10 Terms
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Solar power
Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), or indirectly using concentrated solar power (CSP). Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. Photovoltaics convert light into electric current using the photoelectric effect.
Industry: Energy
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Solar power
low voltage disconnect hysteresis
Energy; Solar power
The voltage difference between the low voltage disconnect set point and the voltage at which the load will be reconnected.
low voltage warning
Energy; Solar power
A warning buzzer or light that indicates the low battery voltage set point has been reached.
maintenance-free battery
Energy; Solar power
A sealed battery to which water cannot be added to maintain electrolyte level.
majority carrier
Energy; Solar power
Current carriers (either free electrons or holes) that are in excess in a specific layer of a semiconductor material (electrons in the n-layer, holes in the p-layer) of a cell.
maximum power point (MPP)
Energy; Solar power
The point on the current-voltage (I-V) curve of a module under illumination, where the product of current and voltage is maximum. For a typical silicon cell, this is at about 0.45 volts.
maximum power point tracker (MPPT)
Energy; Solar power
Means of a power conditioning unit that automatically operates the photovoltaic generator at its maximum power point under all conditions.
maximum power tracking
Energy; Solar power
Operating a photovoltaic array at the peak power point of the array's I-V curve where maximum power is obtained. Also called peak power tracking.
