Sunrun's Solar Terms
Browse our handy solar glossary and get expert definitions along with breakdowns for solar terms you'll be sure to run into.
Solar Terms
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Electric Bill
The bill that a local utility issues to a consumer for the electricity that their home consumes.
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Electrical Panel Upgrade
Electrical panels divide incoming electrical power from the grid into subsidiary circuits to distribute power throughout the building.
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Energy Storage
When a battery stores power from a PV solar system.
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Federal Solar Tax Credit
The federal solar tax credit gives you a dollar-for-dollar reduction against your federal income tax.
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Gigawatt
A unit of electrical power equal to one billion watts or 1000 megawatts.
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Greenhouse Gases
Gases that trap heat in our atmosphere increasing the rate of climate change.
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Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
Standard unit for electricity. Customers pay for electricity by the kWh.
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Local Utility
Where consumers buy grid electricity and where power is generated at a local level.
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Megawatt
A unit of electrical power equal to one million watts.
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Microinverter
A device that converts the generated solar energy into usable electricity for a home.
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Monitoring
Sunrun proactively monitors your solar system’s production to make sure it's producing properly.
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mySunrun
A web app available to Sunrun customers to track and monitor your Sunrun solar system.