A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Definition of: Abutment
A wall that rises above the slope of the roof that separates different sections of the roof.
Definition of: Agricultural Land
Farmland with no attached buildings or residences, often referred to as ‘bareland’.
Definition of: Airbrick.
A brick designed with holes through it so as to provide ventilation.
Definition of: Alternating Current (AC)
A type of electrical current, the direction of which is reversed at regular intervals or cycles. In the United Kingdom, the standard is 100 reversals or 50 cycles per second, Hertz (50). Electricity transmission networks use AC because voltage can be controlled with relative ease.
Definition of: Amorphous Silicon
A thin-film, silicon photovoltaic cell having no crystalline (regularly repeating) structure. Manufactured by deposition of layers of doped silicon on a substrate.
Definition of: Ampere (amp)
A unit of electrical current or rate of flow of electrons. One volt across one ohm of resistance causes a current flow of one ampere.
Definition of: Angle of Incidence
The angle that a ray of sun makes with a line perpendicular to the surface. For example, a surface that directly faces the sun has a solar angle of incidence of zero, but if the surface is parallel to the sun (for example, sunrise striking a horizontal rooftop), the angle of incidence is 90°. Generation from a cell is at its maximum when the angle of incidence is zero.
Definition of: Annual Solar Savings
The energy savings attributable to a building's solar feature relative to the energy requirements of an equivalent non-solar building.
Definition of: Antireflection Coating
A thin coating applied to a solar cell surface that reduces the light reflection and increases light transmission.