A solar collection system consisting of one or more roof and/or ground mounted solar collector devices and solar related equipment, which has a rated capacity of less than or equal to 18 kilowatts (for electricity) or that has a lot coverage collector area of less than or equal to 1,000 square feet, and is intended to primarily reduce and/or supplement on-site consumption of utility power. A system is considered an accessory solar energy system only if it supplies electrical power solely for on-site use, except that when a property upon which the facility is installed also receives electrical power supplied by a utility company, excess electrical power generated and not presently needed for on-site use may be used by the utility company.

The rating given to a PV system by its manufacturer denoting the load the system is able to meet or supply when operating at full capacity. For a solar PV system, this will occur when the system is in direct sunlight with no shade.

A unit of electrical power equal to 1,000 Watts, which constitutes the basic unit of electrical demand. The Watt is a metric measurement of power (not energy) and is the rate (not the duration) at which electricity is used. 1,000 kW is equal to one megawatt (MW).

A unit of electrical energy, equivalent to the use of one kilowatt of electricity for one full hour. Utilities measure customer's electric energy usage on the basis of kilowatt-hours, and electricity rates are most commonly expressed in cents per kilowatt-hour.

A percentage of the lot area which may be covered with an impervious surface (e.g., buildings, driveways, parking area, sidewalks and ground mounted energy systems.

Unit of electric power equal to 1,000 kW, or one million Watts.

The technology that uses a semiconductor to convert light directly into electricity.

A contract to purchase energy. PPAs are usually established between a power plant and a purchaser of electrical energy, such as a utility. A PPA may be a contract written between a building owner that wants to use solar energy and a third party developer who will install, maintain and own the PV system used to generate the electricity on the building's structure, then sell the solar energy produced by the system to the building owner at a pre-determined rate.

An area of land or other area used for a solar collection system principally used to capture solar energy and convert it to electrical energy. A Principal solar energy production facilities is a system which uses solar related equipment and which has a rated capacity of more than 18 kilowatts or that has a lot coverage collector area of more than 1,000 square feet.

The highest elevation point of the roof. A roof shall be defined as the outside top covering of a building.

Means any solar collector or other solar energy device, or any structural design feature, mounted on a building or on the ground, and whose primary purpose is to provide for the collection, storage and distribution of solar energy for space heating or cooling, for water heating or for electricity.

Items including a solar photovoltaic cell, panel, or array, or solar hot air or water collector device panels, lines, pumps, batteries, mounting brackets, framing and possibly foundations used for or intended to be used for collection of solar energy.