Glossary

The Grid

Otherwise known as the national or electricity grid, the grid is the power transmission network that the UK uses to distribute high-voltage electricity.

Green Energy

Otherwise known as sustainable or renewable energy, green energy is the creation of energy so that it doesn’t compromise the lives of future generations. It is said to be ‘environmentally friendly’

CO2

Carbon Dioxide is a natural gas formed during respiration and by decomposing organic substances. CO2 exists in the Earth’s atmosphere and is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis. Burning fossil fuels also creates CO2 and our excess use of this method of electricity production is creating an unbalance in the atmosphere.

Turbine

A rotary machine where a wheel, typically fitted with vanes is driven by water, steam or wind to produce electricity.

PV

PV stands for photovoltaic. It is a type of solar cell that converts photons from the Sun into electrical energy.

Feed-in Tariff (FIT)

The Feed-in Tariff is a mechanism designed by the government to encourage investment in renewable energy generation.

REAL

REAL (Renewable energy assurance Ltd) is an assurance scheme set up to ensure that companies provide high-quality solar PV products.

REA

REA (Renewable energy association) are funded by the European Commission in order to make sure the UK achieves its total renewable energy target of 15% by 2020.

MCS

MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) is a quality assurance scheme for microgeneration technologies. Only MCS accredited installs qualify for the Feed-in Tariff

kWp

kWp, or kilowatt-peak, is the amount of electricity that a PV cell can generate in full sunlight.

RPI

The Retail Price Index (RPI) is the percentage rise in prices due to inflation.

Photovoltaic Module

This is a single collection of solar cells and ancillary parts which are designed to generate DC power under un-concentrated sunlight. This is the part that converts the power generated into electricity.

Photovoltaic System

A complete setup for converting sunlight into electricity, through the photovoltaic process.

Solar Photovoltaic Panel

This is a term often interchanged with the term PV module. More specifically photovoltaic panels are the physically connected collection of modules.

Solar Thermal Electricity Systems

These are technologies that convert solar energy into electricity. These generally work by heating a working fluid to power a turbine which in turn drives a generator.

Photovoltaic Cell

This is the smallest discrete element in a PV module and is responsible for converting light into electricity. This is turn products a DC current and voltage.

Annual Solar Savings

This relates to the savings generated from a solar energy generating system or setup. Some setups will allow home owners to become completely self sufficient where others will allow you to sell energy back to the grid. Solar PV systems are capable of this.

Home Energy Survey

A survey that shows much energy your home actually uses. This gives a home owner an idea as to how efficient their home is. This is particularly useful for people looking to sell their homes as it becomes a more and more important buying criterion.

Gigawatt (GW)

A Gigawatt is a unit of power that equates to one billion watts, one million kilowatts, or 1,000 megawatts. Energy is sometimes measured in number of gigawatts.

Climate Change Act

The Climate Change Act is a piece of UK legislation that covers the government’s requirement to cut Britain’s CO2 emissions by 34% by 2020 and 50% by 2025.

Inverter

An inverter is a device that converts direct current electricity into an alternating current. These can be for stand-alone systems or to supply power to an electricity grid.