Photovoltaic Lexicon: G at M

As we promised: Here comes the second part of our lexicon and the continuation of last week’s blog post. Have a good time reading!

G

GLOBAL RADIATION: The overall radiation that reaches the surface of the earth. It is the sum between direct radiation, diffuse radiation and the light reflected by all surrounding objects (“reflected light”).

GRID CONNECTION: Connection between a PV installation and the power grid in order to resell the entire or parts of the energy production.

GRID OPERATOR: Entity responsible for the electricity distribution system in a given area. In France, te grid-operator is the ErDF in most cases. Competitors include small local businesses.

GRID PARITY: Refers to the moment in which the production costs of photovoltaic energy is equal to the production costs of other forms of energy.

H

HETEROJUNCTION: Interface between different semiconductor materials in a photovoltaic cell, in which both layers have a different atomic composition.

HOMOJUNCTION: Interface between p-type and n-type semiconductor materials in a photovoltaic cell, in which both layers have the same atomic composition, but a different conductivity caused by the way they were doped.

I

INTEGRATION INTO BUILDINGS: Referes to integrating PV panels to building, the roof or the facade.

INVERTER:An energy converter that transforms direct current into alternate current that is needed to power electrical appliances and used in the power grid.

ISLANDING: Refers to a PV island (off-grid part of a solar system) which operates in autonomy (disconnected from the grid). Islanding can be intentional or unintentional when the grid requirements do not match the system requirements anymore.

ISOLATED SITE: A site without any grid connection. Solar installations can be a good alternative to ensure the power supply in such sites.

M

MONOCRYSTALLINE: The manufacturing processes differ between monocrystalline and polycrystalline cells. Monocrystalline cells are made off pure silicon. Their characteristics also differ. For further information, you’ll find several articles on solar cells in this blog.

MPPT: Maximum Power Point Tracking. A piloting system for photovoltaic solar systems which maximizes power extraction under all conditions by constantly tracking the system’s maximum power point.

We tried our best to provide you with a comprehensive lexicon. However, if you feel like something is missing, please let us know in the comments!

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