Photovoltaic Flashcards
What are some advantages of a PV system?
- ) ‘Green’ energy
- ) Saving money long-term
- ) Having power in an outage
What is the main disadvantage of a PV system?
High initial cost to install.
What are some factors that have grown the PV industry?
- ) Government subsidies
- ) The space race
- ) Oil crisis
- ) Environmental reasons.
What are the levels of the PV industry?
- ) Manufacturer
- ) Integrators
- ) Installers
- ) Consumers
What are the two main styles of collectors?
Flat Plate and Concentrated
Besides solar electricity, what are two other ways that buildings can be designed to utilize the sun?
Architectural lighting and thermal capabilities,
How is power generated in a centralized power grid?
By large, utility owned power plants, nuclear or fossil fuel.
____ power grid systems usually contain residences that have their own way to create power, such as backup generators, windmills, or PV systems.
Distributed.
Ground and building-mounted PV systems would be classified as ____. First use was in residential communication projects.
Terrestrial.
PV systems built into satellites would be classified as ____.
Extraterrestrial
Other than actual PV equipment, mechanical mounting materials and electrical distribution equipment are referred to as ____.
Balance-of-system.
Formula for solar IRRADIANCE.
w/m²
Formula for solar IRRADIATION.
wh/m²
____ angle is the angle between the sun and directly above a point on Earth.
Zenith
____ is the amount of atmosphere that rays must cross through to reach a given point.
Air Mass.
What are the four factors that affect air mass?
- ) Time of day
- ) Time of year
- ) Location
- ) Altitude
Optimal tilt angle for a location is the same degree as the ____ of that location.
Latitude
____ angle is the angle between true South and where the sun is.
Azimuth
A ____ measures global solar irradiance. (Direct + Diffuse)
Pyranometer
A ____ measures direct solar irradiation.
Pyrheliometer
A ____ emits a certain amount of current per unit of irradiance, for measuring purposes.
Reference Cells
____ PV systems require batteries, while ____ systems do not.
Standalone, Interactive
What are the three types of energy storage for PV systems?
- ) Batteries
- ) Super Capacitors
- ) Flywheels
In an interactive PV system, the inverter operates in ____ with the utility.
Parallel
For sizing a stand-alone system, the ____ should be considered first.
Electrical load
Any device that changes voltage can be considered power ____.
Conditioning
