AC- Alternating current. Electrical energy which reverses its direction at regular intervals.

Ampere or amp - Electric current is measured in amperes or amps.

Amp Hours - The number of amps used or produced in a given hour equals the number of hours. Batteries are rated in amp hours.

Charge Controller - Regulates the current from solar charger to your battery bank.

Current - The rate of flow of an electric charge. Current is measured in amps.

DC - Direct current. Electrical energy flowing in one direction and of substantially constant value.

Hertz or HZ - The frequency of electrical current described in cycles per second. Appliances in the U.S. use 60 HZ.

Inverter - Used to convert 12 volt DC power into standard household 110 volt AC current.

Kilowatt or KW - a thousand watts. (See Watts.)

LED - Light emitting diode.

Line Loss - Voltage drop over the length of electric line wire. Line loss robs your system of power when wire is too small for the load being run through the line or when voltage is too low for the distance the power must travel.

Load - The lights or appliances run by your electrical system.

MA - Milliamps, 1000 MA = 1 amp.

Parallel Wiring - A system of wiring, for solar electric modules of batteries, which increases amperage. Parallel wiring is "+ to +" (positive to positive) and " - to - " (negative to negative).

Photovoltaic - Converting light into electricity. Photo means "light" voltaic means "electric". Often referred to as "PV" for short. More commonly referred to as "solar electric".

Self-Regulating - Some modules have a special circuitry which keeps the battery from overcharging. This means that no controller is needed when the self-regulating module is properly matched to battery storage capacity.

Series Wiring - A system of wiring, for solar electric modules or batteries, which increases voltage. Series wiring is + to - (positive to negative).

Solar Cell - The smallest basic solar electric device which generates electricity when exposed to light. Solar Electric - The preferred term used to describe something which uses sunlight to produce electricity. "Photovoltaic" is the more technical term.

Voltage or Volts - Voltage is the rating of the amount of electrical pressure that causes electricity to flow in the power line. If electricity were water, voltage would measure the amount of pressure at the faucet.

Watts - A watt is a measurement of total electrical power. Volts x amps = watts.

Watt Hour - The quantity of electrical energy used or produced when one watt is used for one hour.

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