Glossary
Agrivoltaics / Agri-PV
The practice of using land for both solar energy generation and agriculture.
Balance of System (BOS)
The additional components required to allow a PV system to operate such as inverters, cabling, and mounting structures.
Community involvement / public involvement
Community involvement (as opposed to just engagement) is when activities or research is carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’, or ‘for’ them.
Critical Raw Materials (CRMs)
Raw materials that are of high importance to the EU economy and of high risk associated with their supply. You can find out more about critical raw materials here.
Dye sensitised solar cells (DSSCs)
An early 3rd generation solar technology that acted as a precursor to perovskite solar cells.
kW (kilowatt)
A kilowatt is a unit of power equivalent to 1000 watts.
kWh (kilowatt hour)
A kilowatt hour is a measure of energy, either generated or consumed. It is equivalent to 1kW continuously for 1 hour, 2kW for 30 minutes, or other multiples of power and time.
Levelised cost of electricity (LCOE)
Levelised cost of electricity is a measure of the average cost of electricity generation over the lifetime of an energy generator.
Low and middle income countries
Currently classified by the World Bank as countries with a GNI per capita lower than $14,005. A full list of low- and middle-income countries can be found here. Where possible, we will refer to specific countries or regions instead.
Next-generation solar / next-generation PV
As yet uncommercialised but potentially transformative solar energy technologies, alleviating many of the concerns associated with current solar energy technologies and systems.
ODA countries / ODA recipients
Countries and territories that are eligible to receive Official Development Assistance (ODA). The DAC list of ODA Recipients consists of all low and middle income countries (see above), with the exception of former G8 members, EU members, and countries with a firm date for entry into the EU. You can see the current DAC list of ODA recipients here.
Organic photovoltaics (OPV)
Organic PV uses organic electronics. Organic electronic materials are constructed from carbon-based molecules or polymers.
Participatory Video
A community involvement method of supporting a group or community to create their own film. Participants decide what story to tell and then they plan, produce, and edit the film so they have complete control of the narrative. Read the SUNRISE Participatory Field Guide here.
Perovskite solar cells
A type of solar cell that uses a perovskite compound material as a light absorber.
Photovoltaics (PV)
Technologies that convert light into electricity using semiconducting materials.
Thin-film photovoltaics
A class of solar cells and modules using thin layers of photovoltaic material rather than wafers. Often referred to as 2nd generation PV.
Transdisciplinarity
Collaboration between disciplines to create a holistic approach to addressing complex issues.
Transforming Energy Access (TEA)
Transforming Energy Access (TEA) is a research and innovation platform supporting the technologies, business models and skills needed to enable an inclusive, clean energy transition. TEA@SUNRISE is funded with UK aid from the UK Government, via the Transforming Energy Access Platform.