AC: Alternating current. Electricity flowing in two directions invented by genius and synaesthesiac Nikola Tesla
ACCC: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
ACCUs: Australian Carbon Credit units
AEMC: Australian Energy Market Commission. Makes the rules for the electricity and gas markets
AEMO: Australian Energy Market Operator. Manages the NEM
AER: Australian Energy Regulator. Enforces the rules of the NEM
AFV: Alternative Fuel Vehicle
AGL Energy: Gentailer, Distribution and transmission company
AGR: Gas Cooled Reactor. A nuclear power technology
amp: Ampere electrical measurement unit. Describes the volume of electricity moving down a wire. When multiplied by the Volts (the electrical “pressure”) you get Watts
Ancillary Services: The market operator AEMO uses these so-called services to control the wellbeing of the grid. They are very well explained in their publication “Guide to Ancillary Services in the National Electricity Market”
Anthropogenic: Man-made. (as in global warming) APA Group: Australia’s biggest gas pipeline operator
ARENA: Australian Renewable Energy Agency. A government body who are a major funder of emerging renewable projects
Aurora Energy: Energy distribution and transmission company, TAS
AusGrid: State owned distribution and transmission company, NSW
AusNet Services: Regulated energy networks owner, VIC
AWES: Airborne Wind Energy System. Wind power without the towers and rotors. New technology under development
Baseload power: In the traditional model a level of generation that runs all the time supplemented by peaking power
BAU: Business As Usual, “same old”
Behind The Meter: Resources like batteries, solar panels or control systems that are located in customers homes or businesses and lie outside the traditional reach of the network.
BESS: Battery Energy Storage System.
Black Start: Full grid reboot.
Black System or System Black: Major failure of the grid to deliver electricity
BOE: Barrels of Oil Equivalent. A measure of energy
Brown Coal: The Lowest rank of coal unsuitable for export. Accounts for most of Victoria’s power generation
BTEX: Benzene Toluene Ethylbenzene Xylenes. A fluid used in Fracking now banned in many states of Australia
BTU: British Thermal Unit. 1 BTU is the energy needed to move 1 pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit
BWR: Boiling Water Reactor. A nuclear power technology
BZE: Beyond Zero Emissions. Research organization
CAA: Clean Air Act. Influential US environmental legislation CAPEX: Capital expenditure
CCA: Climate Change Authority. Australian government agency
CCGT: Combined Cycle Gas Turbine. (base load or intermediate gas)
CCS: Carbon Capture and Sequestration or storage.
CEC: California Energy Commission
CEC: Clean Energy Council. Peak body for the clean energy industry in Australia
CEDA: The Committee for Economic Development of Australia
CEEM: The Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets at UNSW
CEFC: The Clean Energy Finance Corporation. Invests commercially to increase the flow of funds into renewable energy, energy efficiency and low emissions technologies
CER: Clean Energy Regulator. Administers the RET Renewable Energy Target schemes
CET: Clean Energy Target. A major recommendation of the Finkel review
CFD: Contract For Difference. A financial instrument as in ACT reverse auctions Citipower: Electricity supplier VIC
Clean coal: A marketing term used to describe new coal technologies that are slightly less polluting (20%) than the current coal generators but still worse than the dirtiest gas plant
Co2: Carbon dioxide. The principle man made greenhouse gas
CO2CRC: The Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies COAG: Council of Australian Governments
COAL21 FUND: Operated by ACA Low Emissions Technologies Ltd (ACALET). Promotes the interests of the coal industry funded by a levy on producers
COC: Cost of Capital
Coking coal: Also known as Metallurgical coal, provides the carbon for making steel
COP21: The 21st Conference of the Parties to the Paris Agreement
CPV: Concentrator Photovoltaics. Optics focus light onto high efficiency PV cells
CSG: Coal Seam Gas or natural gas, mostly Methane
CST: Concentrated Solar Thermal. The sun heats a fluid to drive a turbine, the fluid can be stored for later use
DC: Direct Current. Electricity that flows in one direction, what comes out of solar panels and batteries developed by Thomas Edison the elephant killer
DCLM: Direct Control Load Management. Where the utility company can control the consumer load directly. For example turn off your hot water for a short period to better manage loads on the grid this ability negates the requirement for more generating capacity with little or no impact on the consumer
DEA: Doctors for the Environment Australia
Dead band: Fluctuations in steady state turbine speed that are not the result of control inputs
Delta Control: Fast secondary reserve derived from manipulating the pitch control of a wind turbine
DER: Distributed Energy Resources. For example battery storage, demand response, standalone power systems, micro grids
Dispatchable Power: Power available at short notice
DoD: Depth of Discharge. Refers to how much energy you take out of a battery before recharging it, can affect the life of some types of batteries
DSM: Demand Side Management, influencing or controlling demand as opposed to supply DUET Group: Gas and power grid owner
ECA: Energy Consumers Australia. Advocates of residential and small business energy interests ECIU: Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. UK not for profit
EIS: Emissions Intensity Scheme
EJA: Environmental Justice Australia. Environmental legal specialists, advocates and advisors ElectraNet: Energy Distribution and transmission company SA
EMF: Electro Magnetic Field
EMMS: Electricity Market Management System
ENA: Energy Networks Australia. The peak national body representing gas distribution and electricity transmission and distribution businesses throughout Australia
Endeavour Energy: Distribution and transmission company NSW
Energex: Distribution and transmission company QLD. Now merged with Ergon Energy
Energy Australia: Electricity and gas retailing private company. Owned by CLP group HK
Engie: A large French energy multinational who own about 2,000MW of generation in Australia also owns the now closed Hazelwood brown coal plant. Operates retail company Simply Energy
EPA: Environmental Protection Agencies. State government authorities
EPC: Engineering Procurement and Construction. Contract terminology
Ergon Energy: Distribution and transmission company QLD. Government owned
Essential Energy: Distribution and transmission company NSW
EVs: Electric Vehicles
FCAS: Frequency Control Ancillary Services. An AEMO mechanism used to maintain the grids precious frequency of 50 cycles per second. See Ancillary Services
Finkel, Dr Alan: Chief Scientist: Author of “ Independent Review into the Future Security of the National Electricity Market”
FIT: Feed-in tariff: The rate utility companies pay for buying back electricity generated by consumers e.g. roof top solar
Five minute rule: A proposed change to the way electricity prices are settled in the market that would allow faster responding newer technologies to disrupt the incumbent generators practice of gaming supply: See trading interval
Fracking: Hydraulic fracturing: A well stimulation technique in which rock is fractured by a pressurised liquid
FRC: Full Retail Contestability: Customers can choose their energy retailer
Frequency: Refers to number of cycles per second: The target grid frequency in Australia is 50 cycles per second or 50 Hz. In the US they prefer 60 Hz
FRMP: Financially Responsible Market Participant.: AEMO terminology for generator or retailer operating in the NEM
FRT: Fault Ride Through capability: A desirable attribute of a wind turbine so it does not disconnect in a low grid voltage situation
FRV: Fotowatio Renewable Ventures. Major global developer of renewable energy projects multi- billion dollar portfolio
Fugitive Emissions: The gases released from a coal seam by the actual process of mining coal.. According to the Mineral Council this alone accounts for 5% of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions
G20: International forum of governments and central banks
Garnaut, Ross: Professor of economics at ANU. Author of Garnaut Climate Change Review, also chair of Zen Energy
Gasification: Conversion of solid fuel to gaseous fuel
Gentailers or Gen-tailer: Generators who are also retailers
Geothermal: Naturally occurring underground heat energy
GHG: Greenhouse Gases. Water vapour, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and ozone are the primary greenhouse gases
Green Energy Trading: REC trading agent and clean energy advocate
Green Energy: Energy created without setting fire to stuff i.e. wind, water, solar PV
GW: Gigawatt, a billion watts. The old Hazelwood coal fired power station could put out around 1 and a half Gigawatts, or put another way 1500 MW
Horizon Power: Energy distribution, retail and transmission company WA
HVAC: High Voltage Alternating Current. One flavour of electricity used for transmission HVDC: High Voltage Direct Current. Another flavour of electricity used for transmission HWS: Hot Water Service
IEA: International Energy Agency
INTERCONNECTORS: Interconnectors are transmission links which connect two control areas e.g. the Bass Strait cable between Tasmania and Victoria. They allow power to move between regions in response to supply and demand and are a fundamental component of the grid
IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. UN organisation
Jemena: Energy Distribution and transmission company VIC, NSW. Owned by State Grid Corporation of China and others
kW: Kilowatts – a thousand watts. 1 kW is enough for a small electric heater if you leave it on for an hour you have used one kilowatt hour of electricity (kWh), Your power bill will have the price you pay per kwh and also how many of these kwh you usually use in a day. kWh /day
Lakers, Andrew: Professor Head of the Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, ANU LCOB: Levelised Cost of Balancing. The additional cost in a renewable dominated grid to overcome intermittency
LGCs: Large scale Generation Certificates. 1 certificate equals 1MWh of renewable electricity Lithium-ion: A common battery technology
LNG: Liquefied natural gas. Takes up a tiny amount of space compared to unprocessed natural gas
LNSP: Local Network Service Provider LOR: Lack of Reserve, AEMO term
Loy Yang A/B: Australia’s largest coal power station. It can output 3000 MW of electricity, it burns brown coal producing over 14 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses annually and with its brother plant in Yallourn accounts for one third of Melbourne’s water use
LRET: Large scale Renewable Energy Target. A scheme run by the Australian Government Clean Energy Regulator to promote the growth of renewable power generation
MarketNet: AEMO’s internal private network
MCA: Minerals Council of Australia. Represents the mineral, mining, exploration and processing industries
MPC: Market Price Cap. Set by the NER, the max price a MW may be traded at, currently $14,000
MW: A Megawatt, or a million watts. 1MW of electricity can run about 500 homes
MWh: Megawatt hours. Used to describe production/consumption or storage capacity
NCAS: Network Support & Control Ancillary Services. An AEMO mechanism used to control voltage, power flow and stability
NEM: The National Electricity Market. Where it all happens. The marketplace for wholesale supply and purchase of electricity, does not cover WA or the NT they have their own markets
NEM Time: Australian Eastern Standard time with no daylight saving. The time base for data in the NEM
NEMDE: National Electricity Market Dispatch Engine
NER: National Electricity Rules
NGR: National Gas Rules
NREL: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Leading US research organisation NSP: Network Service Provider
NWIS: North West Interconnected System, part of the WA electricity grid OCGT: Open Cycle Gas Turbine plant
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Off grid: a power installation with no connection to the electricity grid OPEX: Operational expenditure
Paris Agreement: Signed Dec 2015 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Participants agreed to hold temperature increase to less than 2 degrees C above pre- industrial levels
Peaking power: Power available to cover spikes in demand. Typically gas or hydro, batteries would be ideal
Perovskites: Solar cell material
PHWR: Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor. A nuclear power technology Polysilicon: Material used to make solar panels
Powercor: Energy distribution and transmission company VIC Powerlink: Distribution and transmission company QLD
Powerwall: Tesla’s battery storage product
PPA: Power Purchasing Agreement
PSH: Pumped Storage Hydro
Pumped Hydro: Pumping water back up to the reservoir when there is cheaper electricity available and then running the water through the turbine again … and again. (like a giant battery only made of water)
PV: Photovoltaic. The magical process where sunlight turns into electricity without any emissions toxic or otherwise. When used at scale it has many advantages over thermal generation. All the fuel is delivered to site free of charge and doesn’t need to be wrestled from the ground with explosives. The only water it uses are in the plant’s smoko shed and toilet block so no need for the Olympic size swimming pool of water every minute like in some gas plants. A PV panel lasts for many decades only requiring the occasional wipe with a damp cloth and at the end of its life can be decommissioned with a cordless screw driver and recycled
PWR: Pressurised Water Reactor. The commonest nuclear power technology
Radiative balance: The balance of incoming and outgoing radiation, a greenhouse process
REC: Renewable Energy Certificate. Made up of large generation certificates LGC and small scale certificates STC
RES-E: Electricity from a Renewable Energy Source
Reserve Secondary: Regulation reserve electricity available in 5 to 15 mins
Reserve Tertiary: Load following reserve electricity available in 15 to 30 mins
Reserve short term capacity: Electricity available within 30 mins to several hours can be up to a day
RET: Renewable Energy Target. Australian Government scheme designed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in the electricity sector
Rolling blackout or rotational load shedding: Deliberate sequential shutdown at different times and parts of the grid to avoid total system failure
RoLR: Retailer of Last Resort. A scheme to ensure continued consumer energy supply in the event of a retailer failure
Roof top solar: Solar panels on residential and commercial roofs mostly connected to the grid ROR: Run Of River. A hydro plant that relies on seasonal flows and has limited storage
Rotating Inertia: The sum of all rotating mass inertias of the connected synchronous generation opposing a change of system frequency
SAPN: South Australia Power Networks. Energy distribution and transmission.
SAPST: Stand-alone power system tariff
SECI: Solar Energy Corporation of India
Single axis tracking: A mechanical system that continually turns a solar panel to face the sun. Boosts output by around 25% , dual axis tracking can add a further 5%
SP AusNet: Energy Distribution and transmission company, VIC
Spark Infrastructure: Specialist infrastructure fund. Heavy investor in electricity distribution networks
Spinning reserve: Generation capacity already synchronised to the grid but not operating at full capacity, typically a spinning turbine, a synthetic spinning reserve can be created with batteries
Spot price: The AEMO trading interval price
SRAS: System Restart Ancillary Services. See Ancillary Services SRES: Small scale renewable scheme
SSI: Sub-Synchronous Interactions
STCs: Small scale technology certificates. Issued by the Clean Energy Regulator under the renewable energy target scheme an Australian Government initiative to promote lowering of emissions
STTM: Short Term Trading Market. (Gas market)
SWIS: South West Interconnected System. Part of the WA electricity grid
Synchronous Generators: Describes the turbines found in coal, gas and hydro plants. All have similar characteristics. They were originally designed two centuries ago, are massive (each can weigh as much as 10 greyhound buses) and spin at 3000 rpm or 50 Hz. This rotating mass puts desirable inertia into the system to ride through faults. Asynchronous Generators can be wind, PV, tidal they don’t spin at 3000 rpm, some of them can’t be bothered spinning at all. This resultant lack of inertia would be a problem except for the fact that in the intervening years since the invention of the generator electrical engineers have resolved this with Synthetic inertia (fast frequency response) this can take many forms including Batteries
System Black: Same as Black System
Tengger Desert Solar Park, China: Currently the world’s largest PV solar panel array generating 1500MW of electricity (a Hazelwood)
Thermal coal or Steam coal: Coal used for power generation
Three Gorges Dam: World’s largest power station. Producing over 25GW of Hydro power roughly equivalent to Australia’s electricity production from all sources. The top 5 power stations in the world are Hydro
TOSAS: Transient and Oscillatory Stability Ancillary Service. My favourite AEMO acronym, to do with controlling spikes in the system. See Ancillary Services
Trading interval: Generators bid to supply electricity in 5 min blocks. This is called the dispatch interval, the price they get paid however is the average of the price paid for the 6 previous blocks i.e. 30 min. This is a hangover from when monitoring and recording equipment was slow and clunky. Search for AEMC publication “ Fact-sheet-how-the-spot-market-works” for more information
TransGrid: Distribution and transmission company, NSW
TW: Terawatt. 1012 watts. The US has a total installed generating capacity of around 1TW or 1000GW. A lot of watts no ifs or buts
UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. See Paris agreement
United Energy: Energy distribution and transmission company, VIC
USC: Ultra Super Critical. A technology that reduces the emissions from coal fired power generators by about 20%
VEEC: Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificate. Each certificate represents abatement of 1 tonne of greenhouse gas emission. Large energy retailers are obliged to surrender a certain number each year
VEET: Victorian Energy Efficiency Target. Promotes energy reduction to homes and businesses by issuing Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEEC)
watt: Unit of power, Symbol W, 1 amp flowing at 1 volt is 1 watt
WEC: World Energy Council. Long established global energy forum
WEM: Wholesale Electricity Market. The market Western Australia operates within the SWIS Western Power: Energy Distribution and transmission company WA state-owned
WPP: Wind Power Plant
WTG: Wind Turbine Generator
WWEA: World Wind Energy Association
Zibelman, Audrey: Head of AEMO
