Glossary

Energy glossary

747 definitions · page 12 of 13.

SUNK COST: In economics, a sunk cost is a cost that has already been incurred, and therefore cannot be avoided by any strategy going forward.
SUPERCONDUCTOR: A synthetic material that has very low or no electrical resistance. Such experimental materials are being investigated in laboratories to see if they can be created at near room temperatures. If such a superconductor can be found, electrical transmission…
SUPERTANDKER: A very large ship designed to transport more than 500,000 deadweight tonnage of oil.
SUPPLY BID: A bid into the PX indicating a price at which a seller is prepared to sell energy or ancillary services.
SUPPLY-SIDE: Activities conducted on the utility's side of the customer meter. Activities designed to supply electric power to customers, rather than meeting load though energy efficiency measures or on-site generation on the customer side of the meter.
SURPLUS: (Electric utility) Excess firm energy available from a utility or region for which there is no market at the established rates.
SUSTAINED ORDERLY DEVELOPMENT: A condition in which a growing and stable market is identified by orders that are placed on a reliable schedule. The orders increase in magnitude as previous deliveries and engineering and field experience lead to further reductions in costs. The reliability…
SWRTA: The Southwest Regional Transmission Association. a subregional RTG within WRTA, and awaiting FERC approval.
SYNCRUDE: Synthetic crude oil made from coal of from oil shale.
SYNFUEL: Synthetic gas or synthetic oil. Fuel that is artificially made as contrasted to that which is found in nature. Synthetic gas made from coal is considered to be more economical and easier to produce than synthetic oil. When natural gas supplies in the earth…
SYNGAS: Synthetic gas make from coal.
SYSTEM: A combination of equipment and/or controls, accessories, interconnecting means and terminal elements by which energy is transformed to perform a specific function, such as climate control, service water heating, or lighting. [See California Code of…
SYSTEM INTEGRATION (OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES): The successful integration of a new technology into the electric utility system by analyzing the technology's system effects and resolving any negative impacts that might result from its broader use.
TAKE-OUT POINT: The metering points at which a metered entity takes delivery of energy.
TAKING: Reducing the value of someone's property through government action without just compensation.
TAME (TERTIARY AMYL METHYL ETHER): another oxygenate that can be used in reformulated gasoline. It is an ether based on reactive C5 olefins and methanol.
TAR SANDS: Sedimentary rocks containing heavy oil that cannot be extracted by conventional petroleum recovery methods.
TARIFF: A document, approved by the responsible regulatory agency,listing the terms and conditions, including a schedule of prices, under which utility services will be provided.
TASK LIGHTING (task-oriented lighting): Lighting designed specifically to illuminate one or more task locations, and generally confined to those locations. [See California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Section 2- 5302]
TAX CREDITS: Credits established by the federal and state government to assist the development of the alternative energy industry. Beginning in 1976, California had a solar tax credit. From 1978 to 1985, both California and the federal government offered tax credits for…
TEMPERATURE: Degree of hotness or coldness measured on one of several arbitrary scales based on some observable phenomenon (such as the expansion).
THERM: One hundred thousand (100,000) British thermal units (1 therm = 100,000 Btu).
THERMAL (ENERGY) STORAGE: A technology that lowers the amount of electricity needed for comfort conditioning during utility peak load periods. A buildings thermal energy storage system might, for example, use off-peak power to make ice or to chill water at night, later using the ice…
THERMAL BREAK (thermal barrier): An element of low heat conductivity placed in such a way as to reduce or prevent the flow of heat. Some metal framed windows are designed with thermal breaks to improve their overall thermal performance.
THERMAL MASS: A material used to store heat, thereby slowing the temperature variation within a space. Typical thermal mass materials include concrete, brick, masonry, tile and mortar, water, and rock or other materials with high heat capacity.
THERMAL POWER PLANT: any stationary or floating electrical generating facility using any source of thermal energy, with a generating capacity of 50 megawatts or more, and any facilities appurtenant thereto. Exploratory, development, and production wells, resource transmission…
THERMALLY ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY (TEOR): Injection of steam to increase the amount of petroleum that may be recovered from a well.
THERMODYNAMICS: A study of the transformation of energy into other manifested forms and of their practical applications. The three laws of thermodynamics are: Law of Conservation of Energy -- energy may be transformed in an isolated system, but its total is constant Heat…
THERMOSTAT: An automatic control device designed to be responsive to temperature and typically used to maintain set temperatures by cycling the HVAC system.
THERMOSTAT SETBACK: A device, containing a clock mechanism, which can automatically change the inside temperature maintained by the HVAC system according to a preset schedule. The heating or cooling requirements can be reduced when a building is unoccupied or when occupants are…
THERMOSTAT, SETBACK: A device, containing a clock mechanism, which can automatically change the inside temperature maintained by the HVAC system according to a preset schedule. The heating or cooling requirements can be reduced when a building is unoccupied or when occupants are…
TIDAL POWER: Energy obtained by using the motion of the tides to run water turbines that drive electric generators.
TIME-OF-USE (TOU) RATES: The pricing of electricity based on the estimated cost of electricity during a particular time block. Time-of-use rates are usually divided into three or four time blocks per twenty-four hour period (on-peak, mid-peak, off-peak and sometimes super off-peak)…
TIME-OF-USE METER: A measuring device that records the times during which a customer uses various amounts of electricity. This type of meter is used for customers who pay time-of-use rates.
TIME-OF-USE RATES: Electricity prices that vary depending on the time periods in which the energy is consumed. In a time-of- use rate structure, higher prices are charged during utility peak-load times. Such rates can provide an incentive for consumers to curb power use during…
TLEV (TRANSITIONAL LOW EMISSION VEHICLE) Ð: a vehicle certified by the California Air Resources Board to have emissions from zero to 50,000 miles no higher than 0.125 grams/mile (g/mi) of non-methane organic gases, 3.4 g/mi of carbon monoxide, and 0.4 g/mi of nitrogen oxides. Emissions from 50,000 to…
TON OF COOLING: A useful cooling effect equal to 12,000 Btu hours.
TRADING DAY: The 24-hour period beginning at midnight and ending at the following midnight.
TRANSFER (Electric utility): To move electric energy from one utility system to another over transmission lines.
TRANSFORMER: A device, which through electromagnetic induction but without the use of moving parts, transforms alternating or intermittent electric energy in one circuit into energy of similar type in another circuit, commonly with altered values of voltage and current.
TRANSMISSION OWNER: An entity that owns transmission facilities or has firm contractual right to use transmission facilities.
TRANSMISSION-DEPENDENT UTILITY: A utility that relies on its neighboring utilities to transmit to it the power it buys from its suppliers. A utility without its own generation sources, dependent on another utility's transmission system to get its purchased power supplies.
TRANSMITTANCE: The time rate of heat flow per unit area under steady conditions from the air (or other fluid) on the warm side of a barrier to the air (or fluid) on the cool side, per unit temperature difference between the two sides.
TRANSMITTING UTILITY (TRANSCO): This is a regulated entity which owns, and may construct and maintain, wires used to transmit wholesale power. It may or may not handle the power dispatch and coordination functions. It is regulated to provide non-discriminatory connections,comparable…
TURBINE GENERATOR: A device that uses steam, heated gases, water flow or wind to cause spinning motion that activates electromagnetic forces and generates electricity.
U-value or U-factor: A measure of how well heat is transferred by the entire window - the frame, sash and glass - either into or out of the building. U-value is the opposite of R-value. The lower the U-factor number, the better the window will keep heat inside a home on a cold…
UA: A measure of the amount of heat that would be transferred through a given surface or enclosure (such as a building envelope) with a one degree Fahrenheit temperature difference between the two sides. The UA is calculated by multiplying the U-Value by the…
UDC: Utility distribution company. An entity that owns a distribution system for the delivery of energy to and from the ISO-controlled grid, and that provides regulated, retail service to eligible end-use customers who are not yet eligible for direct access, or…
ULEV (ULTRA-LOW EMISSION VEHICLE) Ð: a vehicle certified by the California Air Resources Board to have emissions from zero to 50,000 miles no higher than 0.040 grams/mile (g/mi) of non-methane organic gases, 1.7 g/mi of carbon monoxide, and 0.2 g/mi of nitrogen oxides. Emissions from 50,000 to…
ULTRAHIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION: Transporting electricity over bulk-power lines at voltages greater than 800 kilovolts.
UNBUNDLING: Disaggregating electric utility service into its basic components and offering each component separately for sale with separate rates for each component. For example, generation, transmission and distribution could be unbundled and offered as discrete…
UNCONDITIONED SPACE: A space that is neither directly nor indirectly conditioned space, which can be isolated from conditioned space by partitions and/or closeable doors. [See California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Section 2-5302]
UNIVERSAL SERVICE: Electric service sufficient for basic needs (an evolving bundle of basic services) available to virtually all members of the population regardless of income.
UNLEADED GASOLINE: Gasoline that has had tetraethyl lead removed in conformance with federal and state regulations.
UPGRADE (Electric utility): Replacement or addition of electrical equipment resulting in increased generation or transmission capability.
UPRATE (Electric utility): An increase in the rating or stated measure of generation or transfer capability.
UPSTREAM: A term used in the petroleum industry referring to the exploration and production side of the business. This includes pipelines but production before reaching the refinery.
URANIUM: A radioactive element, found in ores, of which atoms can be split to create energy.
URANIUM ENRICHMENT: The process of increasing the percentage of pure uranium above the levels found in naturally occurring uranium ore, so that it may be used as fuel.
UTILITY: A regulated entity which exhibits the characteristics of a natural monopoly. For the purposes of electric industry restructuring, "utility" refers to the regulated, vertically-integrated electric company. "Transmission utility" refers to the regulated…