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

  • Electric Bill

    Electric Bill

    The bill that a local utility issues to a consumer for the electricity that their home consumes.

  • Electrical Panel Upgrade

    Electrical Panel Upgrade

    Electrical panels divide incoming electrical power from the grid into subsidiary circuits to distribute power throughout the building.

  • Energy Storage

    Energy Storage

    When a battery stores power from a PV solar system.

  • Federal Solar Tax Credit

    Federal Solar Tax Credit

    The federal solar tax credit gives you a dollar-for-dollar reduction against your federal income tax.

  • Gigawatt

    Gigawatt

    A unit of electrical power equal to one billion watts or 1000 megawatts.

  • Greenhouse Gases

    Greenhouse Gases

     Gases that trap heat in our atmosphere increasing the rate of climate change.

  • Kilowatt-hour (kWh)

    Kilowatt-hour (kWh)

    Standard unit for electricity. Customers pay for electricity by the kWh.

  • Local Utility

    Local Utility

    Where consumers buy grid electricity and where power is generated at a local level.

  • Megawatt

    Megawatt

    A unit of electrical power equal to one million watts.

  • Microinverter

    Microinverter

    A device that converts the generated solar energy into usable electricity for a home.

  • Monitoring

    Monitoring

    Sunrun proactively monitors your solar system’s production to make sure it's producing properly.

  • mySunrun

    mySunrun

    A web app available to Sunrun customers to track and monitor your Sunrun solar system.