Glossary

Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGTs) and  Open Cycle Gas Turbines burn natural gas to produce electricity. They emit carbon dioxide, but the emissions are significantly lower than those from coal-burning stations.

A liquid fuel made from biomass (typically corn, sugar cane or small cereals/grains) which can replace petrol in modest percentages for use in ordinary spark-ignition engines (stationary or in vehicles), or which can be used at higher blend levels (usually up to 85% ethanol, or 100% in Brazil) in slightly-modified…

Energy recovery of post recycling waste residue - an alternative to landfill.

An agreement to buy electricity from another party at a specified time in the future at a specified price with money changing hands at the delivery date.

Burning coal produces sulphur dioxide which is emitted through the chimney of the power station. To reduce these emissions - which contribute to acid rain - Flue Gas Desulphurisation units can be fitted to coal powered plants. These work by capturing the gases in an absorber, and then mixing them…

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…