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Plain-language definitions for the terms in a solar proposal, a utility bill, or a spec sheet.
Solar proposals, utility bills, and spec sheets come with their own vocabulary. This glossary defines the terms you will run into while comparing solar, battery, and energy options for a Florida home, in plain language. If a term you need is missing, contact us and we will add it.
Electric current that reverses direction many times per second. It is the form of electricity carried by the utility grid and used by household outlets and appliances. Solar tiles and panels produce direct current, so an inverter converts that output to AC before your home can use it.
The unit of electric current, abbreviated A or amp. It measures the rate at which electric charge flows through a conductor. Wire sizes, breakers, and solar equipment ratings are all specified in amperes.
A group of solar modules or tiles wired together into one generating system. Array size determines system capacity. The design process maps how large an array fits on the usable roof planes at the right orientation.
Tesla's energy trading and control software for large battery installations. It manages when a battery system buys, sells, and stores energy based on market prices and grid conditions. It applies to utility-scale projects rather than typical home systems.
Every part of a solar power system other than the solar tiles or modules themselves. This includes the inverter, wiring, conduit, mounting hardware, disconnects, and monitoring equipment. Balance-of-system quality affects safety, reliability, and how long the installation lasts.
Equipment that stores electricity produced by a solar system for use at night or during a grid outage. In our installations this is typically Tesla Powerwall. Stored energy keeps essential circuits running when the grid goes down, which matters during Florida hurricane season.
Solar tiles or modules that collect light on both faces. The rear face captures light reflected from the surface below, which can raise total output in the right mounting conditions. The size of the gain depends on how and where the product is installed.
The maximum electrical output a solar system can produce under ideal conditions, stated in kilowatts (kW). A system's capacity is set by the number of active tiles or panels and their rated output. Actual production varies with sunlight, temperature, orientation, and shading.
The basic unit inside a solar module that converts sunlight into electricity. Cells are wired together to form a module, tile, or panel. In a solar roof, the cells sit inside glass roof tiles instead of a framed panel.
A device that regulates the voltage and current flowing from solar modules into a battery. It prevents overcharging, which protects battery life. Many modern home battery systems build this regulation into the battery's own power electronics.
The flow of electric charge through a conductor, measured in amperes (A). Current and voltage together determine how much power moves through a circuit. Solar equipment, wiring, and breakers are all sized around the current they carry.
Electric current that flows in one direction. Solar tiles and panels generate direct current (DC), and batteries store it. An inverter converts DC into the alternating current your home's outlets and appliances use.
Electricity generated close to where it is used instead of at a distant power plant. Rooftop solar is the most common example. Distributed generation reduces demand on transmission lines and keeps more of the power you use on your own property.
The percentage of sunlight energy a solar cell, tile, or module converts into electricity. Higher efficiency means more output from the same roof area. Ratings come from standardized lab conditions, so real-world output also depends on temperature, orientation, and shading.
The network of power plants, transmission lines, and substations that delivers electricity to homes and businesses. Grid-tied solar systems exchange power with this network. When the grid goes down, a solar system needs battery storage to keep the home powered.
The amount of energy a battery stores per unit of volume or weight. Higher energy density means more stored energy in a smaller, lighter package. It is one of the reasons lithium-ion chemistry dominates home battery storage.
The combination of batteries, power electronics, and software that stores energy for later use. In a home installation this usually means one or more battery units plus an inverter and an energy management app. Tesla Powerwall is the energy storage system we install most often.
A policy that pays solar owners a set rate for electricity they export to the grid, sometimes above the retail rate. Feed-in tariffs are used in some countries and states to encourage solar adoption. Florida uses net metering instead, which credits exports against your consumption.
A mounting approach where solar modules sit at one set angle rather than tracking the sun through the day. Nearly all residential systems are fixed tilt, with the angle set by the roof itself. The system design accounts for that angle when estimating annual production.
A solar power system connected to the local utility grid. Excess daytime production exports to the grid, and the home draws grid power at night. Under Florida net metering those exports earn bill credits that offset consumption.
An unintended electrical path between an energized conductor and a grounded surface. Ground faults create shock and fire risk, so electrical code requires solar systems to include ground-fault protection. Inverters monitor for this condition and shut the circuit down automatically when it is detected.
A solar power system that combines solar generation, battery storage, and a grid connection. The home can run on solar, stored energy, or grid power depending on conditions. This is the standard configuration when pairing solar with battery backup.
The total solar radiation energy received on a surface over a period of time. Insolation data drives the production estimate in a solar design. Florida's high sun exposure is one reason solar systems perform well here.
The device that converts DC electricity from solar tiles or panels into AC electricity for home use. Every solar installation includes one. Powerwall 3 has a built-in solar inverter, which shortens the equipment list when solar and battery are installed together.
An enclosure that protects the wiring connections in a solar installation. Junction boxes keep conductors sealed against weather and accessible for inspection. In a solar roof system the connection points are placed at defined locations in the tile field or at the roof edge.
A unit of power equal to 1,000 watts. Solar system capacity is stated in kilowatts, such as a 10 kW array. Power is the rate of energy flow at a moment in time, while energy delivered over time is measured in kilowatt-hours.
A unit of energy equal to one kilowatt of power sustained for one hour. Utility bills and solar production estimates are both stated in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Sizing a system starts with comparing your last 12 months of kWh usage against projected production.
The average cost of each unit of electricity a system produces over its lifetime, counting installation and operating costs. It lets you compare solar against utility rates on equal terms. A long-lived system spreads its cost across more kilowatt-hours, which lowers the figure.
The amount of electrical power a home or building draws at a given moment. Air conditioning is typically the largest load in a Florida home. Load calculations determine how much backup capacity a battery system needs.
An inverter technology that continuously adjusts the electrical operating point of a solar array to draw the most available power from it. Output conditions change with sunlight and temperature through the day. MPPT keeps the system producing at its best point as those conditions shift.
A localized group of energy sources, such as solar and batteries, that can operate independently of the main utility grid. A home with solar and battery backup functions as a small microgrid during an outage. Larger microgrids can serve neighborhoods or campuses.
A silicon semiconductor doped to carry extra electrons. N-type cells resist certain degradation mechanisms better than the older p-type approach and appear in many high-efficiency solar products. Cell type is one of several factors behind a module's efficiency rating.
A billing arrangement that credits solar owners for excess electricity they export to the grid. Florida currently offers full retail net metering, so exports are credited at the same rate you pay for grid power. Those credits offset nighttime consumption, which is how a properly sized system can offset most or all of an annual bill.
A contract where a third party owns and maintains a solar system on your property and sells you the electricity it produces at an agreed rate. The homeowner buys power rather than equipment. This differs from ownership, where the system and everything it produces belong to you.
A measure of how effectively a solar cell converts incoming photons into electrons. It is evaluated across the different wavelengths of light the cell receives. Higher quantum efficiency contributes to a higher overall cell efficiency rating.
A tradable certificate representing the environmental attributes of one megawatt-hour of renewable electricity generation. RECs let utilities and companies count renewable generation toward their targets. Who owns the RECs a system generates is set by policy or contract, separate from the electricity itself.
The steepness of a roof, usually expressed as inches of vertical rise per 12 inches of horizontal run. Pitch affects how much sunlight the roof surface receives and how a solar system is designed. Solar roof tiles are engineered for a defined range of pitches, confirmed during design.
The power of sunlight striking a surface at a given moment, measured in watts per square meter. Irradiance varies with time of day, season, weather, and location. Production modeling uses local irradiance data to estimate what a system will generate.
The current charge level of a battery as a percentage of its full capacity. A Powerwall at 50% state of charge holds half of its usable energy. Monitoring apps display state of charge so you know how much backup runtime remains.
An inverter that converts DC to AC for a series of solar modules wired together in a string. One string inverter serves many modules, which keeps the equipment count low. Shading on one module in a string can reduce the output of the whole string unless the design compensates for it.
Solar cells made by depositing thin layers of photovoltaic material onto a substrate such as glass. Thin-film construction allows lighter and more flexible form factors than conventional crystalline cells. It is one of several cell technologies used across the solar industry.
An individual roofing element in a solar roof system. Active tiles contain solar cells that generate electricity, while inactive tiles complete the roof surface with a matching appearance. Together they form both the weatherproof roof and the power system.
The angle between a solar module and the horizontal ground plane. Tilt affects how directly sunlight strikes the surface across the seasons. On a rooftop system the tilt follows the roof pitch, and the production estimate accounts for it.
A battery operating mode that charges and discharges based on the time of day and your utility's rate schedule. The battery stores low-cost energy and dispatches it when rates are high. Tesla's app includes this mode for Powerwall owners on time-of-use rate plans.
A system that keeps power flowing to connected equipment the moment grid power fails. Home batteries with backup capability serve this role at whole-home scale, switching over fast enough to keep essential circuits running. Outage protection is a key reason Florida homeowners pair solar with battery storage.
Large solar plants that sell electricity to the grid rather than powering a single building. Projects at this scale are measured in megawatts. Rooftop solar applies the same generating technology at the scale of one home.
The electrical potential difference between two points, measured in volts. Voltage and current together determine power. Solar modules, inverters, and batteries each operate within defined voltage ranges that the system design must respect.
The manufacturer's guarantee covering a product's quality and performance for a stated period. Solar products typically carry separate coverage for the hardware itself and for its energy output over time. Review the warranty documents for each component in a proposal, since terms differ by manufacturer.
The base unit of power, measuring the rate at which energy is produced or consumed. Solar cell and module outputs are rated in watts. One thousand watts make a kilowatt, the unit used for whole-system capacity.
A unit of energy equal to one watt of power sustained for one hour. It measures a quantity of energy stored or consumed rather than a rate of flow. Home energy figures usually use the larger kilowatt-hour, which equals 1,000 watt-hours.
A building that produces as much energy as it consumes over a year. It combines an efficient envelope and systems with on-site renewable generation, usually solar. Annual solar production offsets annual consumption to reach net zero.
