Glossary

11,000 Volts or above.

The production of electricity, which uses the force of falling water to turn the blades of the turbine. Usually a river has been dammed in order to create enough force to turn the blades.

These globes are the traditional pear-shaped light globe shape, and use 20% more energy than compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

A material that reduces or stops the flow of electricity.

A standard unit of electrical power equal to 1,000 watts. Kilowatts are the units used to measure Maximum Demand. Kilowatt hour is a unit of energy consumed.

When natural gas is cooled to around -160 degrees Celsius at atmospheric pressure, it condenses to a liquid called LNG.

Normally 240 or 415 Volts.

Electricity supplied to our homes from the National Grid.

In 2001 the Australian Government introduced a Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) scheme designed to increase the uptake of renewable energy in Australia's electricity supply. In 2007 the Government committed to ensuring that 20 per cent of Australia's electricity supply comes from renewable energy sources by 2020.

A measure of power: none million watts.

One thousand kilowatt hours. A 1 MW power-generating unit running for 1 hour produces 1 MWh of electrical energy.

A meter is a device that measures the amount of electrical energy consumed by a residence, business, or an electrically-powered device. Electric meters are typically calibrated in billing units, the most common one being the kilowatt hour. Periodic readings of electric meters establishes billing cycles and energy used during a cycle.

The milliamp hour is the standard unit of storage capacity for a cell or battery. The milliamp hour rating of a cell tells how many constant milliamps of current can be supplied by the pack for one hour. This rating can be used to find the duration a battery pack can provide, given a certain draw.

Point of maximum electricity demand on the national system. For example, peak demand can occur during summer on very hot days, when people get home from work in the evening and then turn on their air conditioners.

A permit is a legal permission authorising the holder to emit a defined quantity of greenhouse gases. In an emissions trading scheme a permit is usually equivalent to one tonne of CO2-e. If a company emits less greenhouse gases than authorised they can sell their permits within the trading scheme.

Also known as green energy. Renewable energy is sustainable energy that comes from the natural environment. Certain sources of energy are 'renewable' as they are maintained or replaced by nature. Renewable energy is obtained from sources that are essentially inexhaustible, unlike fossil fuels, of which there is a finite supply and cannot be replenished. Renewable sources of energy include solar, wind, water, biomass, wood, waste, geothermal, wind, photovoltaic, and solar thermal energy. Non-renewable energy sources include coal, oil and natural gas.

Renewable energy certificates (RECs) in Australia are issued by the Australian Government's Office of Renewable Energy Regulator. They are equivalent to one-megawatt hour of renewable electricity. RECs can be bought and sold both by electricity retailers and by other businesses in order to meet the legal requirements of MRET.

Smart meters are electricity meters that can be remotely read over the network, instead of needing a technician to come to your house or business and physically read your meter. Data is more reliable, with reads every 30 minutes, helping to provide more accurate bills.

Equipment that is used to change the voltage of an electric current. Transformers can increase or decrease voltage.

A unit used to measure the electromotive force of an electric current.

Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into electricity by using wind turbines. A wind turbine is has 3 propeller-like blades called a rotor. The rotor is attached to a tall tower. The tower looks like a very tall pole. On average wind towers are about 20m high. The reason why the tower is so tall is because winds are stronger higher from the ground. The wind flows over the blades creating lift, like the effect on airplane wings, which causes them to turn. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity.