Energy storage glossary, A to Z.
Plain-English definitions of the terms behind every spec sheet, datasheet and quote. Filter by topic or jump straight to a letter.
AC Coupling
AC coupling connects a battery energy storage system to the AC side of a photovoltaic installation. The battery has its own inverter/charger and shares the building's AC bus with the solar inverter, rather than wiring into the DC path between the panels and the inverter.
Read articleAC vs DC Coupling
AC coupling connects a battery to the AC side of a solar installation via a dedicated inverter; DC coupling connects the battery directly to the solar array on a shared DC bus, requiring fewer conversion stages and achieving higher round-trip efficiency.
Read articleAmp-hour (Ah)
A measure of battery charge capacity; multiply by voltage to get energy in watt-hours.
Battery Management System (BMS)
Electronics that monitor and protect cells, balancing charge and blocking unsafe voltages.
Read articleBattery Wiring
How cells or packs are connected in series, parallel or both to reach a target voltage and capacity.
C-rate
The speed of charge or discharge relative to capacity; 1C empties a pack in one hour.
Read articleCapacity Degradation
The gradual loss of usable capacity as a battery ages and accumulates cycles.
Cycle Life
How many full charge/discharge cycles a battery delivers before capacity drops to a set limit.
Read articleDC Coupling
Connecting storage on the DC side of a solar array through a shared hybrid inverter.