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Glossary for the Solar Tariff Program in Connecticut

Term/Name

Explanation/Definition

Related Statutes/Websites

“the Authority”

in-docket reference to PURA

Adder

an incentive that can be applied in addition to base renewable energy incentives if a project meets certain criteria. These may relate to the location of a project site (i.e. on a brownfield or in a low-income census tract), or a type of technology (i.e. solar canopies or battery storage)

Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP)

a heat pump that transfers heat in the air to and from a building (See Heat Pump)

Anaerobic Digestion

process of using microorganisms to consume waste and produce methane gas, which serves as a source of  renewable energy

Beneficial Electrification

process of replacing direct fossil fuel use with electricity in a way that reduces emissions and energy costs

Bid Certification Form

process of replacing direct fossil fuel use with electricity in a way that reduces emissions and energy costs

Bidder

the individual or business submitting a proposal (“Bid”) to be considered for selection to be awarded a long-term agreement for the purchase of RECs or energy

Bid Form

the form provided by the EDC to be used to make a bid submission

Bid Preference

preferred policy criteria established by DEEP and approved by PURA to apply in the next procurement process under this Program

Brownfield

any abandoned or underutilized site where redevelopment, reuse or expansion has not occurred due to the presence or potential presence of pollution in the buildings, soil or groundwater that requires investigation or remediation before or in conjunction with the restoration, redevelopment, reuse and expansion of the property

BTM (Behind the Meter)

projects that are located behind the utility’s customer revenue meter; system provides power that can be used on-site without passing through a meter. Any energy generation on your property is considered behind the meter.

Buy-All Tariff

a flat tariff for the purchase of all energy and renewable energy certificates on a cents-per-kilowatt-hour basis (currently with a 20-year term) (See Netting Tariff)

Cap

a maximum limit whether for purchase price or amount of purchased renewable energy

Carbon Neutral

making no net release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere

CGB (Connecticut Green Bank)

the entity, established by the CT General Assembly, that accelerates the deployment of clean energy using limited public dollars to attract private capital investment in clean energy projects

CGS

Connecticut General Statute

CHP (Combined Heat and Power)

the simultaneous production of electrical or mechanical energy (power) and useful thermal energy from the same fuel/energy source such as oil, coal, biomass or solar

Class I Renewable

solar power; wind power; a fuel cell; geothermal; landfill methane gas, anaerobic digestion or other biogas derived from biological sources; thermal electric direct energy conversion from a certified Class I renewable energy source; ocean thermal power; wave or tidal power, low emission advanced renewable energy conversion technologies, certain run-of-the-river hydropower facilities, and certain biomass facilities that use sustainable biomass fuel

Class II Renewable

a trash-to-energy facility that has obtained a permit pursuant to section 22a-208a and section 22a-174-33 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies.

Class III Renewable

certain combined heat and power systems; certain waste heat recovery systems; the electricity savings from certain conservation and load management programs, and any demand-side management project awarded a contract pursuant to §16-243m

CL&P (Connecticut Light and Power)

doing business as Eversource

The Company

refers to an EDC

Comprehensive Energy Strategy

a document prepared by DEEP that includes an assessment and strategy for all residential, commercial, and industrial energy issues, including energy efficiency, industry, electricity, natural gas, and transportation

Connecticut Licensed Professional Engineer Certification

mandatory form to be submitted as part of the bid process and which must include a calculation of the Average Annual Production for the SCEF by a Connecticut licensed Professional Engineer “certifying” the average annual production for its project, based on the typical facility conditions for an average year (“PE Certification”).

Connecticut Siting Council

council having jurisdiction over the siting of power facilities and transmission lines 

PA 81-369

DEEP (Department of Energy and Environmental Protection)

the CT state agency that develops plans for energy infrastructure; regulates air emissions, wastewater discharges, and other pollution; and preserves and manages statewide recreational lands

Distressed Community

state’s most fiscally and economically distressed municipalities; based on “high unemployment and poverty, aging housing stock and low or declining rates of growth in job creation, population, and per capita income"

Docket

official summary of a PURA proceedings

Capacity Factor

the ratio of actual energy output over a given time divided by the maximum production capacity over that same time

Term/Name

Explanation/Definition

Related Statutes

EDC (electric distribution company)

Electric utilities in Connecticut that provide electric transmission and distribution services, but generally do not provide generation services (See Eversource and United Illuminating)

Energy storage system

any commercially available technology that is capable of absorbing energy, storing it for a period of time and thereafter dispatching the energy

Environmental Attribute

term defined by Eversource but not used by PURA in its determination 

EV (electric vehicle)

vehicles that are either partially or fully powered on electric power

Eversource

a business and residential energy distributor in CT, MA, and NH (See EDC)

Forward Capacity Market

a long-term wholesale electricity market that ensures resource adequacy, locally and systemwide

FTM (front–of-the-meter)

system provides power to off-site locations (See BTM)

Fuel Cell

a technology that uses the chemical energy of hydrogen or other fuels to produce electricity

Fuel Switching

replacement of one fuel with another, often a cleaner more economical fuel

Heat Pump

a system that heats and cools air in a building by transferring heat from the outside air or ground (See Air Source Heat Pump)

Interconnection

the equipment and processes whereby a distributed energy source is connected to an area grid

Interconnection Application

an application completed by an energy generator requesting permission to connect to the power grid

ISO-NE (Independent System Operator)

a non-profit that administers the regional wholesale electric markets. It is responsible for dispatching (turning on and off) power plants and other resources to meet electric demand in New England

Wholesale Electricity Market: 2017-R-0139; Millstone / Zero Carbon Procurement: 2018-R-0313

Large Zero Emission Project

projects in the zero emission category producing between 600 and 2,000 kW of electricity (See Small Zero Emission Project and Medium Zero Emission Project)

Load

demand for electricity at any particular time

Low Emission Project

a project in the low emission categorgy producing less than 2,000 kW

LREC (low-emission renewable energy credit)

renewable energy credits earned by projects that emit low levels of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants

CGS § 16-244t; PA 18-50; Public Act 19-35

Medium Zero Emission Project

projects in the zero emission category between 200 and 600 kW of electricity (See Small Zero Emission Project and Large Zero Emission Project)

Microgrid

a local energy grid with control capabilities that allows the grid the ability to disconnect from the traditional grid, which is the central power source that supplies power to the buildings and homes in a very large area


MW (megawatt)

a unit of electric generating capacity. One megawatt equals 1,000 kilowatts, which equals 1,000,000 watts. Power plants typically have a capacity of 500 to 1,000 MW.

Netting

a method of measuring the energy consumed and produced by a customer’s generating facility

Netting Tariff

a tariff for the purchase of any energy produced by a facility and not consumed in the period of time established by the authority (currently with a monthly netting interval and a 20-year term) (See Buy-All Tariff)

New England Power Pool (NEPOOL)

an independent, FERC-approved New England stakeholder advisory group providing input related to wholesale market rules and transmission tariff design. The NEPOOL Generation Information System issues and tracks renewable energy certificates for electricity produced in the ISO-New England controlled area and imported from neighboring areas

Non-Residential Tariff

a clean energy tariff relating to distributed energy resource projects built on commercial sites

Non-Residential Tariff Program

combined successor porgram to the state of CT's LREC/ZREC and VNM programs for non-residential customers of each electric distribution company installing eligible Class I renewable energy projects on their own premises

CGS§ 16-244z(a); Section 3 PA 19-35

NPV (Net-Present Value)

a financial metric that seeks to capture the total value of a potential investment opportunity

OCC (Office of Consumer Counsel)

an independent state agency charged with ensuring that all Connecticut consumers receive the highest level of utility services with the lowest cost

Term/Name

Explanation/Definition

Related Statutes

PPA (Power Purchase Agreement)

a financial agreement where a developer arranges for the design, permitting, financing and installation of a solar energy system on a customer’s property at little to no cost

Project Maturity Bid Preference

a suggestion by commenters on the tariff process that some preference be given to projects that have completed certain steps towards project completion such as the interconnection application

Proposed Procurement Plan

plan proposed by the EDCs to acquire Class I renewable energy and submitted for comment February 2021

Public Offtaker

the purchaser of renewable energy in a solar development project


PURA (Public Utilities Regulatory Authority)

entity within DEEP that regulates rates and services of Connecticut utilities and acts as the franchising authority for the state’s cable television companies

CGS § 16-2; Questions for the PURA nominee: 2018-R-0100

RECs

credits earned by renewable energy generators that are bought and sold to facilitate compliance with the renewable portfolio

CGS § 16-245a; PA 18-50

RFP (request for proposal)

a document that solicits proposals, often through a bidding process.

RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard)

the minimum amount of energy derived from renewable energy sources that must be included in any energy mix supplying Standard Service Requirements and/or Last Resort Service Requirements

CGS § 16-245a; PA 18-50

SAM

State, Agricultural, or Municipal

SCEF (Shared Clean Energy Facility)

enables multiple customers to benefit directly from a facility's energy production

Public Act 18- 50 and Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16-244z

Size-to-Load provision

a provision stating that generation projects should be sized at the outset so they do not exceed the load at the customer's individual electric meter (or set of electric meters), except in certain circumstances defined by statute

Small Zero Emission Project

projects in the zero emission category that generate less than 200 kW of electricity  (See Medium Zero Emission Project and Large Zero Emission Project)

Standard Service

the electric generation and distribution service provided to those Retail Customers of the Buyer in the Standard Service Customer Group who do not use demand meters, or who have a maximum demand of less than five hundred kilowatts (kW), and who do not purchase electricity from an Electric Supplier (See Supplier of Last Resort Service)

Supplier of Last Resort Service (LRS)

the electric generation and distribution service provided to those Retail Customers in the LRS Group (customers not eligible to receive Standard Service due to a maximum demand of 500 kilowatts or higher and that do not purchase electricity from an Electric Supplier) (See Standard Service)

Tariff

rate at which renewable energy is purchased for a certain length of time

Tariff Term

length of time for which a rate is applicable as set by PURA; the current tariff term is 20 years

Time-of-Use Rate

a method of charging an electricity consumer based on when the energy is consumed

UI (United Illuminating)

an electric distribution company that is a subsidiary of Avangrid and provides service in 17 towns in the greater Bridgeport and New Haven areas (See EDC)

Unallocated Megawatts

tariff program megawatts not allocated in any given year (note: this is not the same as megawatts that were allocated but not built)

CGS § 16-244z(c)(1)(A) and CGS § 16-244r(c)(3)(A)

VNM (virtual net metering)

a metering system that enables property owners, renters and communities to access solar energy, even if they cannot put solar on their roofs or do not have suitable land for a solar array

PURA Docket No. 13-08-14; CGS § 16-244u e

Written Exceptions

written objections to a ruling by PURA

ZREC (zero-emission renewable energy credit)

policy mechanism to encourage generation from projects that emit no pollutants

Millstone and the Zero Carbon Procurement: 2018-R-0313; Public Act 19-35