AC | Alternating current |
A/D | Analogue to digital |
AFM | Atomic force microscopy |
AGM | Absorbent glass mat |
AR | Antireflection |
ARC | Antireflection coating |
a-SI or α-Si | (Hydrogenated) amorphous silicon |
AM | Air mass |
AOI | Angle of incidence |
APCVD | Atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition |
ASTM | American Society for Testing and Materials |
ATOX | Atomic oxygen |
BCSC | Buried contact solar cell |
BIPV | Building-integrated photovoltaics |
BMFT | German Ministry of Education and Research |
BOL | Beginning of life |
BOS | Balance of system |
BR | Bragg reflector |
BSF | Back-surface field |
BSFR | Back surface field and reflector |
BSR | Back surface reflector |
BST | British standard time |
CAST | Chinese Academy of Space Technology |
CBD | Chemical bath deposition |
CDV | Committee draft for voting |
CEI | Comitato Elettrotecnico Italiano (Italy) |
CGA | Compressed Gas Association (USA) |
CHP | Combined heat and power, co-generation |
CIBSE | Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (UK) |
CIS | Copper indium di-selenide |
CIGS | Copper indium gallium di-selenide |
CNES | Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (France) |
CVD | Chemical vapour deposition |
CZ | Czochralski |
DC | Direct current |
DEV | Deutsches Einheitsverfahren (Germany) |
DIN | Deutsches Institut für Normung (Germany) |
Dj | Double junction |
DOD | Depth of discharge |
DOE | Department of Energy (USA) |
DOS | Density of states |
DR | Directional solidification |
DTA | Differential thermal analysis |
DTI | Department of Trade and Industry (UK) |
DSC or DSSC | Dye sensitised solar cell |
EB | Electron beam |
EBIC | Electron-beam induced current |
EFG | Edge-defined film fed growth |
EHL | Environmental Health Laboratories (USA) |
EHS | Environmental, health and safety |
EMC | Electromagnetic continuous casting |
ENS | Einrichtung zur Netzüberwachung mit zugerordnetem allpoligem Schaltorgan/Grid monitoring system with circuit breaker |
EOL | End of life |
EOT | Equation of time |
EP | Electrical performance |
EPA | Environmental Protection Agency (USA) |
EPBT | Energy pay-back time |
EPIA | European Photovoltaic Industry Association |
EQE | External quantum efficiency |
ESA | European Space Agency |
ESD | Electrostatic discharge |
ESRA | European Solar Radiation Atlas |
ESTI | Eidgenössische Starkstrominspektorat Federal Electric Power Authority (Switzerland) |
ETSU | Energy Technology Support Unit for the DTI (UK) |
EURECA | European Retrievable Carrier |
EVA | Ethylene vinyl acetate |
FF | Fill factor |
FSF | Front surface field |
FZ | Floating zone |
GAP | Global Approval Programme (see also PV GAP) (European Union) |
GEO | Geostationary orbit |
GDP | Gross domestic product |
GMT | Greenwich mean time |
HIT | Heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (cell) |
HTM | Hole transporting material |
HOMO | Highest occupied molecular orbital |
HV | High voltage |
IBC | Interdigitated back contact |
IEA | International Energy Agency |
IEC | International Electrotechnical Commission |
IEE | Institution of Electrical Engineers (UK) |
IEEE | Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (USA) |
INTA | Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (Spain) |
IPP | Independent power producers (Portugal) |
IQE | Internal quantum efficiency |
ISO | International Standards Organisation |
ISS | International Space Station |
ITO | Indium-tin oxide |
JIS | Japan Industry Standard |
JPL | JetPropulsion Laboratory (USA) |
JQA | Japan Quality Assurance Agency |
LASS | Low angle silicon sheet |
LAT | Local apparent time |
LBIC | Light-beam induced current |
LBSF | Local back-surface Field |
LCA | Life cycle assessment |
LCR | Load coverage rate |
LED | Light emitting diode |
LEO | Low earth orbit |
LPP | Loss-of-load probability |
LMT | Local mean time |
LPP | Loss-of-power probability |
LPCVD | Low pressure chemical vapour deposition |
LPE | Liquid phase epitaxy |
LPSP | Loss of power supply probability |
LUMO | Lowest unoccupied molecular orbital |
LV | Low voltage |
MATE | Mars array technology experiment |
MBE | Molecular beam epitaxy |
mc | Multicrystalline |
MDMO-PPV | Poly(2-methoxy-5-(3,7-dimethyloctyloxy) 1,4-phenylene vinylene |
MEH-PPV | Poly (2-methoxy-5–2-ethyl-hexyloxy) 1,4-phenylene vinylene) |
MEO | Medium-earth orbit |
MG | Metallurgical grade |
MINP | Metal-insulator np junction (cell) |
MIS | Metal-insulator-semiconductor |
MITI | Ministry of Trade and Industry (Japan) |
Mj | Multijunction |
MOCVD | Metalorganic chemical vapour deposition |
MOS | Metal-oxide-semiconductor |
MOVPE | Metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy |
MPP | Maximum power point |
MPPT | Maximum power point tracker |
MSD | Mains monitoring units with allocated all-pole switching devices connected in series (also known as ENS) |
MV | Medium voltage |
NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration (USA) |
NASDA | National Space Development Agency (Japan) |
NEDO | New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (Japan) |
NFPA | National Fire Protection Association (USA) |
NIR | Near infrared |
NREL | National Renewable Energy Laboratory (USA) |
NRL | Naval Research Laboratory (USA) |
NRS | Nonreflective |
NSRDB | National Solar Radiation Data Base (USA) |
O&M | Operation and maintenance |
ODC | Ordered defect compound |
OECD | Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development |
OECO | Obliquely evaporated contact |
OLED | Organic light-emitting diode |
OCVD | Open-circuit voltage decay |
OMeTAD | 2.2,7,7-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9-spirobifluorene |
ÖVE | Östereichische Verband für Elektrotechnik (Austria) |
OVPD | Organic vapour phase deposition |
PC | Point contact |
PCD | Photoconductive decay |
PCBM | 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)-propyl-1-phenyl-(6,6)C61 |
PECVD | Plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition |
PEDOT:PSS | Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiopene):poly(styrene sulfonate) |
PERL | Passivated emitter, rear locally diffused (cell) |
PESC | Passivated emitter solar cell |
PET | Poly(ethylene terephalate) |
PPV | Poly-phenylene vinylene |
PR | Performance ratio |
PRT | Platinum resistance thermometer |
PSH | Peak solar hours |
PTC | Performance test conditions |
PV | Photovoltaic, photovoltaics |
PVD | Physical vapour deposition |
PVGAP | PV Global Approval Programme |
PVPS | Photovoltaic Power Systems (Programme) |
PVUSA | Photovoltaics for Utility Scale Applications |
QE | Quantum efficiency |
QSSPC | Quasi-steady-state photoconductance (method) |
QSSVoc | Quasi-steady state open circuit voltage (method) |
R&D | Research and development |
RES | Renewable energy sources |
RF | Radio frequency |
RGS | Ribbon growth on substrate |
RH | Relative humidity |
ROCOF | Rate of change of frequency |
ROW | Rest of the world |
RTCVD | Rapid thermal chemical vapour deposition |
RTD | Research and technology development |
RTP | Rapid thermal process |
SA | Solar array |
SCA | Solar cell assembly |
SCCE | Solar cell calibration experiment |
SDL | Surface defect layer |
SELF | Solar Electric Light Fund |
SEM | Scanning electron microscopy |
SG | Specific gravity |
SRH | Shockley–Read–Hall |
SHS | Solar home system(s) |
SIPOS | Semi-insulating polysilicon |
Sj | Single junction |
SLI | Starting, lighting, and ignition |
SMUD | Sacramento Municipal Utility District |
SOC | State of charge |
SR | String ribbon |
SR | Spectral response |
SRC | Standard reporting conditions |
SSP | Space solar power |
STC | Standard test conditions |
STAR | Surface texture and enhanced absorption with back reflector |
SRV | Surface recombination velocity |
SWE | Staebler-Wronski effect |
SWS | Secondary working standard |
S-Web | Supporting web |
TJ | Tandem junction |
TJ | Triple junction |
TC | Technical committee |
TCO | Transparent conducting oxide |
TEC | Thermal expansion coefficient |
TEM | Transmission electron microscopy |
TPV | Thermophotovoltaics |
TTV | Total thickness variation |
UCPTE | Union for the Coordination of Production and Transmission of Electricity (USA) |
UL | Underwriters Laboratory (USA) |
UT | Ultrathin |
UV | Ultraviolet |
VDE | Verband der Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und Informationstechnik (Germany) |
VdEW | Verband der Elektrizitätswirtschaft (Germany) |
VHF | Very high frequency |
VSE | Verband Schweizerische Elektrizitätswerke (Switzerland) |
WCP | Wiring collecting panels |
WET | West European time |
WMO | World Meteorological Organisation |
XRD | X-ray diffraction |
x-Si | Crystalline silicon |
XTE | X-ray timing explorer |
YAG | Yttrium aluminium garnet |
ZMR | Zone-melt recrystalization |