| Solar PV Terms explained | |
| Date Added: August 08, 2011 12:02:53 PM | |
| Author: anthony lister | |
| Category: Renewable Energy | |
Some of the words and abbreviations used when describing the solar PV system can sometimes be confusing, especially when trying to take in all the information at once. Below is an attempt to explain some of the terms used in describing solar PV systems and how they work. Hopefully it easy to understand. Solar cell. This is the electricity producing part of the system. Cells are grouped together to form a module. Solar module. A collection of cells joined together. The group of cells is often contained in an aluminium frame. Also called a solar panel, though this term more correctly applies to a solar hot water collector. Solar array. This is when a number of modules are joined together to generate electricity. Most often on a roof, but can be anywhere, solar power stations can be built in fields or the desert! Roof mounted. When the array is mounted on a frame that is attached to your roof. Roof integrated. When the array is mounted in the roof, replacing the roofing material. Inverter. The inverter converts the DC electricity produced by the array into AC electricity used in the national grid. Generation meter. The generation meter records everything produced by the solar PV system. (this is used for your feed in tariff payment) Isolator. The isolators are switches that break the connections of the circuits in the PV system. The DC isolator turns the power from the solar PV array on and off and the AC isolator turns the mains supply on and off. Electrical Terms and Abbreviations Kilowatt (kW). This is the standard unit of power. Your electrical appliances will be labelled with a kW rating. Your microwave might be a 1000w for example. 1000w is 1kw. Kilowatt/hour (kWh). If your 1kw microwave runs for one hour it has used 1kWh of energy. The kWh is a unit used to measure how much power is used over a period of time. Your electricity bill will show how many kWh’s you have used when charging you. A unit is 1kWh. When you receive information about your PV system you should get an estimate of how many kWh’s the system will produce annually. Kilowatt peak (kWP). This is the term used to describe the size of your solar PV system. A 1 kWp system can produce a maximum of 1 kW at any one time and when running at maximum for one hour it will have produced 1kWh or unit of electricity, this will be recorded on the generation meter DC or direct current is a type of electricity that is produced by the solar PV array. It is also produced by batteries. AC AC or alternating current is the electricity used by your electrical appliances and is used as the mains supply.
Payback Terms and Abbreviations Feed in Tariff (FIT). This is the government scheme to encourage take up of renewable technologies. For every unit (kWh) of electricity produced by a solar PV system a feed in tariff payment is made. At the moment for most existing domestic existing properties this is 43.3p per kWh. It is slightly less for new build properties and for larger systems- over 4kWp.
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