Glossary
AC - Alternating Current, the type of electricity used in businesses and households.
Array - a group of solar panels, wired together as one generating unit.
Controller - the “brains” of the solar tracker, controls tracker movement according to the time of day, the day of the year and the GPS coordinates of the tracker.
DC - Direct Current, the type of electricity generated by solar panels and fed into the inverter.
Dual Axis - has panels that move both side to side and up and down. A dual axis tracker turns from east to west and changes its vertical axis so the panels always follow the sun’s changing elevation in the sky, capturing the most possible sunlight.
Electric Grid - a network of cables that transmits electric energy from power producers to consumers, a regional electric distribution network.
Electric Panel - the entry point for power going into the household. Also known as a breaker box, it houses a group of circuit breaker switches that control the flow of power to different appliances.
Electron - a negatively charged particle that orbits the nucleus of an atom.
GPS - Global Positioning System, uses satellite signals to triangulate a precise location on the globe.
Hydraulic - a motor, pump, and hoses that use liquid pressure to create movement.
Inverter - a device that converts DC power, as from solar panels, to AC power for household consumption.
Kilowatt - a unit of electric power equal to one thousand watts.
Kilowatt-hour - a unit of electric consumption equal to the use of one thousand watts over the period of an hour.
Megawatt - a unit of electric power equal to one million watts.
Photovoltaic (PV) - creating electricity from light or radiant energy.
Silicon - a non-metallic element occurring in the earth’s crust.
Single Axis - a system that moves in only one direction, side to side, following the sun from east to west. The solar panels are at a fixed angle that either does not change or must be changed manually.
Solar Cell - a thin wafer of silicon able to convert sunlight into electricity.