- AC - Alternating Current
- AI - Artificial Intelligence
- Base Load - The minimum level of demand on an electrical grid over a span of time
- Behind the Meter - refers to devices (typically solar arrays and batteries) that are deployed on-premises so that energy is produced and consumed on-site without passing through the electric meter or the grid.
- BESS - Battery Energy Storage Systems
- Brownout - a drop in voltage level
- Bulk Energy Shifting - the movement of energy through the system at off peak times
- CAES - Compressed Air Energy Storage
- CCS - Carbon Capture and Storage
- CCU - Carbon Capture and Use
- COD - Commercial Operations Date, when revenues begin to flow from a new solar/wind or other facility
- CO₂ - Carbon dioxide
- Carbon Negative - removes more CO₂ from the atmosphere than it adds to the atmosphere
- Carbon Neutral - removes an equal amount of CO₂ from the atmosphere as it adds to the atmosphere
- Carbon Positive - adds more CO₂ to the atmosphere than is removed from the atmosphere
- CO₂e (or CO₂eq) - "Carbon dioxide equivalent" i.e. the standard unit used to express the warming impact of all greenhouse gases on a common scale, using CO₂ as the reference
- Curtailment - the discarding of energy due to oversupply of electricity from renewable energy sources
- DC - Direct Current
- Decarbonized Grid - a power grid in which the vast majority of electricity is generated from zero or near-zero carbon sources, and which is operationally capable of maintaining stability and meeting demand from those sources without recourse to fossil fuel generation
- Demand Management - the adjustment of electricity consumption during periods of high demand or supply constraint
- Demand Curve - the daily pattern of aggregate electrical consumption from the grid (in graphical form)
- DER - Distributed Energy Resource
- DERMS - Distributed Energy Resource Management System
- Dispatchable - sources of electricity that can be programmed on demand at the request of power grid operators
- Drop-in fuels - Fuels that can be used in existing engines and fuel infrastructure without any modifications
- Downstream - The logical zone of the power grid where energy is consumed
- EFW - Energy from Waste (a.k.a. Waste to Energy, W2E )
- Energy Independence - The ability of a country to meet all its energy needs without having to import energy from other countries
- Energy Security - The uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price
- Energy Stockpiling - the process of storing energy in large quantities for later use
- Energy Transition - a broad term that describes a significant structural change to energy systems. The current Energy Transition is driven by the recognition that GHG emissions must be drastically reduced
- EV - Electric Vehicle
- FIT - Feed in Tariff (typically paid by Utilities for surplus solar power)
- Flatten the Demand Curve - reduce the spread between Peak Demand and Base-Load demand
- Front of the Meter - located on the Utility's side of the meter, meaning that they supply or store energy for the grid operator
- GHG - Greenhouse Gas
- Grid - shorthand for electrical power grid
- Grid Operations - the process of monitoring, controlling, and maintaining the electrical grid to ensure a reliable and efficient supply of electricity to consumers
- HP - Heat Pump
- ICE - Internal Combustion Engine
- Interconnector — a high-voltage transmission link connecting two separate electricity grids or grid regions, allowing bulk power to flow between them
- Inertia (see our post) - the kinetic energy stored in the rotating mass of synchronous generators, which helps stabilise the grid frequency when an imbalance between supply and demand occurs
- ISO - Independent System Operator
- LCOS - Levelized Cost of Storage
- LCOE - Levelized Cost of Electricity
- Li-ion - Lithium ion batteries
- Midstream - The logical zone of the power grid where grid stability is managed by operators
- NZE/Net Zero - Net Zero Emissions by 2050 - the point at which GHG emissions are reduced as far as possible, with any remaining emissions offset by an equivalent amount of carbon removal, leaving no net addition to the atmosphere
- OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer
- Peak Demand - the short daily period where the highest point of customer consumption of electricity occurs
- Peak Shaving - the reduction or smoothing out of peaks in electrical consumption by industrial & commercial consumers
- PPA - Power Purchase Agreement
- RNG - Renewable Natural Gas
- RTE - Round Trip Efficiency describes how much energy is retained when a battery goes through a full cycle of charge & discharge
- RTO - Regional Transmission Organization
- SCADA - Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
- SMR - Small Modular Reactor
- Smart Grid — a grid network that uses digital communications technology, advanced sensors, and automated controls to monitor and manage the two-way flow of electricity and information between power sources and consumers - all in pursuit of more automated and resilient grid operations
- Surge - a sudden spike in voltage
- Synchronous Generators - machines that convert mechanical energy into AC electrical energy. It operates at a speed that is synchronized with the frequency of the electric power system to which it is connected
- TCO - Total Cost of Ownership
- Upstream - The logical zone of the power grid where energy is generated & supplied into the grid (wind, solar, hydro etc.)
- Utility - A company that engages in electricity generation and distribution of electricity for sale, usually in a regulated market
- VC - Venture Capital firms
- VPP - Virtual Power Plant
- VRB - Vanadium Redox Batteries
- W2E - Waste to Energy (a.k.a. Energy from Waste, EFW)
