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Solar Century - Solar power glossary Category: Earth and Environment Date & country: 03/12/2007, UK Words: 168

IPR
Intellectual Property Rights - monopoly protection for creative works such as writing (copyright), inventions (patents), processes (trade secrets) and identifiers (trademarks).

IRR
Internal Rate of Return - the discount rate at which the present value of the future cash flows of an investment is equal to the cost of the investment. When IRR is greater than the required return the investment is acceptable.

ISES
International Solar Energy Society - www.ises.org/ises.nsf!Open

KTP
Knowledge Transfer Partnership (formerly TCS) - http://web.apu.ac.uk/tcs/

LASER
Light Amplification through Stimulated Emission of Radiation - a device that amplifies light waves and concentrates them in a narrow, very intense beam of energy.

LCC
Life Cycle Cost - the overall estimated cost for a particular system over the time period corresponding to the life of the system. It includes direct and indirect initial costs plus any periodic or continuing costs of operation and maintenance.

LOI
Letter Of Intent - a preliminary agreement stating the proposed terms for a final contract. They can be binding or non-binding.

LPA
Local Planning Authority

LSBIPV
Large Scale Building Integrated Photovoltaics - solar electric systems where the photovoltaic panels replace conventional building materials such as roof tiles or facades.

MDP
Major Demonstration Program - www.est.org.uk/housingbuildings/funding/solarpv/

MPPT
Maximum Power Point Tracking - every solar PV device has a point where maximum current is delivered. MPPT electronically adjusts the output PV-device output to the maximum power point.

MVHR
Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery - this is the process whereby moist waste air from a home is replaced with fresh air from outside. Recovering this heat can provide a large proportion of the heat required to keep a home at comfortable living temperatures.

NEAT
NHS Environmental Assessment Tool - www.dh.gov.uk

NES
National Energy Services (NHER) - www.nesltd.co.uk/nher.html

NET
New Energy Trust

NETA
The New Electricity Trading Arrangements - designed to replace the old POOL arrangements for the sale of electricity in England and Wales. NETA introduced a market system in which electricity suppliers, the old electricity boards, buy electricity from generators, using a screen-based system like that used in commodity trading.

NFFO
Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation - before the introduction of the Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs), the Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation was the Government`s major instrument for encouraging growth within the renewable energy industry. The NFFO assisted the industry by providing premium payments for renewables-generated electricity over a fixed period, with contracts being awarded to individual generators.

NFPA
Non-Fossil Purchasing Agency - set up in 1990 by the twelve Regional Electricity Companies as their agent for the purpose of enabling them to enter into collective arrangements to discharge their obligations under the Orders.

NHBC
National House Builders Council - www.nhbc.co.uk/

NHER
National Home Energy Rating - www.nher.co.uk

NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (USA) - www.noaa.gov/

NPD
New Product Development

NPV
Net Present Value - the difference between the present value of cash inflows and the present value of cash outflows. NPV is used in capital budgeting to analyze the profitability of an investment or project

NREL
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (USA) - www.nrel.gov/

OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - www.oecd.org/home/0,2605,en_2649_201185_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

OFGEM
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets - www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem/index.jsp

OFREG
Office for the Regulation of Electricity & Gas - www.ofreg.nics.gov.uk/

OPEC
Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries - www.opec.org/home/

OS
Open Source - computer software source code that is released under an open-source license or to the public domain. Open source licenses include the GNU General Public License. Popular open-source software includes: Firefox, Apache, PHP, Mozilla and the Linux kernel.

OWSEP
Organic Waste for Sustainable Energy Production

PAT
Portable Appliance Tester - the routine inspection and testing of portable electrical appliances, especially those used in severe environments such as building sites, is an important safety requirement.

PDA
Portable Digital Assistant - hand-held personal computers, usually equipped with calendars, electronic address books and other features for both business and personal use.

PEMFC
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell - a type of acid-based fuel cell in which the exchange of protons (H+) from the anode to the cathode is achieved by a solid, water-swollen membrane electrolyte impregnated with a strong acid.

PES
Public Electricity Supplier

PFI
Private Finance Initiative - a system for providing capital assets for the provision of public services. Typically, the private sector designs, builds and maintains infrastructure and other capital assets and then operates those assets to sell services to the public sector.

PIR
Passive Infra-Redâ€` PIR detectors identify the Infra-Red emitted by hot objects such as people and animals. They are used in burglar alarm systems, and to control the security lighting that many people have fitted outside their houses.

PPE
Personal Protection Equipment - designed to be worn, or held, by a person at work to protect them against hazards likely to endanger their health or safety at work.

PRASEG
Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group - a cross-parliamentary group to promote renewable and sustainable energy issues in the UK Parliament. www.praseg.org.uk/

PRNs
Packaging waste Recovery Notes - the UK's Producer Responsibility regulations affect any company involved in the packaging supply chain that is larger than £2 million turnover, or which handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging each year. Under the regulations, companies carry out their producer responsibility by purchasing enough packaging waste recovery notes (PRNs) or their export equivalent (PERNs) to meet their obligation, which depends on how much packaging they place on the market. Obligated companies can sign up to compliance schemes to carry out their obligations, or purchase PRNs or PERNs themselves from accredited reprocessors and exporters. PRN/PERN prices are determined by supply and demand.

PV
Photovoltaics - technology that produces electric power directly from the sunlight. 'Photo' refers to light and 'voltaic' to voltage.

RAB
The Renewables Advisory Board - provides advice to Government on a wide range of renewable energy issues. The board is an independent, non-departmental public body sponsored by the DTI that brings together government departments, the renewables industry and the unions.

RADAR
RAdio Detection And Ranging - a method of estimating the distance or travel speed of an object by bouncing high frequency signals off the object and measuring the reflected signal.

RCEP
Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution - www.rcep.org.uk/

RDA
Regional Development Agency - Non-Departmental Public Bodies, sponsored by Central Government Departments, for the development of each of the UK's regions.

REA
The Renewable Energy Association - www.r-p-a.org.uk/home.fcm

REEP
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programme - www.reeep.org/

RIBA
Royal Institute of British Architects - www.riba.org/go/RIBA/Home.html

ROCs
Renewable Obligation Certificates - the digital certificates that hold details of exactly how a unit of electricity was made, by whom and finally who bought and used it. These ROCs are traded separately to the actual electricity itself and work as a bonus premium on top of the price paid for the unit

RSL
Registered Social Landlord - a housing association or a not for profit company registered by the Housing Corporation to provide social housing.

SAGE
Sustainable Action Group Exchange - www.sage-rsa.org.uk

SAP
Standard Assessment Procedure - the Government`s standard for assessing the energy efficiency performance of dwellings.

SCH
Solar Century Holdings

SCHRI
Scottish Community & Household Renewables Initiative - www.est.org.uk/schri

SCIP
Solarcentury Installation Partners

SDC
Sustainable Development Commission - www.sd-commission.org.uk

SHF
Sustainable Housing Forum - www.tcpa.org.uk/shf.htm

SMEs
Small to Medium Enterprises - companies that employ less than 250 people, have a turnover of less than €50 million (or a balance sheet total of less than €43 million), and not more than 25% owned by a non-SME.

SOC
State of Charge - a ratio, expressed in percent of the energy remaining in a battery in relation to its capacity when full.

SOFC
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell - A type of fuel cell in which the electrolyte is a solid, nonporous metal oxide.

SSR
Standing Seam Roof â€` a type of roofing widely used on commercial, leisure, retail and industrial projects.

STA
Solar Trade Association - www.greenenergy.org.uk/sta

STC
Standard Test Conditions - the testing conditions to measure the nomimal output power of photovoltaic cells or modules. Irradiance level is 1 000 W/m², with the reference air mass 1.5 solar spectral irradiance distribution and cell or module junction temperature of 25°C.

SUDS
Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems - A sustainable drainage system aims to mimic as closely as possible the natural drainage of a site to minimise the impact of urban development on the flooding and pollution of waterways.

SWOT
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats - a strategic planning tool used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. Strengths and weaknesses are internal to an organisation. Opportunities and threats originate from outside the organisation. A SWOT analysis, usually performed early in the project development process, helps organisations evaluate the environmental factors and internal situation facing a project.

TCPA
Town & Country Planning Association - www.tcpa.org.uk

TGCIA
Task Group on Scenarios for Climate Impact Assessment - formed to facilitate the wide availability of climate change-related data and scenarios to enable research and sharing of information across the three IPCC working groups. The TGICA disseminates information in support of IPCC work, as well as IPCC 'approved' 'adopted,' 'accepted,' and 'supporting' material.

ULSD
Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel - a cleaner diesel fuel with a lower sulphur content.

UV
Ultra-Violet Radiation - electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength shorter than that of the visible region, but longer than that of soft X-rays.