Balance of System — Represents all components and costs other than the photovoltaic modules/array. It
includes design costs, land, site preparation, system installation, support structures, power conditioning,
operation and maintenance costs, indirect storage, and related costs.
Band Gap — In a semiconductor, the energy difference between the highest valence band and the lowest
conduction band.
Band Gap Energy (Eg) — The amount of energy (in electron volts) required to free an outer shell electron from
its orbit about the nucleus to a free state, and thus promote it from the valence to the conduction level.
Barrier Energy — The energy given up by an electron in penetrating the cell barrier; a measure of the
electrostatic potential of the barrier.
Base Load — The average amount of electric power that a utility must supply in any period.
Battery — Two or more electrochemical cells enclosed in a container and electrically interconnected in an
appropriate series/parallel arrangement to provide the required operating voltage and current levels. Under
common usage, the term battery also applies to a single cell if it constitutes the entire electrochemical storage
system.
Battery Available Capacity — The total maximum charge, expressed in ampere-hours, that can be withdrawn
from a cell or battery under a specific set of operating conditions including discharge rate, temperature, initial
state of charge, age, and cut-off voltage.
Battery Capacity — The maximum total electrical charge, expressed in ampere-hours, which a battery can deliver
to a load under a specific set of conditions.
Battery Cell — The simplest operating unit in a storage battery. It consists of one or more positive electrodes or
plates, an electrolyte that permits ionic conduction, one or more negative electrodes or plates, separators
between plates of opposite polarity, and a container for all the above.
Battery Cycle Life — The number of cycles, to a specified depth of discharge, that a cell or battery can undergo
before failing to meet its specified capacity or efficiency performance criteria.
Battery Energy Capacity — The total energy available, expressed in watt-hours (kilowatt-hours), which can be
withdrawn from a fully charged cell or battery. The energy capacity of a given cell varies with temperature, rate,
age, and cut-off voltage. This term is more common to system designers than it is to the battery industry where
capacity usually refers to ampere-hours.
Battery Energy Storage — Energy storage using electrochemical batteries. The three main applications for
battery energy storage systems include spinning reserve at generating stations, load leveling at substations, and
peak shaving on the customer side of the meter.
Battery Life — The period during which a cell or battery is capable of operating above a specified capacity or
efficiency performance level. Life may be measured in cycles and/or years, depending on the type of service for
which the cell or battery is intended.
BIPV (Building-Integrated Photovoltaics) — A term for the design and integration of photovoltaic (PV) technology
into the building envelope, typically replacing conventional building materials. This integration may be in vertical
facades, replacing view glass, spandrel glass, or other facade material; into semitransparent skylight systems;
into roofing systems, replacing traditional roofing materials; into shading "eyebrows" over windows; or other
building envelope systems.
Blocking Diode — A semiconductor connected in series with a solar cell or cells and a storage battery to keep
the battery from discharging through the cell when there is no output, or low output, from the solar cell. It can be
thought of as a one-way valve that allows electrons to flow forwards, but not backwards.
Boron (B) — The chemical element commonly used as the dopant in photovoltaic device or cell material.
Boule — A sausage-shaped, synthetic single-crystal mass grown in a special furnace, pulled and turned at a rate
necessary to maintain the single-crystal structure during growth.
Btu (British Thermal Unit) — The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one
degree Fahrenheit; equal to 252 calories.
Bypass Diode — A diode connected across one or more solar cells in a photovoltaic module such that the diode
will conduct if the cell(s) become reverse biased. It protects these solar cells from thermal destruction in case of
total or partial shading of individual solar cells while other cells are exposed to full light.
includes design costs, land, site preparation, system installation, support structures, power conditioning,
operation and maintenance costs, indirect storage, and related costs.
Band Gap — In a semiconductor, the energy difference between the highest valence band and the lowest
conduction band.
Band Gap Energy (Eg) — The amount of energy (in electron volts) required to free an outer shell electron from
its orbit about the nucleus to a free state, and thus promote it from the valence to the conduction level.
Barrier Energy — The energy given up by an electron in penetrating the cell barrier; a measure of the
electrostatic potential of the barrier.
Base Load — The average amount of electric power that a utility must supply in any period.
Battery — Two or more electrochemical cells enclosed in a container and electrically interconnected in an
appropriate series/parallel arrangement to provide the required operating voltage and current levels. Under
common usage, the term battery also applies to a single cell if it constitutes the entire electrochemical storage
system.
Battery Available Capacity — The total maximum charge, expressed in ampere-hours, that can be withdrawn
from a cell or battery under a specific set of operating conditions including discharge rate, temperature, initial
state of charge, age, and cut-off voltage.
Battery Capacity — The maximum total electrical charge, expressed in ampere-hours, which a battery can deliver
to a load under a specific set of conditions.
Battery Cell — The simplest operating unit in a storage battery. It consists of one or more positive electrodes or
plates, an electrolyte that permits ionic conduction, one or more negative electrodes or plates, separators
between plates of opposite polarity, and a container for all the above.
Battery Cycle Life — The number of cycles, to a specified depth of discharge, that a cell or battery can undergo
before failing to meet its specified capacity or efficiency performance criteria.
Battery Energy Capacity — The total energy available, expressed in watt-hours (kilowatt-hours), which can be
withdrawn from a fully charged cell or battery. The energy capacity of a given cell varies with temperature, rate,
age, and cut-off voltage. This term is more common to system designers than it is to the battery industry where
capacity usually refers to ampere-hours.
Battery Energy Storage — Energy storage using electrochemical batteries. The three main applications for
battery energy storage systems include spinning reserve at generating stations, load leveling at substations, and
peak shaving on the customer side of the meter.
Battery Life — The period during which a cell or battery is capable of operating above a specified capacity or
efficiency performance level. Life may be measured in cycles and/or years, depending on the type of service for
which the cell or battery is intended.
BIPV (Building-Integrated Photovoltaics) — A term for the design and integration of photovoltaic (PV) technology
into the building envelope, typically replacing conventional building materials. This integration may be in vertical
facades, replacing view glass, spandrel glass, or other facade material; into semitransparent skylight systems;
into roofing systems, replacing traditional roofing materials; into shading "eyebrows" over windows; or other
building envelope systems.
Blocking Diode — A semiconductor connected in series with a solar cell or cells and a storage battery to keep
the battery from discharging through the cell when there is no output, or low output, from the solar cell. It can be
thought of as a one-way valve that allows electrons to flow forwards, but not backwards.
Boron (B) — The chemical element commonly used as the dopant in photovoltaic device or cell material.
Boule — A sausage-shaped, synthetic single-crystal mass grown in a special furnace, pulled and turned at a rate
necessary to maintain the single-crystal structure during growth.
Btu (British Thermal Unit) — The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one
degree Fahrenheit; equal to 252 calories.
Bypass Diode — A diode connected across one or more solar cells in a photovoltaic module such that the diode
will conduct if the cell(s) become reverse biased. It protects these solar cells from thermal destruction in case of
total or partial shading of individual solar cells while other cells are exposed to full light.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
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