Glossary

Photo credit: Randy Montoya

A complex network that conveys electricity from producers to consumers. The system has three main components: electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.

The sum total of diffuse and direct solar radiation.

A small packet of electromagnetic energy.

The amount of electricity solar panels are able to generate. Panels are designed to maximize their yield, increasing energy production efficiency.

Photo credit: Jonathan Cutrer

Silicon solar cells that convert light into electricity, a process known as the photovoltaic effect. PV cells make up solar panels.

Photo credit: Gerald Simmons

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, thus contributing to the greenhouse effect which includes planetary warming. Carbon dioxide (C02), the most abundant GHG emitted by the US, is released when fossil fuels are burned. Methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases are other prevalent GHGs.

The process of atmospheric warming driven by human activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels. Warming global temperatures result in many implications including severe weather patterns, loss of habitat, melting of polar ice, drought, flooding, rising sea water, and human displacement.