Steve Mills

The measure which accounts for delivering more services for the same energy input, or the same amount of services for less energy input. Conceptually, this is the reduction of losses from the conversion of primary source fuels through final energy use, as well as other active or passive measures to…

The portion of the electrical network which takes power off the high-voltage transmission network via substations (at varying stepped-down voltages) and feeds electricity to customers.

Energy systems are considered to be distributed if: the systems are connected to the distribution network rather than the transmission network, which implies that they are relatively small and dispersed (such as small-scale solar PV on rooftops) rather than relatively large and centralised; or generation and distribution occur independently from…

“Despatch” sometimes in UK English usage. A power station is said to be “despatched” when it receives an instruction to generate from an offtaker or from a grid operator. Who controls when a power station is despatched is an important factor in many power station projects. Renewable projects sometimes “self…

A reduction in the output of a generator, typically on an involuntary basis, from the level at which it could otherwise produce given the resources available. Curtailment of electricity generation has long been a normal occurrence in the electric power industry and can occur for a variety of reasons, including…

The ratio between the useful energy output from an energy conversion device and the energy input into it. For example, the conversion efficiency of a PV module is the ratio between the electricity generated and the total solar energy received by the PV module. If 100 kWh of solar radiation…

A contract between two parties, stipulating that each will pay to the other the difference between an agreed price and the market price on a given payment date, depending on the market price at the time. A good example in project financing is the CfD mechanism used to support renewable…

A document which states the Agreed Capacity for a property with the local Distribution Network Operator (DNO)

When electricity is generated up to 60% of the energy produced can be wasted as lost heat. Combined Heat and Power schemes are designed to recover most of this waste heat and use it to power a turbine and generate more electricity. In well-designed installations these can contribute to lowering…

A form of electrical power generation which uses two generating methods (cycles) in tandem to achieve higher generation efficiency. The first cycle is based on a high-speed turbine, which burns fuel (typically gas) to generate power. The hot exhaust gases from the first cycle are fed to a steam turbine,…