Solar panels require solar batteries to produce alternating current electricity. While it may be easy to say, not all people, especially those still scouting for the best solar panels for their needs, will find it easy to understand.
We have come up with a list to let you skip the worries of searching for related terminologies:
Alternating Current (AC) electricity
This is the type of electricity used by your appliances. It occurs when the electric charge flow reverses or changes direction. A charge starts from zero and increases to its maximum. After which, it goes back to zero and into its maximum again, and so on. This cycle repeats indefinitely.
Amperage
Amperage shows how strong an electric current is or the amount of electricity flowing. It’s measured in amperes (amps).
Amp-hour
This unit of measurements shows how many amps of electricity solar battery storage can deliver per hour.
Anode
The anode is a negative terminal for sources of direct current, such as a battery.
Cathode
For direct current sources, such as a battery, the cathode is the positive terminal. It receives the electrons flowing from the anode.
Backup Power
As the term implies, it’s the power you saved that you can use in case of an outage.
Capacity
It tells you how much energy a battery can store. For solar batteries, the unit of measurement used is kilowatt-hours (kWh).
Cell
The cell holds the cathode, anode, separator, and electrolytes. A battery can have more than one cell.
Deep cycle battery
Unlike regular batteries that can discharge short bursts of power, a deep cycle battery can produce consistent but lower energy levels.
Depth of discharge
The percentage of a battery’s total capacity that is discharged. The solar batteries of residential solar panels usually have a 90% DoD to avoid damage.
Electrolyte
An electrolyte is a chemical solution consisting of acids or bases and soluble salts. It allows the electric current to move back and forth between the cathode and anode.
Grid
The grid is a group of transmission lines that delivers electricity from producers and distributors to consumers.
