Glossary of Abbreviations

This is the official list of abbreviations used in ghi^markets.  ghi^markets is written as tightly as possible for a quick, easy and meaningful read.  We use many abbreviations to save readers time but not everyone knows them all by heart.  You can always find a link to this page at the end of each issue.

AGA: American Gas Assn
ALJ: administrative law judge: a hearing examiner within a regulatory agency: a fact finder
AMR:  Automated Meter Reading
APPA: American Public Power Assn
API: American Petroleum Institute
ATC: available transfer capability
bcf: billion cubic feet
BPA: Bonneville Power Administration
BPL:  broadband over powerlines
ccf: hundred cubic feet
cfd: cubic feet/day
CFO: chief financial officer
CFTC: Commodities Futures Trading Commission
CHP:  combined heat and power
CIO: chief information (IT) officer
C&I: commercial and industrial
CLEC: competitive local exchange carrier
CTC: competitive transition charge used to recover costs stranded by customer freedom
DG: distributed generation
dkt = dekatherm = mmbtu: is roughly = mcf
DOE: Department of Energy
DSL: digital subscriber line
DSM: demand side management
ECAR: East Central Area Reliability Coordination Agreement
EEI: Edison Electric Institute
ELCON: Electricity Consumers Resource Council
EPA: Environmental Protection Agency
EPRI: Electric Power Research Institute
EPSA: Electric Power Supply Assn
ERCOT: Electric Reliability Council of Texas (but not all of Texas)
FCC: Federal Communications Commission
FERC: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
FRCC: Florida Reliability Coordinating Council
G&T: generation and transmission
GAPP: General Agreement on Parallel Paths
GRI: Gas Research Institute
gw:  gigawatt
gwh: gigawatt hours = 1,000 mwh
HVAC: heating/ventilating and air conditioning
ICAP: installed capacity
ILEC: incumbent local exchange carrier
IMO:  Independent Electricity Market Operator
INGAA: Interstate Natural Gas Assn of America
IOU: investor owned utility
IP:  Internet protocol, the universal computer language that made the internet possible. IP is the language computers around the world use to send and receive email, websites, video, music, voice and any other data. The “Internet” part can be misleading because -- despite being invented for the internet -- IP now is used in many proprietary networks and systems, such as private VOIP networks owned by big-name communications firms that eschew the public internet.
IPP: independent power producer
ISO: independent system operator
ISP: Internet service provider
kv: kilovolt
kwh: kilowatt hour
LADWP: Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
LDC: local gas distributing company
LMP: locational marginal pricing
LNG: liquified natural gas
MAIN: Mid-America Interconnected Network
MAPP: Mid- Continent Area Power Pool
mcf: thousand cubic feet
mmbtu: million btu (generally equal to mcf)
1 mw = 1 megawatt or 1 million watts: enough power to supply 330 homes for one hour on a hot summer's afternoon
mwh: megawatt hour
NAESB: North American Energy Standards Board (replaced GISB)
NARUC: National Assn of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
NAESB: North American Energy Standards Board
NEMA: National Energy Marketers Assn
NERC: North American Electricity Reliability Council
NOPR: notice of proposed rulemaking
NPCC: Northeast Power Coordinating Council
NRECA: National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn
OASIS: open access same time information system
Ofgem: the UK Office of the Gas & Electricity markets
OMB: Office of Management & Budget (White House)
PEM: proton exchange membrane (type of fuel cell)
PJM: the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland ISO and reliability region
POLR: provider of last resort
ppm/ppb: parts per million: billion
PSC: Public Service Commission
PUC: Public Utilities Commission
PUHCA: Public Utilities Holding Company Act
PURPA: Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act
PX: Power Exchange (California trading center)
QF: qualifying facility under PURPA
RBOC: regional Bell operating company
RFP: request for proposal
RTO: regional transmission organization
SEC: Securities & Exchange Commission
SERC: Southeastern Electric Reliability Council
SMD: standard market design -- FERC's plan to open wholesale markets to competition
SMA:  standard market assessment
SOS: standard offer service
SPP: Southwest Power Pool
T&D: transmission and distribution
tcf: trillion cubic feet
therm: tenth of an mmbtu
TLR: transmission line loading relief: the failure of a transmission provider to make good on a firm agreement to move power
TURN: The Utility Reform Network: California ratepayer group
TVA: Tennessee Valley Authority
USDA: US Department of Agriculture
UTC: United Telecom Council.
VOIP:  voice over internet protocol
WECC: Western Electric Coordinating Council is the new name for WSCC: the Western Systems Coordinating Council: the NERC affiliate

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