with cold water that flows into the tank and down to just above the bottom pla ...

A general term applied to the energy that is converted to a form that can not be effectively used (lost) during the operation of an energy producing, conducting, or consuming system.