Solar PV - photovoltaic - solar panels which produce electricity when exposed to light. Also
called pv
modules, pv cells and solar modules. The "pv" effect was first discovered in 1838 by nineteen-year-old
Edmund Becquerel.
See also: Introduction to solar panels.
Wind Turbine Generator - 'WTG' - a rotating machine which produces energy from the wind. The
first known electricity generating windmill operated was a battery charging machine installed in 1887
by Professor James Blyth in Scotland.
See also: Introduction to wind generators.
Battery - batteries are used to store energy. They can be made of various materials however lead
acid batteries are most commonly used for solar & wind applications. Lead-acid battery recycling
is
one of the most successful recycling programs in the world. The modern lead acid battery was
developed in 1859 by French physicist Gaston Planté.
See also: Introduction to deep cycle batteries.
DC to AC Power Inverter - these devices convert DC power as stored in batteries into AC power
as found in a house. They are very convenient, however they do waste power when on standby and
as such are not recommended for lighting, refrigeration or other applications where the inverter is
on
for longer periods of time.
See also: Introduction to power inverters.
Charge Controller / Regulator - these devices are primarily designed to prevent the batteries
being
overcharged, however the more advanced units also offer a variety of information such as charging
current, battery voltage and some even log historical performance data.
See also: Introduction to
charge controllers.
Mounting Frame - used to mount solar pv modules. They can range from being a simple supporting
framework, through to a fully automated tracking structure which follows the sun.
DC to DC Converter - these devices convert a dc voltage supply into another dc voltage, such
as a
24v to 12v converter. They are generally more efficient than using AC inverters, especially for devices
such as laptops or mobile phones.
Low Voltage Disconnect - LVD - these devices disconnect a load from the batteries to prevent
over
discharge of a battery. Over discharge is one of the most common ways of killing a battery and an
LVD unit is essential on most power systems.
Maximum Power Point Tracking - MPPT - a technology used in newer charge controllers which
allows more power to reach the batteries. This is achieved with a very high efficiency dc to dc
converter - which converts the normal 17.4v coming from the solar panel into 13.7v to charge the
battery. As a result the charging current is higher - sometimes by up to a 33% gain.
'Factor Four' - a term now used to describe outstanding efficiency. The idea behind FACTOR FOUR
is that natural resources can be used more efficiently in all domains of daily life, either by generating
more products, services and quality of life from the available resources, or by using less resources
to
maintain the same standard. This idea was first put forward in the book "Factor Four: Doubling
Wealth – Halving Resource Use"
