Energy conversion efficiency - is an expression of the amount of energy produced in proportion to the amount of energy measured as incident solar radiation. Conventional photovoltaic (PV) systems generating either electricity or hot water are able to achieve 12% to 40% efficiency respectively. ZenithSolar uses concentrated PV collector to produce both electricity and hot water. Combining these effects ZenithSolar is able to achieve 75% efficiency.

Photovoltaics convert light energy to electricity. When GaAs is exposed to sunlight, a small amount of electricity is released known as the photoelectric effect (emission of electrons from the surface of a metal in response to light). This is the process in which photovoltaic cell converts sunlight to electricity. Sunlight is made up of photons, or particles of solar energy. Photons contain various amounts of energy, corresponding to the different wavelengths of the solar spectrum. When photons strike a PV cell, they may be reflected or absorbed, or they may pass right through. Only the absorbed photons generate electricity. When this happens, the energy of the photon is transferred to an electron in an atom of the PV cell. With its newfound energy, the electron escapes from its normal position in an atom of the semiconductor material and becomes part of the current in an electrical circuit.

By focusing the sunlight we are able achieve more efficient harvesting of the sun`s energy. Intelligently designed mirrors concentrate /focus the sun's energy on to the solar cells in our unique receiver that convert this energy to electricity, high-temperature heat for hot water system and heated air to power air conditioning generator.

Cogeneration of heat and power is the use of a heat engine or a power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat. Conventional power plants emit the heat created as a by-product of electricity generation into the environment through cooling towers, flue gas, or by other means. CHP or a bottoming cycle captures the by-product heat for domestic or industrial heating purposes, either very close to the plant, or especially in Scandinavia and eastern Europe as hot water for district heating with temperatures ranging from approximately 80 to 130 °C. This is also called decentralized energy.

Sunlight Irradiance is a way to calculate the power of the sun in a geographical point. Irradiance is the amount of solar power striking a given area and is a measure of the intensity of the sunshine measured as watts per square meter (W/m²). For example, In the southwestern United States, the solar irradiance at ground level regularly exceeds 1,000 W/m². In some mountain areas, readings over 1,200 W/m² are often recorded. Average values are lower for most other areas, but maximum instantaneous values as high as 1,500 W/m² have been recorded. The part of the spectrum used by silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules is from 0.3 to 0.6 micrometers (Source US DOE).

The equivalent number of hours per day when solar irradiance averages 1,000 W/m². For example, six peak sun hours means that the energy received during total daylight hours equals the energy that would have been received had the irradiance for six hours been 1,000 W/m².