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Glossary
- Bio-energy
- Energy derived from the use of biomass. Bio-energy technologies can generate electricity by burning biomass in its solid form or by converting it to gas (biogas) and burning the gas.
- Biomass
- Any organic matter that is available on a renewable or recurring basis, including dedicated energy crops and trees, agricultural food and feed crop residues, wood and wood wastes, animal wastes and other waste materials.
- Cogeneration
- The use of a single primary energy source to produce both industrial process heat and electricity.
- Congestion pricing
- Charging road users for driving during peak periods, or within defined areas, to reduce traffic congestion.
- Consumer energy
- The amount of energy used by consumers, excluding energy used or lost in the process of transforming primary energy into other forms - such as electricity - and transporting it.
- Demand-side management
- Methods to manage energy demand, including energy efficiency, load management and fuel switching.
- Distributed generation
- Any electricity generation facility that produces electricity for use at the point of location, or supplies electricity to other consumers through a local lines distribution network.
- Distribution
- The transport of electricity through a local network of low voltage power lines. Distribution networks connect electricity users with the national grid.
- Emissions charge
- A charge applied to fossil fuels and industrial process emissions to reflect, in some measure, their environmental costs.
- Energy intensity
- Energy use per unit of gross domestic product.
- Fossil fuels
- Coal, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), crude oil and fuels derived from crude oil, including petrol and diesel.
- Fuel switching
- The use of different energy sources or fuels to achieve the same energy services.
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
- The total market value of the goods and services a country produces in a year.
- Greenhouse gases
- Gases in the Earth's atmosphere that trap heat from the Sun and make the planet's surface warmer.
- National grid
- The high voltage transmission network that transports electricity throughout the country. The grid has more than 12,000 kms of transmission lines, carrying electricity from generators to distributors and directly to some major industrial users.
- International Energy Agency (IEA)
- An international organisation established within the framework of the OECD as an agency for energy cooperation between 26 member countries, including New Zealand.
- Kyoto Protocol
- A 1997 international agreement to address climate change which sets greenhouse gas emission targets for developed countries. A subsidiary agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
- Load management
- Measures to reduce electricity demand at peak load times or to shift some of it to off-peak times.
- Negotiated Greenhouse Agreement (NGA)
- A voluntary contract between a business and the government that requires the business to follow an agreed pathway to world's best practice targets in the management of its greenhouse gas emissions, in return for a full or partial exemption from the emissions charge.
- Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
- An international organisation with 30 member countries which acts as a forum to discuss, develop and refine economic and social policies, based on a shared commitment to the market economy and a pluralist democracy.
- Photovoltaic
- A solar energy technology that uses semiconductor materials to convert sunlight directly into electricity.
- Primary energy
- Energy extracted from natural sources, by contrast with consumer energy.
- Projects to Reduce Emissions
- A government programme providing Kyoto Protocol carbon credits to projects that will reduce New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions during the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period (2008-2012).
- Renewable energy
- Energy produced from sources that are not depleted by use, or which can be renewed after use, including solar, wind, hydro, biomass, tidal, wave, and ocean current sources. Geothermal energy is considered renewable, although geothermal fields can be depleted if fluids are extracted at a higher rate than they are replenished.
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
- A 1992 international agreement to address climate change that includes a range of non-mandatory commitments by member countries. Followed by the Kyoto Protocol.
- United Nations Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC or IPCC)
- An organisation established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organisation to assess the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding climate change.
- Wholesale electricity market
- A computerised trading system enabling electricity purchasers, including retailers and large power users, to buy electricity off the generators. It includes a half-hourly spot market, longer-term contract markets, and security and reserves markets.
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