Learn these keywords and stay in the renewable energy loop!
With the rise of renewable energy, talks have been going around it. As the discussion got more prominent, various keywords and jargon have increasingly been used in the conversation regarding the topic. With rapidly expanding phrases and words used, it is important for you to understand the meaning behind each to stay up to date.
At Mo Works, we have been working with a lot of companies focusing on renewable energy over the past years. The knowledge has been transferred and we have been passionately learning about these words - making sure we deliver their message effectively. Realising its significance, we compiled a glossary of the most commonly used keywords, so that you will have a better understanding of renewable energy.
A
Alternative Energy
This refers to sources of energy that can be used to substitute the currently most used fossil fuels that are harmful to the environment. The most popular alternative energy sources right now are solar, wind, and hydroelectricity.
B
Battery Storage
Battery storage refers to a technology that can help store the energy that has been captured and produced by solar panels to be used at a later time - securing the availability and balance of energy production and demand.
C
Carbon Footprint
Also commonly referred to as CO2 footprint is a term used to describe the amount of carbon/greenhouse gases that is emitted to the environment by the actions of a power station, organisation, business, or a person.
D
Direct Current (DC)
A form of electricity that flows in one direction. DC is the type of energy that solar panels generate. However, as most of the appliances we use need Alternating Current (AC) to operate, a solar system usually has a solar inverter to convert DC to AC.
E
Energy Efficiency
The less power/energy required to produce electricity/output, the more energy efficient something is. This can be achieved by upgrading the equipment used such as lighting, heating, electric vehicle transportation, etc.
F
Feed-in-tariff
When your solar system produces energy, it sometimes can produce much more than what you need. The excess energy will then be exported to the grid and you will get paid for it, the amount you get paid for is called the feed-in-tariff.
G
Greenhouse Effect
It is used to refer to the warming of the earth’s surface temperature due to carbon dioxide and other atmospheric gases that trap the radiation that would otherwise be released into space.
H
Hybrid Power Plants
Power plants can be called hybrid power plants when they generate electricity using two or more different sources of energy, no matter if it is renewable energy, non-renewable energy, or a mix of both.
I
Inverter
An inverter is used to convert Direct Current (DC) - a form of current produced by solar panels to Alternating Current (AC) so that it can be used to power most electrical appliances.
J
Joule
A unit of measurement for energy is defined by the amount of work done to produce a unit of power in one second.
K
Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
A unit of energy commonly used to refer to the electric capacity of a solar system. One kWh is one thousand watts of electric capacity.
L
LED Lighting
Everyone knows LED lighting. But, do you know what it actually means? LED stands for light emitting diode. It produces light up to 90% more efficiently than common light bulbs which makes it more sustainable and cheaper in terms of electrical bills.
M
Meter
Not metre, but meter. Meter is a device commonly used to measure the amount of electricity that moves into a residential or commercial building.
N
National Electricity Market (NEM)
The NEM is a wholesale market through which generators and retailers trade electricity in Australia. It interconnects the six eastern and southern states and territories and delivers around 80% of all electricity consumption in Australia. (energy.gov.au, 2022)
O
Offshore Wind Power
A power plant built on open water, sea, or ocean that utilises wind energy and turns it into electricity.
P
Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)
PPA is a contract between the energy company and the customer that allows them to buy low-cost electricity from them with no upfront costs.
Q
Quality
Informal classification of any product or service in this case renewable energy such as solar panels and its counterparts. It can be measured by its durability, power, length of use, etc.
R
Renewable Energy
Of course, we can’t miss this one. Renewable energy refers to all sources of energy that comes from natural sources that can continuously be replenished. This includes sun, water, light, geothermal heat, etc.
S
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
SDG refers to 17 sustainable development goals established by the United Nations back in 2015 to achieve peace and prosperity for the people and the planet. It touches on a range of areas such as hunger, climate protection, clean water and energy, and many more.
T
Transmission
The process of transferring produced electricity from the large power stations to closer substations so that it can be distributed to the users.
U
Uranium
A naturally radioactive element that is the basic fuel of nuclear energy.
V
Voltage Rise Calculations (VRC)
Calculations on the different voltages are often done in Australia to determine if a household is allowed to export their solar electricity to the grid.
W
Wholesale Electricity
Wholesale electricity is the electricity that is sold by large generators on the wholesale market. The price is usually much lower than the amount of residential/commercial.
Z
Zero Target
Zero target, commonly known as net zero, refers to a target set by many entities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and balance the ongoing emissions by taking them out of the atmosphere. For example, by planting trees that absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
The above keywords are some of the most used jargon when it comes to renewable energy. Understanding what each term means will help increase one’s awareness of the ongoing significant issue and inspire people to do more for the planet.
At Mo Works, we are proud to play our part in creating a better planet by working with leading brands in the sustainability sector such as renewable energy, circular economy, sustainable cooking oil, regenerative agriculture, and more to deliver their message effectively.
If you’re looking to make an impact with us, our talented team is equipped with skills, creativity, and passion to deliver your message effectively to the world as much as it is our mission to encourage those who want to bring positive change to our future.
