GLOSSARY

UNDERSTANDING TERMS

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Welcome to our glossary!
When you visit our website, clarity is important to us and key to understanding our mission and expertise.
We have created this glossary to help you navigate complex terminology with ease and to improve your overall experience by providing clear and concise definitions.

A
AGRIVOLTAICS:

Dual use of land for solar energy production and agriculture.

B
BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM:

Electrochemical device that stores energy when demand is low and releases it when demand is high. It can be charged by various forms of energy, including renewable energy from solar or wind.

E
EPC = ENGINEERING, PROCUREMENT AND CONSTRUCTION:

Refers to a form of project management and the associated contract design that is common in the international construction industry, especially in plant construction, in which the contractor acts as the general contractor.

ESG = ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL GOVERNANCE:

Shorthand for an investing principle that prioritizes environmental issues, social issues, and corporate governance. This is also called sustainability in many cases

G
GW = GIGAWATT:

Unit of power equal to 1 billion Watts; 1 million kilowatts, or 1,000 MWs

GWH = GIGAWATT HOUR:

Unit for measuring energy. It is used to express the amount of energy, i.e. electricity and heat produced or consumed by a piece of equipment with power of one gigawatt for one hour.
The base unit for measuring a quantity of energy is the watt-hour (Wh).
1 GWh = 1,000 MWh = 1,000,000 kWh

GWP = GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL:

Index measuring the radiative forcing following an emission of a unit mass of a given substance, accumulated over a chosen time horizon, relative to that of the reference substance, carbon dioxide (CO2). The GWP thus represents the combined effect of the differing times these substances remain in the atmosphere and their effectiveness in causing radiative forcing.
1 GWh = 1,000 MWh = 1,000,000 kWh

GROUND MOUNTED SOLAR PANELS:

As the name suggests, ground-mounted solar panels are mounted to the ground, rather than a roof.

H
Ha = HECTARE:

Metric unit of area that equals a square with 100 m side (1 hm2) or 10,000 square meters.

I
IPP = INDEPENDENT POWER PRODUCER:

Entity that is not a public utility but owns facilities to generate electric power for sale to utilities and end users.

INVERTERS:

A solar inverter or photovoltaic (PV) inverter is a type of power inverter which converts the variable direct current (DC) output of a photovoltaic solar panel into a utility frequency alternating current (AC) that can be fed into a commercial electrical grid or used by a local, off-grid electrical network.

K
KWP = KILOWATT PEAK:

Kilowatt ‘peak’ power output of a system. It is most applied to solar arrays. For example, a solar panel with a peak power of 3kWp which is working at its maximum capacity for one hour will produce 3kWh.

M
MW = MEGAWATT:

Unit of electric power used in the electric power industry.
1 Megawatt = 1,000 kilowatts or 1 million watts

MWp = MEGAWATT PEAK:

Unit of measurement for the output of power from a source such as solar or wind where the output may vary according to the strength of sunlight or wind speed. MWp is a measure of the maximum potential output of power.
1 Megawatt = 1,000 kilowatts. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts.

O
O&M = OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT:

Organisation’s ability to achieve operational excellence by ensuring the efficient and reliable performance of various systems, facilities, infrastructure and equipment throughout their operational lifecycle.

P
PV = PHOTOVOLTAIC:

This technology uses material called semiconductors to transform sunlight into power.

PV system = PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM:

A photovoltaic system employs solar modules, each comprising a number of solar cells, which generate electrical power. PV installations may be ground-mounted, rooftop-mounted, wall-mounted or floating.

PV EPC = PHOTOVOLTAIC ENGINEERING; PROCUREMENT AND CONSTRUCTION:

Refers to the comprehensive services and roles encompassed by the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction phases of solar energy projects. It includes designing the system, giving procurement details about the system, and installing it).

R
ROOFTOP PV SYSTEM:

Photovoltaic (PV) system that has its electricity-generating solar panels mounted on the rooftop of a residential or commercial building or structure.

S
SOLAR POWER:

Solar power, also known as solar electricity, is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, directly using photovoltaics (PV).

V
VALUE CHAIN:

The Photovoltaics value chain tracks all distinct processes required to build a photovoltaic system. It comprises a series of interconnected activities that span the entire lifecycle of energy systems, from initial material sourcing to final grid integration.

W
WP = WATT PEAK:

Indication based on a standard. It corresponds to the maximum electrical power that can be supplied by a photovoltaic panel under standard temperature and sunlight conditions.