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.

An electromechanical device composed of a coil of wire wound around a cylinder containing a bar or plunger, that when a current is applied to the coil, the electromotive force causes the plunger to move; a series of coils or wires used to produce a magnet ...

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.

The use of solar thermal energy or solar electricity to power a cooling appliance. There are five basic types of solar cooling technologies: absorption cooling, which can use solar thermal energy to vaporize the refrigerant; desiccant cooling, which can u ...

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 renewable energy system that includes two different types of renewable energy technologies that produce the same type of energy; for e.g., a wind turbine and a solar photovoltaic array combined to meet a power demand.

The process of designing a solar system to meet a specified load given the solar resource and the nominal or rated energy output of the solar energy collection or conversion device.

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

The total capacity of electrical generation devices in a power station or system.

A device that converts high-pressure steam, produced in a boiler, into mechanical energy that can then be used to produce electricity by forcing blades in a cylinder to rotate and turn a generator shaft.

A law to protect consumers and investors. It placed geographic restrictions on mergers and limitations on diversification into non-utility lines of business and takeovers of electric and gas utilities, and also established regulated monopoly markets or se ...

A group of solar collectors or solar modules connected together.

Freshly cut, unseasoned, wood.

A unit for the quantity of electricity transported in 1 second by a current of 1 ampere.

A glazed structure, such as greenhouse or "sunspace."

A type of structural, insulated product with foam insulation contained between two facings of drywall, or structural wood composition boards such as plywood, waferboard, and oriented strand board.

In reference to a wind energy conversion device, the ratio of rotor blade surface area to the frontal, swept area that the rotor passes through.

The angle between a line from a point on the earth's surface to the center of the solar disc, and a line extending horizontally from the point.

A term used for materials used to absorb and store solar energy.