Every industry has its own language. Buzzwords, terms, and jargon make understanding technology difficult for industry outsiders. The renewable energy and solar industries are no different. From energy-specific terms to technology terms, we've layed out an introduction to some of those buzzwords defined.

1. What is Renewable Energy? Solar Industry
Buzzwords Defined.

2. Solar Energy Buzzwords
Every industry has its own language.
Batting a thousand. Cover all your bases. Knock it out of the park. Left
field. Whole new ball game.
These are all terms that originated in professional baseball and as slang
or jargon. But you’ve probably used them when not playing baseball or
even talking about baseball.
Sports jargon easily assimilates itself into our everyday language,
including business speak. And chances are, you can think of other terms
and metaphors that were once purely technical language, but are now
widely understood words and terms used in the public discourse.
Just like other industries, solar energy has its own jargon, buzzwords,
and terms that can be unfamiliar to those outside the energy industry.
In this presentation, our goal is to start defining those, making it easier for
you to learn and talk about your solar-energy system.

3. Solar Energy Buzzwords
Solar Energy
n. (Physics / General Physics) energy obtained from solar power
1. The radiant energy emitted by the Sun.
2. Energy derived from the Sun’s radiation. Passive solar energy can be exploited
through architectural design, as by positioning windows to allow sunlight to enter
and help heat a space. Active solar energy involves the conversion of sunlight to
electrical energy, especially in solar (photovoltaic) cells.
3. Also referred to as solar power, clean energy.

4. Solar Energy Buzzwords
Renewable Energy
n. any energy resource that is naturally regenerated over a short time scale and derived directly from
the sun, indirectly from the sun, or from other natural movements and mechanisms of the
environment (such as geothermal and tidal energy). Renewable energy does not include energy
resources derived from fossil fuels, waste products from fossil sources, or waste products from
inorganic sources.
1. Any naturally occurring, theoretically inexhaustible source of energy, as
biomass, solar, wind, tidal, wave, and hydroelectric power, that is not derived
from fossil or nuclear fuel.
2. energy from sources that are not easily depleted.
3. Also referred to as clean energy, alternative energy, sustainable energy, green
energy.

5. Solar Energy Buzzwords
Solar Cells
n. (Physics / General Physics) A semiconductor device that converts the energy of sunlight into
electric energy.
1. A photovoltaic cell that converts light directly into energy.
2. A photovoltaic cell designed to convert sunlight into electrical energy, typically
consisting of layers or sheets of specially prepared silicon. Electrons, displaced
through the photoelectric effect by the Sun’s radiant energy in one layer, flow
across a junction to the other layer, creating a voltage across the layers that can
provide power to an external circuit.
3. Also referred to as photovoltaic cell, electric cell.
Photon
n. (Physics / General Physics) A particle of light that acts as an individual unit of energy.

6. Solar Energy Buzzwords
Solar Module
n. A number of individual solar cells connected together in an environmentally protected housing
producing a standard voltage and power. Multiple modules can be assembled into an array for
increased power and/or voltage.
1. A solar photovoltaic device composed of groups of individual solar cells
connected in a series, in parallel, or in series-parallel combinations to produce a
standard output.
2. Also referred to as a module, panel, or solar panel.

7. Solar Energy Buzzwords
Solar Energy System
n. A group of solar photovoltaic modules connected together to increase voltage and/or power to the
level required for a given system.
1. Also referred to as a solar power system, solar array, photovoltaic system or
photovoltaic array.

8. Solar Energy Buzzwords
Kilowatt (kW)
n. A standard of unit of electrical power equal to 1000 watts.
Kilowatt Hour (kWh)
n. 1000 watts produced or consumed for a period of 1 hour.
A typical solar-energy system is 25 kilowatts, and in Missouri, will produce approximately 32,000
kilowatt hours of solar electricity a year.
Watt
n. The unit of electric power in a circuit. One watt equals one ampere under an electrical pressure of
one volt.

9. Solar Energy Buzzwords
Alternating Current (AC)
n. Electric current in which the current changes direction 120 times per second. Is the common
current used.
Inverter
n. An essential part of a solar-energy system. An electronic device that converts solar electricity from
DC to AC, allowing for its use in modern buildings.
Direct Current (DC)
n. Electric current in which the flow of electrons is in one direction only.
Solar panels produce DC current electricity.

10. Solar Energy Buzzwords
Voltage
There are three main properties that allow electricity to work: voltage, amps, and resistance. When
working together inside a circuit, these properties allow electricity to move from place to place – a
process that begins when an atom’s electrons are stimulated, and made to move in a current or flow.
In order for electricity to flow in a current, there must be some sort of force or pressure pushing the
electrons along: called electromotive force, or voltage. A circuit carries this electrical current between
the source to the load.
Amperage (amps, or current)
These electrical sources possess both positive and negative terminals, using the negative terminal to
push electrons back from the load to the positive terminal on the source. That force, then, that is
applied by the source determines the amount of voltage running through the circuit.
The amperage is determined by the number of electrons flowing through.
Resistance
n. A material’s opposition to the flow of electric current; measured in ohms.

11. Solar Energy Buzzwords
Net Metering
n. A system in which solar panels or other renewable energy generators are connected to a public-
utility power grid and surplus power is transferred onto the grid, allowing customers to offset the cost
of power drawn from the utility.
1. Origin: surplus energy, measured by an electric meter, is netted from the
amount passing from the utility to the customer.
Grid Tied System
n. An independent electrical power system that is connected to the utility grid so that power can be
supplied by the grid when needed and fed back into the grid during excess power production.

12. Solar Energy Buzzwords
Off-Peak Demand
n. The times during a 24 hour period of low electricity demand. Opposite of peak demand.
Peak Sun Hours
n. The equivalent number of hours per day when solar radiation averages 1 kilowatt per square
meter. For example, 5 peak sun hours means that the energy received during total daylight hours
equals the energy that would have been received had the solar radiation for 5 hours been 1 kilowatt
per square meter.

13. Solar Energy Buzzwords
Speaking the Solar Language
Hopefully you now have an introductory understanding of some of the industry buzzwords you’ve
heard thrown around.
Think we left something out?
Let us know in the comments and we’ll work on a definition for you.
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