Glossary Terms

Equal to 1,000 kilowatts or 1 million watts.

The amount of electric power drawn at a specific time from an electric system, or the total power drawn from the system. Peak load is the amount of power drawn at the time of highest electrical demand. Or a device or aggregation of devices that are connected to an electrical system that consume electrical power.

A unit of energy equal to 1,000 watt-hours. The basic measure of electric energy generation or use. A 100-watt light bulb that is left on for 10 hours uses one kilowatt-hour.

A notice from the IRS that makes a ruling on how a particular portion of the tax code applies in a specific instance for an individual or business. Many community wind projects have asked the IRS for rulings on the ability of the project’s business structure to take advantage of the production tax credit (and other tax advantages) in a way that is within the law. Private letter rulings from the IRS only apply to the specific project the ruling is addressed to.

A legally binding document that defines the technical and contractual terms under which a generator can interconnect and deliver energy to a transmission operating utility’s system.