Solar Basics
Solar Glossary Q - R
- Qualifying Facility
- A category of electric power producer established under the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA) of 1978, that includes small-power producers (SPP) who use renewable sources of energy such as biomass, geothermal, hydroelectricity, solar (thermal and photovoltaic), and wind, or cogenerators who produce both heat and electricity using any type of fuel. PURPA requires utilities to purchase electricity from these power producers at a rate approved by a state utility regulatory agency under Federal guidelines. PURPA also requires power providers to sell electricity to these producers. Some states have developed their own programs for SPPs and utilities.
- Recirculation Systems
- A type of solar heating system that circulate warm water from storage through the collectors and exposed piping whenever freezing conditions occur; obviously a not very efficient system when operating in this mode.
- Receiver
- The component of a central receiver solar thermal system where reflected solar energy is absorbed and converted to thermal energy.
- Reflective Coatings
- Materials with various qualities that are applied to glass windows before installation. These coatings reduce radiant heat transfer through the window and also reflects outside heat and a portion of the incoming solar energy, thus reducing heat gain. The most common type has a sputtered coating on the inside of a window unit. The other type is a durable "hard-coat" glass with a coating, baked into the glass surface.
- Reflective Glass
- A window glass that has been coated with a reflective film and is useful in controlling solar heat gain during the summer.
- Renewable Energy
- Energy derived from resources that are regenerative or for all practical purposes can not be depleted. Types of renewable energy resources include moving water (hydro, tidal and wave power), thermal gradients in ocean water, biomass, geothermal energy, solar energy, and wind energy. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is also considered to be a renewable energy resource.
- Reverse Thermosiphoning
- When heat seeks to flow from a warm area (e.g., heated space) to a cooler area, such as a solar air collector at night without a reverse flow damper.
- Ribbon (Photovoltaic) Cells
- A type of solar photovoltaic device made in a continuous process of pulling material from a molten bath of photovoltaic material, such as silicon, to form a thin sheet of material.
- Rock Bin
- A container that holds rock used as the thermal mass to store solar energy in a solar heating system.
- Roof Pond
- A solar energy collection device consisting of containers of water located on a roof that absorb solar energy during the day so that the heat can be used at night or that cools a building by evaporation at night.
About the list of terms on this page.
The U.S. Department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Home Page is a great starting point for learning about renewable energy methods and sources. To assist in educating consumers, the website provides calculators and guides of all kinds to assist the consumer in saving money, saving energy and making the most of the renewable energy sources available. The solar energy terms and definitions on our glossary pages were extracted from the extensive DOE EERE glossary of terms about all aspects and forms of energy.