A solar electric or photovoltaic (PV) system in which the PV array acts like a central generating plant, supplying power to the grid.
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Insolation
The solar radiation incident on an area over time. Equivalent to energy and usually expressed in kilowatt-hours per square meter.
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Inverter
A device that converts direct current electricity to alternating current either for stand-alone systems or to supply power to an electricity grid.
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I-V Curve
A graphical presentation of the current versus the voltage from a photovoltaic device as the load is increased from the short circuit (no load) condition to the open circuit (maximum voltage) condition. The shape of the curve characterizes cell performance.
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Junction
A region of transition between semiconductor layers, such as a p/n junction, which goes from a region that has a high concentration of acceptors (p-type) to one that has a high concentration of donors (n-type).
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Junction Box
A photovoltaic (PV) generator junction box is an enclosure on the module where PV strings are electrically connected and where protection devices can be located, if necessary.
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Kilowatt (kW)
A standard unit of electrical power equal to 1000 watts, or to the energy consumption at a rate of 1000 joules per second.
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Kilowatt-Hour (kWh)
1,000 thousand watts acting over a period of 1 hour. The kWh is a unit of energy. 1 kWh=3600 kJ.
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Langley (L)
Unit of solar irradiance. One gram calorie per square centimeter. 1 L = 85.93 kwh/m2.
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Lead-Acid Battery
A general category that includes batteries with plates made of pure lead, lead-antimony, or lead-calcium immersed in an acid electrolyte.
