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To help you understand the key issues facing our industry, please use the following glossary of terms:
A
B
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D
E
F
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I
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M
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- Bank
- Actually, “transformer bank” or “capacitor bank”, a group of transformers or capacitors that are connected
- Bilateral Contract
- An agreement between two parties for the purchase and sale of energy products and services.
- Biomass
- A special class of chemical that contains hydrogen and carbon, also known as hydrocarbon (HC), or organic matter. Common biomass fuels—such as trees, plants, cow manure, apricot seeds and paper—contain chemical energy. To produce electricity, the energy is converted from one form to another. In most biomass processes, the fuel is first burned to convert it to heat. In other cases, bacteria are used to convert complex chemicals into methane, which is easier to burn. Heat can be further converted either to steam, the motion of an engine piston, or the spinning of turbine blades. The resulting motion spins a generator that produces electricity.
Learn more about biomass at SCE.com
- Blackouts vs. Brownouts
- A "brownout" (dimming lights) refers to a reduction of voltage on the electric system. Systems in the eastern parts of the U.S., where networks are integrated, use brownouts as a means of reducing electrical load during shortages. A “blackout” (turning lights off) refers to the method of reducing load through rotating outages. Under this system, utilities manage the outages by rotating them in a controlled fashion between groups of customers to ensure that no one customer is unduly inconvenienced. This method is used in California, as utility distribution systems here are designed as radial systems rather than integrated networks. If SCE were to lower the voltage at the source end of a radial distribution circuit, a customer at the end of the circuit would experience even lower voltage possibly damaging appliances and equipment.
- Branch Circuit
- That part of a wiring circuit between the final set of fuses and the place where the lighting fixtures or drop cords are attached.
- Break Parallel
- To open the switch that ties or connects two circuits together.
- Breaker
- A safety device to sense overloading and interrupt the circuit.
- Btu - British Thermal Unit
- The quantity of heat required to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at or near 39.2°F. A unit of measurement for heat.
- Bundled Service
- Service to a customer that combines metering, billing, generation and delivery of electricity through a host utility—the entity with the service jurisdiction for a given area (Also see “Direct Access.”).
- BURD Transformer
- Buried Underground Residential Distribution. A transformer that is normally located in an enclosure, below ground level, and is energized with underground cable.
- Bus
- A conductor or group of conductors which serves as a common connection within a substation or switchyard.
- Bypass
- Device used to maintain service while testing or replacing a meter.
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