A Glossary of Solar, Alternative, and Renewable Energy Related Terms
- using wind to move a turbine to generate electricity
ASES – American Solar Energy Society
Biofuels – using recently living organisms like corn, soybean, and other plants to derive energy, often used to fuel vehicles
Cafe – rate average fuel economy
Concentrating Solar Power – uses mirrors to focus the sun’s energy into high-temperature heat which is used to generate electricity in a steam generator
Daylighting – using sunlight to illuminate a building
DOE – U.S. Department of Energy
EIA – U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration
EPRI – Electric Power Research Institute
ESCO – Energy Service Company
MISI – Management Information Services, Inc.
Net Metering – allows PV customers to sell excess electricity back into the grid
NGO – Non-Governmental Organization
Passive Solar – using sunlight to generate heat, often for heating a building
Photovoltaic (PV) Cells – convert sunlight directly into electricity
PTC – Production Tax Credit
RE&EE – Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
RFA – Renewable Fuels Association
RPS – Renewable Portfolio Standard
Solar Energy – energy that comes from the sun that can be used to generate electricity, heat water, heat a building, etc.
Solar Thermal – uses the sun’s rays to heat water
WGA – Western Governors’ Association
Wind Power
