total or active area of a photovoltaic module

a) total module area

area of the front surface of a photovoltaic module as defined by its outer edges

NOTE 1 Total module area includes the total area of the photovoltaic cells plus the area of space not covered by the cells. The area of the front surface of the frame (if any) is included

NOTE 2 Total module area is preferred for reporting module efficiency

b) active module area

part of the total module area designed to receive solar radiation for the generation of electricity

NOTE 3 Active module area equals the sum of the total cell area in the module

NOTE 4 Active module area is sometimes referred to as “module aperture area”