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ESF > CH11BSReady > Flashcards

CH11BSReady Flashcards

1
Q

The Photo-votaic effect

A

when photons of light shining on certain materials eject free electrons, which can be captured as they attempt to move toward an alternate layer. This process creates an electrical current that can power electronic devices

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2
Q

Wave-particle duality

A

having the properties of both waves and particles. Photons exhibit these properties and when they are at a high enough frequency, transfer their energy to ejected electrons

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3
Q

PV Cells

A

devices that convert light into electricity.

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4
Q

PV modules

A

a package of PV cells that are strung together in order to achieve certain voltage outputs. PV modules encapsulate the components in such a way that they would be protected from water and other contaminants that would degreade module performance. Unless converted with an onboard device, electricity from PV modules are Direct Current.

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5
Q

Device controller

A

ensure that batteries are being a charged in a way that is not dentrimental to their long-term application. Also regulates the use of electricity from both the PV module and the batteries to meet the load

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6
Q

Off-grid systems

A

collection of technologies that provide electricity including solar lanterns, solar powered electric fences, marine applications, remote communications, and that require no access to grid electricity

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7
Q

Inverter

A

device that converts DC power to AC power. During the conversion (transformation), power losses occur as well as capital investment.

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8
Q

Hybrid PV systems

A

PV systems that have the ability to convert DC power to AC power. Can be supplemented with a generator to ensure power is available even when sunlight is not and when batteries are depleted. Thus, Hybrid PV systems give additional assurance of electricity under a wider range of needs and ambient conditions

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9
Q

Grid-connected systems

A

PV systems designed to accept AC power from the grid when it is available. The grid acts as an emergency backup the same way a generator is used in a PV hybrid systems. Also, grid-connected systems utilize grid connections and be configured to displace the need for (costly) on-site batteries. Grid-connected systems have become the dominant method of deploying distributed PV primarily because they reduce upfront costs/LCOE.

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10
Q

Solar constant

A

the amount of sun hitting any perpandicular surface over time is the same

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11
Q

Insolation

A

how much sun is available for capture at any point in time on the surface of the planet

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12
Q

Installed cost system

A

cost of a completed PV system .First, a large portion of the installed cost is in the cost of the modules themselves, which means that driving down those costs, or improving their efficiency will have meaningful impact on the overall economics of the system. Second,a large portion of the costs is not in the module costs, but is in the balance of systems, or BOS, costs and the soft costs.

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13
Q

polysilicon PV

A

crystalline silicon semiconductor base, it is the dominant form of technology used today to produce PV modules

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14
Q

PV wafers

A

sliced portions of polysilicon PV that are chemically treated (doped) to have specific photoelectric properties. They are used to produced PV cells

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15
Q

Thin-film PVs

A

forms of PV modules that eliminate the use of thick PV wafers which contain polysilicon. Thin-film PVs arose due to the inherent limitations of the capital-intensive process of producing polysilicon, and in response to occasional bottlenecks in the polysilicon supply-chain.

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16
Q

Amorphous Silicon (Thin-film)

A

uses silicon as a semiconductor, but applies it directly to the module construction. This technology can be cheaper, but has a lower relative operating efficiency, which creates an economic penalty for its use.

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17
Q

Cadium telluride (CdTe) (Thin-film)

A

CdTe modules dispense with the silicon altogether and instead use a combination of thin semiconductor layers of cadmium and tellurium.

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18
Q

Copper Indium Gallium di-Salinide (Thin-film)

A

the newest class of commercial PV modules. It uses a combination of materials to improve efficiency further. CIGS (and a number of related chemistries) deposition can occur directly on glass (a super-strate) or can be deposited onto a backing layer (a substrate) like stainless steel or even plastic which has the potential to further speed up manufacturing and deposition, reducing capital investment and operating costs.

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19
Q

III-V cells

A

high-performance cells which can achieve double or even triple the efficiencies of some of the standard PV modules, but many of them are incredible difficult to manufacture and do not lend themselves to mass production.

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20
Q

Champion cell

A

best PV cell created and tested at given time period for each technology

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21
Q

Commercial efficiencies

A

measured on commercial production lines and sold for use by costumers. Tend to be a fraction of a champion cell, often between 50-70% but tend to climb in tandem

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22
Q

Balance-of-system components

A

number of components necessary to configure PV modules into a working system on the customer side.

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23
Q

Mounting, Racking, Wires (BoS)

A

the PV modules need to be affixed to a mounting structure, usually through the use of a rack on which they can be bolted.

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24
Q

Rood-mounted (BoS)

A

when mountings and racks are placed on roof tops to maximize the access to sunlight and minimize the interference with ground level activities

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25
Q

Ground-mounted (BoS)

A

when mountings and racks are placed on the ground with ample isolation, which can be often be cheaper and easier to install if the space is available

26
Q

Strings and arrays (BoS)

A

wires are connected into modules to form strings and arrays which deliver energy to the inverter.

27
Q

Inverter and Power Management (BoS)

A

modern grid-connected PV systems must have a DC-AC inverter to convert solar energy into a form useful for the grid which includes microconverters and large container sized inverters for significant and commercial applications. These systems function as a power management to optimize the use and synchronization of the modules for maximum electricity output. They may also have communications and testing protocol to assist in the remote monitoring of PV systems

28
Q

Microinverter

A

small inverter located directly on the back of a module

29
Q

Labor and inspection (BoS)

A

labor is needed to deliver materials to the site of and assembled into a completed system. This labor requires a certain amount of technical ability in the mechanical and electrical trades, and so is often higher wage then traditional manual labor. Once the systems are installed, internal and external inspection to test the system and certify it for use is required.

30
Q

Trackers

A

move PV modules so that they are more perpendicular to the incoming solar radiation. Trackers are used for predominantly for ground-mount systems, where they can easily be accessed and maintained.

31
Q

Single-axis tracking

A

movement in one direction, usually west-to-east

32
Q

Two-axis tracking

A

constantly faces the module directly to the sun but involves more complex hardware and control than single-axis

33
Q

Soft costs

A

cost of components in the installation of PV systems

34
Q

Installers

A

determining the site specifications and the specific components required to optimize the solar array require technical talent and time. Depending on the local zoning and building inspection requirements, getting these plans and the final installation certified for use can also be a complex undertaking.

35
Q

Developers (soft cost)

A

people who find customers and see them through the completion of a project

36
Q

Customers acquisition costs (soft cost)

A

finding people who are both willing and qualified to install a solar system on their home or business represents a meaningful investment of time and money. Finding customers (through many different methods of outreach and advertising) and getting them to signal their initial interest is only the beginning, and many of them require an investment of time for designing and bidding the systems before they are determined to be unsuitable (or ultimately unwilling) to go forward. Customer acquisition costs, particularly for the smallest installation types, can end up being the single largest cost component after the cost of the module.

37
Q

Design and approval (soft cost)

A

determining the site specifications and the specific components required to optimize the solar array require technical talent and time. Depending on the local zoning and building inspection requirements, getting these plans and the final installation certified for use can also be a complex undertaking.

38
Q

Financing (soft costs)

A

the financial capital needed to purchase a PV system, whether that is the customer or some third-­‐party financial provider. Ensures that there are adequate financing solutions available and that the customers can take advantage of them requires time and expertise. Even when the direct cost of obtaining the financial solution is low, poor customer creditworthiness can result in the loss of the productive time spent identifying and developing their systems before the determination is made they cannot qualify for a loan to pay for it.

39
Q

Monitoring and billing (soft costs)

A

once the system is installed, it is important to continually monitor and ensure optimal performance as well as identify any faults, failures, or hazards. Depending on the nature of the billing process, accurate tracking of the system output may also be needed to determine the amount paid by a customer each month. Regardless of the billing type, sending statements and no collections must be performed, which is often complicated at the smallest and least creditworthy part of the customer base.

40
Q

Solar PPA vs. Solar Lease

A

PPA better for the customer. Lease is better for Finance

41
Q

Grid access

A

set of rules that give the permission and the contractual relationship that coordinates the activities of generators with a grid’s operation.

42
Q

Interconnection rules

A

specific rules about what type of equipment and performance characteristics are allowable. With the advent of smallscale distributed generation, these rules have had to be expanded to accomodate this type of equipment, and often place operating restrictions and caps on the total amount of DG that can be connected.

43
Q

Net metering

A

once the system is connected, the electricity flowing back and forth between the distributor generation and the grid must be fairly compensated. This is done by counting the net kilowatt-hours that flow into the house and charge the customer for just that amount. Surplus generation from the DG is used by the grid.

44
Q

Rate design

A

the allocation of the grid’s costs to the various users of its services is done through process of rate design. Rate design is predominantly driven by volumetric considerations, which allocates the costs over certain volume of energy used by the customers. However, the specific features and choices in the rate design can dramatically affect the economics of the DG intervention.

45
Q

Flat-rate pricing

A

customers receive the same volumetric charge for a kilowatt hour regardless of the time of day in which is consumed.

46
Q

Time-of-use pricing

A

appropriate metering technology can be charged based on the time of day customers consume electricity and the relative value of the electricity at that time. Technologies (like solar) that are correlated with peak demand would be compensated.

47
Q

Connection charge

A 
charging customers when connecting to the grid because it often creates overhead costs and expenses that need to be compensated, regardless of the amount of electricity used.
Connection charges are often the same for all customers of a certain class in size.charging customers when connecting to the grid because it often creates overhead costs and expenses that need to be compensated, regardless of the amount of electricity used.
Connection charges are often the same for all customers of a certain class in size.
48
Q

Demand charge

A

are fixed charges to customers because providing adequate power at any time to a customer creates capacity requirements for which the grid much contract. It is based on a customer’s historical power requirements.

49
Q

Access laws

A

laws the restrict when and where DG solutions can be deployed. Access laws are different depending on location and fair outcomes are still being negotiated in a number of state and local venues.

50
Q

Equipment buy-downs or Rebates

A

help to buy down the installed cost of the system through direct rebates or other tax incentives that can reduce the LCOE of PV systems to the point where customers find it economic and compelling.

51
Q

Investment tax credit (ITC)

A

offered by the US government (and some states), ITCs function in a similar way to rebates through the issuance of monetizeable tax credits.

52
Q

Feed-in tarrifs (FITs)

A

an alternate economic incentive can pay for the output of the system, rather than paying for a portion of the system itself. Germany launched the first widely successful PV FIT, which provided customers a preferential payment for the kilowatt-­‐hours they generated with their distributed PV system and fed into the grid. Customers then purchased their electricity consumption on a gross basis just as if they had no PV
system. Once this tariff was fixed at the time of installation, it provided a very steady revenue stream which made the systems easily financeable by banks and other lending partners.

53
Q

Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs)

A

require utilities in their jurisdiction to procure a certain percentage of their supply from renewable sources. The utilities will do this through a forward contract procurement process that allow generators to get paid a competitive rate based on their cost structure, and not have to compete directly with the other
generators.

54
Q

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)

A

show how much energy was produced that met the renewable standard.These can sometimes be traded through formal exchanges.

55
Q

Solar carve-outs

A

portions of the RPS that have to be met with solar energy

56
Q

Solar REC (SRECS)

A

SRECS are RECS that are specifically designed to meet solar carve-outs

57
Q

Market enablers

A

address barriers and obstaces of solar energy to customers through policy or market interventions. Examples include certification and verification, access to finance, and government procurement.

58
Q

Where in solar

A

different locations on the planet will have different insolation

59
Q

How much in solar

A

insolation tends to be higher and more consistent near the equator, due to the perpendicular nature of incoming sunlight in this region.

60
Q

When in solar

A

insolation rises and falls depending on latitude and time of year. In summer peaking locations, sunlight is highly coincident with the demand, but not perfectly. The further a location is away from th equator, the bigger difference between summer and winter amounts.

61
Q

How certain in solar

A

potential sunlight for energy gerneration is intermittent. Affected by weather conditions and pollution.

ESF (4 decks)

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