Italicized numbers indicate illustrations.
Page numbers listed correspond to the print edition of this book. You can use your device’s search function to locate particular terms in the text.
A
AC (alternating current), 47
AC disconnect switch, 50, 57–58, 65, 154, 155, 156
AC modules, 70
air conditioners, 117
alternating current (AC), 47
America Merrill Lynch, 110
amorphous silicon (A-Si), 23, 32–33
and CIGS, 36
and comparison chart, 24
definition of, 29
and thin-film technologies chart, 40
ampere-hour (Ah), 78–79
“angle of inclination,” 97
annual output, calculation of, 95
appliances, and energy efficiency, 115
array, 21
Array DC Disconnect, 57
azimuth, 23
and global annual radiation incident, 96
and panel installation, 98, 139
and system performance, 42
B
Balance of System (BOS), 21
batteries: and AC current, 70
and ampere-hour, 78–79
and battery banks, 49–52
and battery number chart, 80
and battery storage system, sizing of, 76–78
concept of, 47
danger of, 70
and deep-cycle, 78
and deep-cycle batteries, 70
and DOD, 47
flooded electrolyte, 78
lead-acid, 47
longevity of, 69–70
maintenance of, 79
and off-grid PV system, 46, 48–49
and regulators, 49
and shallow-cycle, 78
and temperature factor multiplier chart, 81
battery bank, 49–52, 49
battery-based grid-tie inverters, 52
battery-based inverter, 49
“Berkeley Model,” 110
BTU, 117
building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), 31, 35, 38, 39
bulbs, 119
C
cadmium telluride (CdTe), 23, 29, 32
and solar cells, 33–37, 34, 36
calculators, portable, 33
California Solar Initiative, 110
carbon credits, 20
carbon dioxide, 19–20, 113
CdTe. See cadmium telluride
charge controller, 47, 49, 70, 78
charge regulators, 49
Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), 110
clothes dryers, 117–18
combiner panel, installation of, 154, 155
compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), 118, 119
compass direction/azimuth factor, 98
connections, and PV systems, 45
consumption, daily, calculation of, 102
copper indium gallium selenide (CIS/CIGS), 23, 32, 35, 37
and comparison chart, 24
and crystal-line silicon, 36
manufacturing of, 39
and thin-film technologies chart, 40
crystalline panels, 55–56, 96. See also monocrystalline and polycrystalline
crystalline silicon (c-Si), 22, 39
Czochralski process, 26, 29
D
Database of State Incentives for Renewables &
Efficiency (DSIRE), 105
“days of autonomy,” 77
DC, 47
DC disconnect switch, 50, 50, 51, 56–57, 57
and breaker panel box, 68
and central inverters, 66
and homeruns, 144
installation of, 152–53, 152, 153, 156
and wiring from above, 138
degree of discharge (DOD), 47, 78
derate factor, 82
diesel, 16
dimmers, 124
direct current, 47
disconnect switches, 56–58, 57, 59. See also DC disconnect and AC disconnect
DOD, 47, 78
“doping,” 35
DZ-4, 111
E
eco-friendly, and CdTe PV, 35
Electrical Metal Tubing (EMT), 151
electrical panel, 65, 65
electricity, usage of, 100, 102
electron-hole pairs, 21
Empa, 33
end-clamps, 142
Enecsys, 63, 67
energy consumption calculation, 117
energy conversion efficiency, 22, 27, 118
Energy Information Administration (EIA), 47
energy, and online calculators, 161–62
energy output, calculations of, 100, 102–3
Enphase Energy, 61–62, 63
Enphase micro-inverter, 59, 153, 154
Excel, 76
F
feed-in tariff (FiT), 16, 46, 63, 68, 109. See also net metering
First Solar, 33
fluorescent lighting, 118–22
G
generators, backup, 51
global annual radiation incident, 96
Green Tags, 108
greenhouse effect, 19
GreenRay, 63
grid back-feeding. See grid-tied solar systems
grid-interactive inverters, 47
grid inter-tie. See grid-tied solar systems
grid parity, 16, 160
grid-tied solar systems, 45, 46–48, 53–56
grid-tie inverters (GTI), 47, 58–59
gutter box, installation of, 155, 155
H
Hanwha SolarOne, 60
homeruns, 138, 144, 149, 151, 152, 153
hybrid solar systems, 51–52
hydrometer, 79
I
incandescent lighting, 118–22
InfluxGreen, 58, 59, 64
influx inverter, 64
insolation index, 23, 84, 99, 136
insolation value, and annual output, 95
installers, 127–31
insulation, 124
inverter conversion losses factor, 97
inverters: built-in, 71
dual micro-inverters, 66–67
grid-tied (GTI), 47, 58–59
and homeruns, 144
and hybrid solar systems, 52
and islanding, 59, 69, 70
off-grid, 49, 50, 59
solar, 58–59
synchronous, 47
inverters, central, 26, 57, 58, 59–71
and cooling, 66
and cost, 66, 67
and DC disconnect switch, installation of, 152
efficiency rate of, 67
installation of, 138, 139, 153, 156
and lifetime energy production, 67
and micro-inverters, 63
and MPPT, 65
and noise, 66
and shade, 98
and size, 65
and voltage, 66
inverters, micro-inverters, 26, 58–71, 59, 60, 61, 62
advantages of, 63–64
and cooling, 66
and cost, 66
and grid-tied systems, 47
installation of, 54, 55, 153–54, 154
and lifetime costs, 67
and lifetime energy production, 67
manufacturers of, 63–64
and MPPT, 65
and noise, 66
placement of, 62
and power output, 61
and shading, 63
irradiation index, 98, 136
islanding, 59, 69, 70
J
“junction,” 21
K
Kapton film, 35
L
ladders, aluminum, 147
leased systems, 110
LEDs, 118
light controllers, 123
Lighting Energy Efficiency Cost Comparison Chart, 120–22
lighting fixtures, 118–22
liquefied natural gas (LNG), 16
load-sizing procedure, 76
local calculation, 101
local insolation index, 84
lumens, 119, 122
M
manufacturers, 111
maximum power, and crystalline modules, 22
and MPPT, 65
and system wiring, 97
maximum power point tracking (MPPT), 65
meter, production, installation of, 154, 155
metering device, 51
Miasole, 39
mid-bracket, 42
mid-clamps, 142
molybdenum coating, 36
“monitoring gateway,” 157
monitoring system, and energy output, 65–66
monocrystalline (mono-Si) 12, 21–29, 40
mounting: and angle of, 138
and azimuth, 139
and electrical components and controls, installation of, 151
framework and panel attachment, 142
and layout, 137
and panels, alignment of, 147–49
and panels, connecting, 149
and panels, lifting onto roof, 145
and panels, wiring together of, 150
and support framework, 141
support hardware for, 53–56
and wiring, 144
multi-crystalline silicon (mc-Si). See polycrystalline silicon
N
National Electrical Code, 71
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), 81, 102
net metering, 45, 46–47, 68–69, 69, 109, 155, 157, 155, 157
North American Board of Certified Energy Professionals (NABCEP), 127
O
off-grid solar systems, 45, 46, 48–51
“one sun,” 99
on-grid system. See grid-tied solar systems
optimal orientation, 97
organic electronics, 32
organic solar cells, 23, 32–33, 40
output, total, 22, 23
output difference factor, and system wiring, 97
P
panels, 40, 43, 101
panels, and mounting: alignment of, 147–49
and angle of, 138
and attachment to mounting framework, 142
and azimuth, 139
connection of, 149
and layout, 137
lifting onto roof, 145
and safety precautions, 147
and support framework, 141
wiring of, 144, 150
particulate build-up factor, 96
peak power, 84
peak sun hours, 81
performance ratio (PR), 96
photons, 21
polycrystalline panels, 12, 25, 27, 40. See also polycrystalline silicon solar cells
polycrystalline silicon solar cells, 22, 26–29
polyimide film, 35
polymer solar cell, 23, 33
polysilicon (p-Si). See polycrystalline silicon
power consumption chart, 74–75
power meter, 47, 48, 68
power rating, 96
PPA, 68, 69
production meter, installation of, 157
PSE&G, 109
PV module, 21, 96
PV Panel Characteristics Comparison: Crystalline vs. Thin Film, 30–31
PV solar system: 58
comparison chart, 93
cost of, 160, 161–62
energy output of, 159
and power, calculating, 81–84
and savings, 92
size calculation chart, 90
size of, 159
PV USA Test Condition (PTC), 96
PV Watts calculator, 102
R
rebate programs, 107
refrigerators, 115
regulations, and PV solar systems, 71
Renewable Energy Credits (REC), 108
Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs), 108
research and development, 42
roof surface, measurement of, 136
S
safety data sheet, 66
semiconductors, and PV cells, 21
service panel, main, installation of, 157, 157
silicon, 22, 27
single-crystal-Si, 25
single-crystalline silicon cells, 25
“sinusoidal,” 59
site evaluations, 134
SMA, 58
“smart meter,” 68
smart solar, 52
“soiling,” 97
solar cells: comparison of, 23
and voltage, 65
solar charge controller, 49
solar insolation table, 85–89
solar irradiance, 79
solar irradiance levels map, 83
solar irradiance table, 85–89
solar irradiation index factor, 98–99
solar modules, 53
solar panels, construction of, 28
number needed, 79–84
and voltage, 65
Solar Power World, 128
solar racking. See support frames
solar radiation, and annual output, 95
Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC), 108
“solar system coach,” 127
solar tracking, 53, 56
Solar3D, 111
SolarBridge, 63
SolarCity, 111
solmetric readings, 136
space, issues of, 22, 39
space heaters, 117–18
“stacking,” 33
standard test conditions (STC), 95, 96
“string,” 150
string inverters. See central inverters
stud-finder, 139
subsidies, governmental, 16
sun hours, 23, 81, 99
average, determination of, 84
and energy output, 100
and Solar Insolation levels chart, 85, 99
website calculator of, 103
SunPower, 25, 110, 111
support frames, 53–56, 54, 55, 60
surge protector, 157
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, 33
system, electrical, overview of, 157–58
T
T-12 fluorescent lamps, 122
T-5 fluorescent lamps, 122
T-8 fluorescent lamps, 122
tax credits, 107
temperature, and PV modules, 96
temperature factor, 96
thin-film photovoltaic cells (TFPV), 12, 29–32, 32
advantages and disadvantages of, 40
applications of, 22
and BIPV, 31
cells of, types of, 32–39
and crystalline, comparison of, 22
efficiency of, 30
and shade tolerance, 30
tilt angle factor, 97–98
trends, long-term economic, 16
two-way meter, 48
U
utility-interactive system. See grid-tied solar
systems
V
ventilation, natural, and windows, 125
voltage, and solar cells, 65
W
“wafers,” 25
warranties, 43
water heaters, 117–18
watts peak (Wp), 22, 23, 95
and panel comparison chart, 30–31
weather stripping, 124
weather-head, 144
windows, double-pane, 124