The Energy Industry’s Dictionary

Energy and utilities are growing at a rapid pace. They constantly implement new technologies and it gets hard to keep up. So, in this article, I will help you understand all the most basic energy-related concepts:

Digital Grid

Digital grid is the digitization of electricity, gas and water networks using technology. It allows the utility and the network to communicate. The digital grid will help energy companies in including their customers, and enable insight, automation and control across the utilities’ operations, empowering utilities to improve reliability, availability and efficiency of the grid.

Smart Grid

A smart grid system is a self-sufficient utilities network system based on digital automation technology for monitoring, control and analysis within the supply chain. It provides for easy integration and reliable service for the consumers.

Microgrid

A microgrid is a localized group of electricity sources connected and synchronized with a general grid. The point of microgrid is to be able to switch off just one part of the system in case of a failure instead of having to shut off the entire grid.

Geospatial Information System

GIS is a unique framework for gathering, managing and analyzing data. It has its roots in geology and is used to gather multiple data types to then provide insights into patterns, relationships and trends.

SCADA

To uncover the mystery, SCADA is a Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition System. SCADA is software that gathers data, visualizes the data, helps to control the processes, alarms in case of an issue and archives the data.

Head-End System

A head-end system is hardware and software that receives the stream of meter data brought back to the utility through the AMI.

eMobility

This is a general term for the field of electric-powered vehicles with the goal of reducing our fossil fuels usage and carbon gas emission.

Smart City

A smart city is a city that utilizes new technology to increase efficiency of city’s assets and provide a more interactive experience to its citizens.

Dynamic Demand Management

Dynamic Demand is a technology to support demand response and manage power more efficiently by adjusting current demand on the grid.

Demand Response

Demand Response is a way for balancing the demand and the power production. By curtailing, or reducing, the demand for electricity during certain time periods, demand response programs are able to cut prices by reducing the need to run high-cost generators.

Network Congestion

Network congestion occurs when a network node or link is carrying more data than it can handle resulting in lower quality service.

Distribution Management System

DMS is a system to collect, organize and analyze electric distribution data real-time to provide instant insights.

Smart Meter

A smart meter is a meter that records each consumer’s individual energy usage and then shares it with the provider. It is a tool to better manage and optimize the grid.

Smart Appliances

A smart appliance is a device that can be connected to your phone to provide better control and management of the usage.

Meter Data Management System

MDMS is a system for compiling data from the meters, analyzing it and making it ready for billing. It is a management tools for utilities.

Orchestration

Orchestration is the automated configuration, management, and coordination of software. Orchestration helps IT teams to easily manage complex tasks and workflows. It is usually used for complex backend structures.

Consumer vs Prosumer

A consumer is your traditional user — he simply uses the energy. A prosumer, however, is someone who not only consumes energy but also produces it (for example, using solar panels).

Load Balancer

A load balancer is a way of distributing the traffic over various devices to increase reliability and capacity.

Load Adjustment

Load adjustment is a term for managing the traffic (the demand) during unusual periods of time. It is a way of adjusting the energy production or consumption to optimize the grid.

Sustainability

Sustainability is a concept that focuses on meeting our current needs without compromising the needs of future generations. It’s goal is to maintain our ecological environment without giving up on our needs and ways of life.

There you have it. I know all those might seem complicated, and some are, but the energy industry is an extremely important one.