Glossary for Grid Control

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Access Charge A fee imposed on seller to gain access to a utility's transmission or distribution lines necessary to deliver power to a point of exchange or use.
ALEC The American Legislative Exchange Council is a national association of state legislators. who develop and promote free market policies. One of ALEC's primary purposes is the development of model legislation to be used by its legislator members in the states.
Alternating Current (AC) Current which varies from zero to a positive maximum to zero to a negative maximum to zero. a number of times per second. the number being expressed in cycles per second of Hertz (HZ)
Alternator A device for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.
American Public Power Association (APPA) A national service organization representing 2000 municipal and other state or local publicly owned electric utilities throughout the United States.
Amperage The strength or intensity of an electric current. measured in amperes (AMPS)
Ancillary Services Services provided by a utility and other suppliers to a provider of generation which maintains the quality. safety loading. accounting and planning necessary to move generation from one point to another.
Avoided Cost The cost that a utility is expected to incur for its customers in providing (generation) service to its customer. This is the price paid by utilities to cogenerators in many states.
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B
Battery Charge Rectifier A component which changes AC voltage from the battery charge windings (within the STATOR) to DC voltage. This voltage could be used to charge a battery.
Bilateral Contracts A contractual system between a buyer and a seller to obtain generation and/or ancillary services of a given type, duration, timing and reliability over a contractual term.
Black-Out Refers to a condition when all electrical power is disrupted to your area.
Bottleneck Facility A point on the system, such as a transmission line, through which all electricity must pass to get to its intended buyers. If there is limited capacity at this point, some priorities must be developed to decide whose power gets through. It also must be decided if the owner of the bottleneck may, or must, build additional facilities to relieve the constraint.
BPA Bonneville Power Administration. One of five federal power marketing administrations that sell low-cost electric power produced by federal hydro electric dams to agricultural and municipal users. BPA serves Idaho, Oregon and Washington as well as parts of Nevada and Wyoming.
Broker Systems An electronic marketplace in which electric generation is priced and purchased.
Brown-Out Refers to a condition when the system voltage drops below acceptable levels causing lights to dim and potentially causing other electrical equipment to function improperly or to be damaged.
Brush A conducting element, usually graphite and/or copper, which maintains sliding electrical contact between a stationary and a moving element.
Bulk Power Supply Often this term is used interchangeably with wholesale power supply. In broader terms, it refers to the aggregate of electric generating plants, transmission lines, and related equipment. The term may refer to those facilities within one electric utility, or within a group of utilities in which the transmission lines are interconnected.
Buy Release A secondary market for capacity that is contracted by a customer not using all of its capacity.
Buy Through An agreement between utility and customer to import power when the customer's service would otherwise be interrupted.
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C
Captive Customer A customer who does not have realistic alternatives to buying power from the local utility, even if that customer had the legal right to buy from competitors.
Cascade Failure A failure mode wherein the failure of one component of a complex system causes other components of that system to fail; for example, in a system of standby emergency diesel generators that must be synchronized in AC parallel to operate, a failure mode on one generator could cause all of the other generators in parallel to fail.
Co-op The commonly used term for a rural electric cooperative. Rural electric cooperatives generate and/or purchase wholesale power, arrange for the transmission of that power, and then distribute the power to serve the demand of rural customers. Co-ops typically become involved in ancillary services such as energy conservation, load management and other demand-side management programs in order to serve their customers at the least cost. (All Co-ops do not necessarily generate electricity.)
Cogeneration (Cogen) Generating electricity using a waste heat fuel source (full or partial) which comes from another industrial process.
Common Cause Failure The simultaneous failure of more than one system component due to shared causes, often extraordinary events, such as natural disaster, human error, etc.
Computer Grade Power Electricity meeting the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Standard 446-1987. This standard sets time and voltage intervals which electronic equipment must tolerate without malfunction.
Conductor A wire or cable designed for the passage of electrical current.



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ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun
1.
power grid - a system of high tension cables by which electrical power is distributed throughout a region
power system, grid
electric main - a main that distributes electricity
facility, installation - a building or place that provides a particular service or is used for a particular industry; "the assembly plant is an enormous facility"
infrastructure, base - the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; "the industrial base of Japan"
power cable, power line - cable used to distribute electricity
power plant, power station, powerhouse - an electrical generating station
wn()
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.


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Electricity Terms
A-B C-D E-F G-H I-J K-L M-N O-P Q-R S-T U-V W-Z
Acid Rain: Also called acid precipitation or acid deposition, acid rain is precipitation containing harmful amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids formed primarily by nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. It can be wet precipitation (rain, snow, or fog) or dry precipitation (absorbed gaseous and particulate matter, aerosol particles or dust). Acid rain has a pH below 5.6. Normal rain has a pH of about 5.6, which is slightly acidic. The term pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity and ranges from 0 to 14. A pH measurement of 7 is regarded as neutral. Measurements below 7 indicate increased acidity, while those above indicate increased alkalinity.
Adjustment Bid: A bid that is used by the Independent System Operator to adjust supply or demand when congestion on the transmission system is anticipated.
Aggregator: Any marketer, broker, public agency, city, county, or special district that combines the loads of multiple end-use customers in facilitating the sale and purchase of electric energy, transmission, and other services on behalf of these customers.
Ampere: The unit of measurement of electrical current produced in a circuit by 1 volt acting through a resistance of 1 ohm.
Ancillary Services: Necessary services that must be provided in the generation and delivery of electricity. As defined by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, they include: coordination and scheduling services (load following, energy imbalance service, control of transmission congestion); automatic generation control (load frequency control and the economic dispatch of plants); contractual agreements (loss compensation service); and support of system integrity and security (reactive power, or spinning and operating reserves).
Anthracite: The highest rank of coal; used primarily for residential and commercial space heating. It is hard, brittle, and black lustrous coal, often referred to as hard coal, containing a high percentage of fixed carbon and a low percentage of volatile matter. The moisture content of fresh-mined anthracite generally is less than 15 percent. The heat content of anthracite ranges from 22 to 28 million Btu per ton on a moist, mineral-matter-free basis. The heat content of anthracite coal consumed in the United States averages 25 million Btu per ton, on the as-received basis (i.e., containing both inherent moisture and mineral matter). Note: Since the 1980's, anthracite refuse or mine waste has been used for steam electric power generation. This fuel typically has a heat content of 15 million Btu per ton or less.

FixedCarbonLimits
VolatileMatter

Apparent Power: The product of the voltage (in volts) and the current (in amperes). It comprises both active and reactive power. It is measured in “volt-amperes” and often expressed in “kilovolt-amperes” (kVA) or “megavolt-amperes” (MVA).
Ash: Impurities consisting of silica, iron, alumina, and other noncombustible matter that are contained in coal. Ash increases the weight of coal, adds to the cost of handling, and can affect its burning characteristics. Ash content is measured as a percent by weight of coal on a "received" or a "dry" (moisture-free, usually part of a laboratory analysis) basis.
Available but not Needed Capability: Net capability of main generating units that are operable but not considered necessary to carry load, and cannot be connected to load within 30 minutes.
Average Revenue per Kilowatthour: The average revenue per kilowatthour of electricity sold by sector (residential, commercial, industrial, or other) and geographic area (State, Census division, and national), is calculated by dividing the total monthly revenue by the corresponding total monthly sales for each sector and geographic area.
Barrel: A volumetric unit of measure for crude oil and petroleum products equivalent to 42 U.S. gallons.
Base Bill: A charge calculated through multiplication of the rate from the appropriate electric rate schedule by the level of consumption.
Baseload: The minimum amount of electric power delivered or required over a given period of time at a steady rate.
Baseload Capacity: The generating equipment normally operated to serve loads on an around-the-clock basis.
Baseload Plant: A plant, usually housing high-efficiency steam-electric units, which is normally operated to take all or part of the minimum load of a system, and which consequently produces electricity at an essentially constant rate and runs continuously. These units are operated to maximize system mechanical and thermal efficiency and minimize system operating costs.
Bbl: The abbreviation for barrel.
Bcf: The abbreviation for 1 billion cubic feet.
Bilateral Agreement: Written statement signed by a pair of communicating parties that specifies what data may be exchanged between them.
Bilateral Contract: A direct contract between the power producer and user or broker outside of a centralized power pool or power exchange.
Bituminous Coal: A dense coal, usually black, sometimes dark brown, often with well-defined bands of bright and dull material, used primarily as fuel in steam-electric power generation, with substantial quantities also used for heat and power applications in manufacturing and to make coke. Bituminous coal is the most abundant coal in active U.S. mining regions. Its moisture content usually is less then 20 percent. The heat content of bituminous coal ranges from 21 to 30 million Btu per ton on a moist, mineral-matter-free basis. The heat content of bituminous coal consumed in the United States averages 24 million Btu per ton, on the as-received basis (i.e., containing both inherent moisture and mineral matter).

FixedCarbonLimits
VolatileMatterLimits
CalorificValueLimits Btu/lb

LV
=
Low-volatile bituminous coal
MV
=
Medium-volatile bituminous coal
HVA
=
High-volatile A bituminous coal
HVB
=
High-volatile B bituminous coal
HVC
=
High-volatile C bituminous coal
Boiler: A device for generating steam for power, processing, or heating purposes or for producing hot water for heating purposes or hot water supply. Heat from an external combustion source is transmitted to a fluid contained within the tubes in the boiler shell. This fluid is delivered to an end-use at a desired pressure, temperature, and quality.
Broker: An entity that arranges the sale and purchase of electric energy, transmission, and other services between buyers and sellers, but does not take title to any of the power sold.
Btu (British Thermal Unit): A standard unit for measuring the quantity of heat energy equal to the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit.
Bundled Utility Service: All generation, transmission, and distribution services provided


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Preamble
These Oshawa PUC Networks Inc. (OPUCN) Conditions of Service documents contain a variety of terms that may need to be defined in the context of this document. This Section defines those terms.
2. Source for definitions:
A Electricity Act, 1998, Schedule A, Section 2, Definitions
MR Market Rules for the Independent Electricity Market Operator (IMO),
Chapter 11, Definitions
TDL Transitional Distribution License, Part I, Definitions
TTL Transitional Transmission License, Part I, Definitions
DSC Distribution System Code Definitions
SSS Standard Supply Service Code Definitions
ARC Affiliate Relationship code Definitions
RSC Retail Settlement Code Definitions
OEB Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998
After each of the defined terms listed below, the Act, Rule, or Code where the term is also defined is listed. Where the definition in the Act, Rule or Code is different from the one in this Glossary, the word "modified" follows. Any differences are minor in nature, and do not present an ambiguity. The definitions contained in these Conditions of Service will prevail, if there is a conflict with any other document.
3. Defined Terms
"Affiliate Relationships Code" means the code, approved by the OEB and in effect at the relevant time, which among other things, establishes the standards and conditions for the interaction between electricity distributors or transmitters and their respective affiliated companies; (TDL, DSC, RSC);
"ancillary services" means services necessary to maintain the reliability of the IMO-controlled grid, including frequency control, voltage control, reactive power and operating reserve services (MR modified, TDL, DSC, RSC, OEB, A);
"building" means a building, portion of a building, structure or facility; (RSC)
"Canadian Standards Association" or "CSA" means the not-for-profit membership-based association serving business, industry, government and consumers in Canada and the global marketplace, who's head office is in Mississauga, Ontario.
"Conditions of Service" means the document developed by a distributor in accordance with subsection 2.4 of the DSC that describes the operating practices and connection rules for the distributor; (DSC)
"connection" or "connect" means the process of installing and activating connection assets in order to distribute electricity to a Customer; (DSC)
"Connection Agreement" means the written agreement entered into between OPUCN and a distributor or embedded generator connected to OPUCN's distribution system that delineates the conditions of the connection and delivery of energy to or from that connection;
"Connection Agreement Offer To Connect" means the written agreement entered into between OPUCN and a Customer or developer who wants to be connected to OPUCN's distribution system that delineates the conditions and costs of the connection;
"connection assets" means that portion of the distribution system used to connect a Customer to the existing main distribution system, and consists of the assets between the point of connection on a distributor's main distribution system and the ownership demarcation point with that Customer; (DSC)
"Customer-owned substation" means a facility located on private property owned, operated and maintained by the Customer. The facility will have at least one transformer with a high side voltage of either 44KV or 13.8KV, isolating switches, fuses, lightning arrestors, secondary switches, appropriate structures, fencing, and may have capacitors. The equipment will be installed and operated in accordance with the Ontario Electrical Safety Code published by the ESA.
"Customer" means a Person that has contracted for or intends to contract for connection of a building, and/or who contracts to receive distribution services; (DSC modified)
"demand" means the rate at which electric energy is delivered to or by a system or part of a system, generally expressed in kilowatts or megawatts at a given instant or averaged over any designated interval of time; (MR)
"developer" means a Person or Persons owning, or acting on behalf of an owner(s) of property or building for which new or modified electrical services are to be installed;
"disconnection or disconnect" means a deactivation of connection assets or electrical service that results in cessation of distribution services to a Customer; (DSC)
"distribute", with respect to electricity, means to convey electricity at voltages of 50 kilovolts or less; (A, MR, TDL, DSC, RSC, SSS, OEB)
"distribution loss factor" means a factor or factors by which metered loads must be multiplied such that when summed equal the total measured load at the supply point(s) to the distribution system; (DSC, RSC)
"distribution services" means services related to the distribution of electricity and the services the OEB has required distributors to carry out, for which a charge or rate has been approved by the OEB, under section 78 of the Ontario Energy Board Act; (RSC, DSC, TDL modified)
"Distribution Services Agreement" means an agreement entered into between a distributor and a person connected to its distribution system that delineates the conditions of the connection and delivery of electricity to that connection; (DSC)
"distribution system" means a system for distributing electricity, and includes any structures, equipment or other things used for that purpose. A distribution system is comprised of the main system capable of distributing electricity to many Customers and the connection assets used to connect a Customer to the main distribution system; (A, MR, TDL, DSC, OEB, SSS modified, RSC, ARC modified)
"Distribution System Code" or "DSC" means the code, approved by the OEB, and in effect at the relevant time, which, among other things, establishes the obligations of a distributor with respect to the services and terms of service to be offered to Customers and retailers and provides minimum technical operating standards of distribution systems; (DSC)
"distributor" means a Person who owns or operates a distribution system; (A, MR, TDL, DSC, OEB, SSS modified, RSC, ARC)
"Electricity Act" means the Electricity Act, 1998, S.O. 1998, c.15, Schedule A; (MR, TDL, DSC, RSC, SSS modified)
"electrical room" means an isolated room or enclosure, with outside access, built to applicable codes to house associated electrical equipment such as meter installation equipment, Customer's electrical service, transformer, etc.;
"Electrical Safety Authority" or "ESA" means the Person or body designated under the Electricity Act and its regulations as the Electrical Safety Authority; (A, DSC)
"electrical service" means the Customer's conductors and equipment for delivery of distribution services from OPUCN;
"Electricity and Gas Inspection Act" means the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act, 1980-81-82-83, c 87;
"embedded distributor" means a distributor who is not a wholesale market participant and that is provided electricity by a host distributor; (RSC, DSC)
"embedded generator" or "embedded generation facility" means a generator whose generation facility is not directly connected to the IMO-controlled grid but instead is connected to a distribution system; (DSC, MR modified)
"embedded retail generator" means an embedded generator that settles through a distributor's retail settlements system and is not a wholesale market participant; (DSC, RSC modified)
"embedded wholesale Customer" means a Customer who is a wholesale market participant whose facility is not directly connected to the IMO-controlled grid but is connected to a distribution system; (DSC, RSC)
"emergency" means any abnormal system condition that requires remedial action to prevent or limit loss of a distribution system or supply of electricity that could adversely affect the reliability of the electricity system; (DSC, MR modified)
"emergency backup" means a generation facility that has a transfer switch that isolates it from a distribution system; (DSC)
"energy" means the product of real power multiplied by time, usually expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh);
"energy diversion" means the unaccounted for use of distribution services that can be quantified through various measures upon review of the meter mechanism, such as unbilled meter readings, tap off load(s) before revenue metering or meter tampering;
"enhancement" means a modification to an existing distribution system that is made for purposes of improving system operating characteristics such as reliability or power quality or for relieving system capacity constraints resulting, for example, from general load growth; (DSC)
"expansion" means an addition to a distribution system in response to a request for additional Customer connections that otherwise could not be made; for example, by increasing the length of the distribution system; (DSC)
"Expansion Agreement Offer To Connect" means the written agreement entered into between OPUCN and a Customer or developer who wants to be connected to OPUCN's distribution system that delineates the conditions and costs of the expansion and connection;
"extreme operating conditions" means extreme operating conditions as defined in the Canadian Standards Association Standard CAN3-C235-83 (latest edition);
"four-quadrant interval meter" means an interval meter that records power injected into a distribution system and the amount of electricity consumed by the Customer; (DSC)
"general service" means any service supplied to premises other than those designated as residential service, municipal street lighting service, or sentinel lighting service. This includes multi-unit residential establishments such as apartment buildings metered through one service;
"generate", with respect to electricity, means to produce electricity or provide ancillary services, other than ancillary services provided by a transmitter or distributor through the operation of a transmission system or distribution system; (A, TDL, DSC, OEB, RSC)
"generation facility" means a facility for generating electricity or providing ancillary services, other than ancillary services provided by a transmitter or distributor through the operation of a transmission or distribution system, and includes any structures, equipment or other things used for that purpose; (A, MR, TDL, DSC, RSC, OEB)
"generator" means a Person who owns or operates a generation facility; (A, MR, TDL, DSC, OEB, RSC)
"good utility practice" means any of the practices, methods and acts engaged in or approved by a significant portion of the electric utility industry in North America during the relevant time period, or any of the practices, methods and acts which, in the exercise of reasonable judgement in light of the facts known at the time the decision was made, could have been expected to accomplish the desired result at a reasonable cost consistent with good practices, reliability, safety and expedition. Good utility practice is not intended to be limited to the optimum practice, method, or act to the exclusion of all others, but rather to be acceptable practices, methods, or acts generally accepted in North America; (MR, DSC)
"host distributor" means the registered wholesale market participant distributor who provides electricity to an embedded distributor; (RSC, DSC modified)
"IEEE" means Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers;
"IMO" means the Independent Electricity Market Operator established under the Electricity Act; (A, TDL, DSC, OEB, MR, RSC, SSS)
"IMO-controlled grid" means the transmission systems with respect to which, pursuant to agreements, the IMO has authority to direct operation; (A, TDL, DSC, MR, OEB, RSC)
Glossary of Terms
Section 100 – Introduction
Section 200 – Distribution Activities
Section 300 – Customer Specific
Section 400 – Glossary of Terms
Section 500 – Appendices
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We sometimes we need to know the exact definition of frequently used terms. We have compiled a list of the most frequently used energy industry terms:
Appliance blocking
Distribution system
Electrical energy
Electricity grid
Electricity
Energy
Ripple control
Protected customer
Circuit breaker
Kilowatt-hour
Network voltage
Voltage deviation
Consumption location
Authorized customer
Transmission system
Power surge
Surge protection
Rate
Low tariff
High tariff

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