- Peak load
the demand (load) of the electricity system at its near maximum
- Intermediate load
the portion of the load that predictably rises from the low to high point
- Base load
the portion of the load that is constantly being demanded
- Generation
production of electricity
- Transmission
initial mass transport of the produced electricity to the region where the load is
- Distribution
final stage of power delivery where individual buildings are connected to the grid
- Stranded costs
cost of investments made previously that may have become redundant over time
- Control area
An electric power system or combination of electric power systems to which a common automatic control scheme is applied in order to:
- IOUs
investor owned utilities that are privately owned
- RTOs
regional transmission organizations, responsible for transmission & distribution
- Scheduling
understanding/planning the generation sources to meet the anticipated load changes
- Reliability
likelihood that the asset will be in service when needed
- Intermittency
a particular type of resource availability risk relating to renewable generation sources
- Dispatchability
the utility’s ability to dispatch generators to meet the load
- Resilience
ability of the grid to withstand external shocks
- FERC / NERC
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, is an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of natural gas, oil, and electricity. FERC also regulates natural gas and hydropower projects; Assist consumers in obtaining reliable, efficient and sustainable energy services at a reasonable cost through appropriate regulatory and market means. / North American Electric Reliability Corporation: The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is a not-for-profit international regulatory authority whose mission is to assure the reliability of the bulk power system in North America.
- Hardening
physical resilience of the transmission & distribution assets
- Independent System Operator
an independent organization that handles transmission and distribution assets, usually formed by regulations that break up larger utility monopolies
- Load-following
generators that supply the increasing intermediate load
- Operating reserve
reserves set aside by the utility to ensure sufficient reserves are in place to meet potential customer demand
- PUC
public utilities commission: a governing body that regulates the rates and services of a public utility
- Reserve margin
excess supply that is available to meet uncertainty in the actual load
- Spinning reserves
generation assets that are required to be available and deployed in synchronization to replace any unexpectedly lost generation
- Vertically integrated
utilities that incorporate generation, transmission, and distribution systems
