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ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY GLOSSARY
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SINGLE BUYER (SB): |
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Non-profit, joint stock company established by the National Grid Manager (GRTN), whose activities are carried out in accordance with the directives issued by the Ministry for Industry, Commerce and Handcrafting. Its primary task is to ensure the continuous, safe and efficient supply of electricity to all captive customers; that is, those customers who have no possibility of accessing the free market and cannot choose their electricity supplier freely. |
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ENVIRONMENT: |
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the surroundings in which an organisation operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, human beings and their interrelations. This definition extends from the company to the system as a whole. |
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CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2): |
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colourless and odourless gas naturally found in the earth's atmosphere. Significant quantities of this gas are released into the atmosphere through combustion processes and deforestation. This gas is one of the main greenhouses gasses responsible for global warming. Its quantity in the air is increasing from year to year. According to current estimates, this is rising by approximately 0.27% per year. |
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SULPHUR DIOXIDE (CO2): |
colourless gas with a strong smell, formed during fossil fuel combustion. Electrical power plants who use carbon or petrol with a high sulphur content can be a source of significant amounts of SO2. SO2 and other sulphur oxides all contribute to the problem of acid rain. SO2 is one of the biggest air pollutants. |
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HIGH VOLTAGE (HV): |
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nominal voltage between phases above 35 kV and equal to or less than 150 kV. |
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VERY HIGH VOLTAGE (VHV): |
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nominal voltage between phases above 150 kV. |
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| SELF-PRODUCER: |
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physical or legal persons who produce electricity at a measure of no less than 70% of their own energy needs. |
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ITALIAN REGULATORY AUTHORITY FOR ENERGY AND GAS (AEEG): |
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independent body established in Italy with Law no. 481 dated 14 November 1995 with the role of monitoring and regulating public services in the electricity and gas sectors. Website www.autorità.energia.it. The Bersani Decree furthermore endowed this body with specific tasks concerning the free market, including the task of establishing technical-economic conditions to access the national transmission network, and resolve all controversies which might arise on rights to access the network. |
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LOW VOLTAGE . |
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nominal voltage between phases no higher than 1 KV. |
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BALANCE: |
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Activity aimed at maintaining a balance between introducing and withdrawing electricity from the network. |
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BIOMASS: |
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all living materials deriving from production processes (for example, crops or crop residues, animal waste etc.), which have developed naturally (terrestrial and aquatic plants, etc,) or which have been expressly produced (wood to be burned, etc.) and which can be used as fuel. |
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ENERGY EXCHANGE: |
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a wholesale market based on the auction mechanism. The Exchange maintains an instant, efficient balance between supply and demand for electricity, favouring competition. |
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BOILER: |
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a combustion chamber; a closed structure where fuel is burned to heat air or other elements. |
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CLIMATE CHANGE: |
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a change in the climate which may be caused by an increase in the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gasses which inhibit the transmission of heat from the earth's surface towards space. These gasses include carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other chemical products. The increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases is partly caused by human activities - deforestation, the use of fossil fuels such as petrol, gasoline, coal and natural gasses, the release of CFC from refrigerators, air conditioners etc. |
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| LOAD CAPACITY: |
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the maximum number of organisms which can employ a given part of a natural habitat without degrading the overall habitat. |
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CARBON SINK: |
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a reserve which absorbs carbon released in another phase of the carbon cycle. For example, if the net exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere is in favour of the atmosphere, then the biosphere is the source and the atmosphere is the disperser (or sink). |
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| COMBUSTION CELL: |
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an electro-chemical cell which captures electricity in a chemical reaction between fuels such as liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and converts these continuously and directly into energy in the form of a continuous source of electricity. |
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RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES (REC): |
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introduced by Ministerial Decree of 11 November 1999 to promote renewable resources in the energy market, these” certify" that a given amount of electricity is produced using renewable resources. Since 2001 all subjects who import and produce electricity from non-renewable sources must also input a share of electricity into the network produced using renewable resources. This share has been initially set at 2% energy of production (or imports) in excess of 100 GWh/year. |
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| COMBINED CYCLE: |
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in an electric power plant a combined cycle is the joint use of gas turbine technology and vapour turbine technology. |
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CIP/6: |
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the acronym stands for the Provision of Interministerial Price Committee no. 6 dated 1992 which established the price at which private parties can sell electricity produced from renewable resources. The CIP/6 mechanism was later substituted by Renewable Energy Certificates in accordance with the Bersani Decree. |
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FINAL CUSTOMER : |
| physical or legal person who acquires electricity exclusively for their own use. |
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WHOLESALE CUSTOMER: |
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physical or legal person who purchases and sells electricity without producing it, transmitting or distributing it in the European Union. |
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| ELIGIBLE CUSTOMER: |
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physical or legal person with the capacity of entering into supply contracts with any producer, distributor or wholesaler both in Italy and abroad in terms of consumption thresholds set by the Bersani Decree. |
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| CAPTIVE CUSTOMER: |
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physical or legal person who is not part of the suitable customer category and can enter into supply contracts exclusively with the distributor who serves the territory where the user is located. |
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| COGENERATION: |
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The combined production of electricity and heat. |
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FUEL: |
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is material which, if consumed, releases molecular energy used for other purposes, such as to perform work (run a machine). |
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FOSSIL FUEL: |
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any type of hydrocarbon deposit which can be used to generate heat or power. The following are fossil fuels: coal, petrol, natural gas. Fossil fuels were created when animals and plants living millions or years ago decomposed. One of the problems of fossil fuels is that these release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when they are burned. The gasses produced are a significant factor contributing to the greenhouse effect. |
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| ALTERNATIVE FUELS: |
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these are fuels such as methanol, ethanol, natural gas and liquid gas, which are cleaner than petrol and fulfil emission standards at a European, international and national level. These fuels can be used instead of traditional fuels in vehicles. |
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COMBUSTION: |
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the act of burning a given type of fuel, such as for example gasoline, to produce energy. This process is used to power motor in vehicles and power plants. |
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| BIOMASS COMBUSTION: |
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burning organic material to produce energy. Carbon dioxide is a sub-product of this process, but its release balance into the atmosphere is zero. The amount released into the atmosphere is equal to the amount absorbed by the biomass lifecycle. |
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COMMODITY: |
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goods or raw materials with standard, well identified characteristics. |
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| VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPONENTS (VOC): |
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components containing carbon, which, with a few exceptions, are volatised into the air. VOCs contribute to the formation of pollution and can be toxic. VOCs often have a recognisable smell. Some examples include gasoline, alcohol and solvents used as paints. |
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| BORDERING MUNICIPALITIES: |
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areas where the offices of individual businesses making up a consortium are located. Normally these municipalities border each other. |
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| CONCENTRATION: |
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the amount of gas contained in the atmosphere, defined as a ratio of total represented volume. Traces of greenhouse gasses are found in the atmosphere. These are normally measured in parts per million for volume (ppmv), in parts per billion for volume (ppbv) or in parts per trillion (a million millions) for volume (pptv). |
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| CONSERVATION: |
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designing and managing resources to ensure long term use and improve quality, value and diversity. Rational energy use, employing more efficient technologies or changing wasteful behaviours. |
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| CONSORTIUM: |
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a group of businesses - even operating in different sectors, but located in the same municipality or in adjoining municipalities - which join together to achieve the necessary threshold level to qualify as an eligible customer. Starting 1 January 2002, the minimum annual threshold level to join a consortium is 1 Wh, while the minimum overall threshold for a consortium is of 9 GWh. Small businesses - which cannot qualify as suitable customers on their own - can draw benefits from the free market through a consortium and therefore obtain more favourable conditions for energy supplies deriving from the consortium's greater capacity to negotiate in terms of alternative suppliers and their improvement in their overall consumption profile. |
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| BILATERAL SUPPLY CONTRACT: |
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contract to supply electricity and services between a producer/wholesaler and a suitable customer within the scope of a free market. |
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CT: |
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Variable unit cost, recognised for electricity produced using thermoelectric systems which employ commercial fossil fuels. Published by the Regulatory Authority for Energy on a bi-monthly basis. |
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| LOAD CURVE: |
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temporal electricity consumption series at the customer's site. Can be calculated on an hourly or quarter-hourly basis. |
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BERSANI DECREE: |
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Legislative Decree no. 79 dated 19 March 1999, which came into force on the 1st of April 1999, incorporating EC Directive 96/92/EC into national legislation, containing common regulations for the internal electricity market as well as liberalising this market. |
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| DEFORESTATION: |
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a practice or process which results in a longer term change in the use of the territory from forest to non-forest. Its primary causes are cutting down trees for commercial purposes or using the land for farming. Its negative effects are: - the greenhouse effect (green plants help absorb CO2 from the atmosphere) - desertification in dry areas - the collapse of ecosystems with high biodiversity levels. |
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DEPLETION: |
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the result of the extraction and consumption of non-renewable resources from the environment or the use of renewable resources at a quicker rate than these can be renewed. |
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| DISPATCHING: |
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activity aimed at providing dispositions for use and coordinate production plants, the national grid and auxiliary services, entrusted exclusively to the National Grid Manager (GRTN). |
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| INTERCONNECTION DEVICE: |
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Device used to connect electricity networks (i.e. plugs, disconnecting switch). |
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DISTRIBUTOR: |
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Entity which distributes electricity based on concessions issued by the Ministry for Industry, Commerce and Handcrafting. |
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DISTRIBUTION: |
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The transport and transformation of electricity on medium and low voltage distribution networks to final customers. |
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| DESTRUCTION OF THE OZONE LAYER: |
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the reduction of the ozone layer in the atmosphere. The ozone layer protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation. This reduction can be caused by the scission of components containing chlorine and/or bromine, which can catalytically destroy ozone molecules. |
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| ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT: |
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any direct or indirect effect on the environment caused by an organisation, be it positive or negative. An environmental effect is the result of an environmental action within an environment. |
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| GREENHOUSE EFFECT: |
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a progressive and gradual rise of the earth's temperature caused by the insulating effect of carbon monoxide and other greenhouse gasses which have increased in concentration in the atmosphere over the past century. The greenhouse effect disturbs the way in which the earth maintains its equilibrium between incoming and outgoing energy, allowing short-wave radiation from the sun to penetrate and heat up the earth but stopping long-wave radiation from exiting towards the atmosphere again. It causes the atmosphere to block thermal energy, which in turn causes a situation similar to that found in car with closed windows. |
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| EFFICIENCY: |
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the output fraction of the type of work desired, produced by the absorption of input energy in any type of energy transformation. For example, an efficient light bulb uses the vast majority of the electricity it receives to produce light (and not heat). |
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| FUEL EFFICIENCY: |
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the quantity of work obtained compared to the quantity of fuel used. In vehicles, for example, efficient fuels allow the user to travel over a greater distance per litre compared to inefficient fuels. |
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| ENERGY EFFICIENCY: |
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the ratio between the amount of energy generated during a manufacturing process and the amount of energy absorbed by the same process. Energy efficiency measures are designed to reduce the amount of fuel consumed both by means of greater insulation and through less waste or through efficiencies of a mechanical nature, without losing value in the product or the process. Improving energy yields is one of the technological means available to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without increasing production costs. |
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EMISSION: |
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the release of a substance - usually a gas - into the atmosphere. |
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| GEOTHERMAL ENERGY: |
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heat generated by natural processes which take place inside the earth. The primary resources used by this process are: rocks, magma, water/vapour from geysers and fissures and water saturated with pressurised methane at great depths (the latter is known as geopressure). |
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| RENEWABLE ENERGY: |
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energy produced by non-exhaustible resources: sun, wind, water, ground, biomass, etc. As such, it is solar, wind, hydraulic, geothermic etc. power. |
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EXPOSURE: |
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the concentration of a pollutant in the air multiplied by the population exposed to that concentration for a given period of time. |
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ETHANOL: |
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ethyl-alcohol, a volatile alcohol containing two carbon groups. As a fuel, ethanol is produced by fermenting cereals or other vegetable products. |
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TIME BAND : |
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Period of time during which energy is used, peak hours (F1), high load hours (F2), medium load hours (F3) and empty hours (F4). In case of supply to large users connected in high or medium voltage, the system can be accessed in a multi-hour manner with different tariffs for different hours. Dividing days and weeks into different time bands for the supply of medium voltage compared time bands to supply a higher voltage. |
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EMISSION FACTOR : |
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the ratio between the amount of pollution produced and the quantity of raw material processed or burned. For vehicles, the ratio between the amount of pollution produced and the number of miles travelled with the vehicle using renewable resources. Emissions for a source can be calculated using the emission factor of a pollutant and specific data on the quantity of materials employed from that given source. This method is used to prepare emission inventories. |
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| ENERGY SOURCES: |
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includes all fossil fuels (coal, petrol, gas); nuclear (fission or fusion); and renewable resources (sun, wind, geothermic, biomass, hydroelectric): |
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| RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES: |
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category of energy sources which includes the sun, wind, sea waves, hydraulic energy, geothermic resources and the transformation of vegetable products or organic and inorganic wastes. |
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SUPPLY: |
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action carried out by every entity selling electricity to customers employing power and/or distribution lines belonging to an electricity distribution company. |
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FUMES: |
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solid particles with a size of less than 1 micron in diameter which are formed as vapour condensation or chemical reactions which take place during a given process. |
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GREENHOUSE GASSES (OR GHG): |
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include commonplace gasses such as carbon dioxide and water vapour as well as rarer gasses such as methane and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which transmit and reflect different types of radiation. The increase of gasses in the atmosphere - which contributes to global warming - is caused by fossil fuel combustion, the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere and deforestation. |
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GENCO (GENERATION COMPANIES): |
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plant generating an overall installed power of 15,000 MW, which the Enel Group must divest itself of by 2002. |
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GEOTHERMIC: |
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refers to thermal energy extracted from reservoirs found inside the earth, such as the use of geysers, magma and vapour spouts. |
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NATIONAL GRID MANAGER (GRTN): |
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Joint stock company, entirely held by the Ministry for Finance, exclusively responsible for the concession to transmit and dispatch electricity as well as for a unified management of the national grid in order to ensure the safety of the national electricity system and equal treatment for all operators in the sector regardless of the ownership of the grid itself. |
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| WHOLESALER (WHOLESALE OPERATORS): |
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Physical or legal person who purchases and sells electricity without producing it, transmitting or distributing it in the European Union. |
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HYDRO: |
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everything produced or derived from water or from the movement of water, such as hydroelectric energy. |
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| HYDROCARBONS: |
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are composites containing various combinations of carbon and hydrogen atoms. They can be released into the air by natural sources (for example trees) or as a result of the combustion of fossil and vegetable fuels, when a fuel becomes volatile or with the use of solvents. Hydrocarbons are a significant source of air pollution. |
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| ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: |
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any change in the environment, both positive and negative, entirely or partially deriving from activities carried out by an organisation. An environmental impact is most often correlated to an environmental problem. |
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INCINERATION: |
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is a combustion process for solid waste and other material under controlled conditions. |
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SOLAR IRRADIATION: |
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solar energy radiation received by the earth. |
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JOINT IMPLEMENTATION: |
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the concept according to which industrialised countries fulfil their obligations to reduce their emission of greenhouse gasses by receiving credits to invest in reducing emissions in developing countries. |
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| FLUORESCENT LIGHTING: |
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a device which uses the incandescence of an electrified gas for lighting as opposed to a heated conductor filament which emits electrical light. |
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| FREE MARKET: |
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Market in which both foreign and national electricity wholesalers and producers compete to supply electricity to suitable customers. What must be noted is that its size and the number of operators active in it are set to increase in view of the progressive lowering of suitability thresholds to access the free market in accordance with the Bersani Decree. |
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| CAPTIVE MARKET: |
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electricity market to supply final customers who do not fall within the scope of the definition of suitable customers and as such can enter into contracts exclusively with the distributor who supplies the area in which they are located. The price to purchase electricity, in this context, is uniformed at a national level and is regulated by the Italian Regulatory Authority for Electricity and Gas. |
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| METHANE (CH4): |
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a greenhouse gas with four hydrogen molecules and one carbon molecule. It produced in aerobic conditions during the decomposition of solid wastes in landfills, etc. |
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| TARIFF OPTION: |
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Group of tariffs defined by distributors as remuneration for the transport, purchase sale and measure of electricity. |
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| NITROGEN OXIDE (NOX): |
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a general term for nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide and other nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen oxide is typically created during combustion processes and is one of the primary causes of the formation of air pollution and acid deposits in the soil. NO is an air pollutant and can have harmful health effects. These oxides are essentially produced by exhaust fumes from vehicles and power plants. |
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| CARBON MONOXIDE (CO): |
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a colourless and odourless gas produced by incomplete hydrocarbon combustion. CO interferes with the blood's capacity to carry oxygen to tissues and has numerous negative effects on health. More than 80% of CO released in urban areas comes from vehicle exhaust fumes. CO is one of the largest pollutants in the atmosphere. |
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OZONE (O3): |
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is comprised of three oxygen atoms connected to each other as opposed to normal atmospheric oxygen which is comprised of only two oxygen atoms. Ozone is created in the atmosphere and is extremely reactive. As such, it has a brief lifecycle. Ozone is an effective greenhouse gas in the stratosphere (it absorbs infrared radiation) and a filter for ultraviolet radiation. Ozone in the troposphere can be dangerous since it is toxic to human beings and living organisms. High ozone levels in the troposphere exist in some areas, especially in large cities and are the result of photochemical reactions by hydrocarbons and hydrogen oxides released by vehicles and power plants. |
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| PRODUCER: |
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Physical or legal person who produces electricity independently using their own production plant. |
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| PRODUCTION: |
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the generation of electricity, regardless of how it is produced (fossil fuels, hydraulic sources, renewable resources, nuclear energy). |
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| NITRIC OXIDE (N2O): |
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is a greenhouse gas comprised of two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule. |
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| DELIVERY POINT: |
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the point where electricity is in transit into the network. |
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| REDELIVERY POINT: |
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the point where electricity is in transit from the network. |
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| ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION GRID: |
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all the distribution and transmission networks connected by one or more interconnection devices. |
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| GLOBAL WARMING: |
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the rise in temperature in the earth's troposphere. Global warming in the past was the result of natural phenomena, but the term is most often used today for global warming forecast by recent models as a consequence of increased greenhouse gas emissions connected to human activity (the use of fossil fuels). |
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| RESOURCES: |
| materials found in the environment which can extracted with an economic process. Resources can be abiotic (non-renewable) or biotic (renewable). |
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| NATURAL RESOURCES: |
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include renewable resources (forests, water, lands, wildlife, etc,) and non-renewable resources (petrol, coal, ferrous minerals, etc.) |
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| EXCHANGE: |
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method to reconcile electricity in transit into the system and electricity in transit out of the system should this take place simultaneously. |
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| CARBON SEQUESTRATION: |
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generally refers to carbon blocked by closed basins - such as oceans - or terrestrial basins - such as forests or lands – which withhold from the atmosphere. |
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NATIONAL ELECTRICITY SYSTEM: |
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the sum total of all production plants and distribution and transmission networks, including auxiliary services and interconnection and dispatching devices found within a country. |
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| SITE: |
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the sum total of all delivery and/or redelivery points in a given area available to a single individual (physical or legal person), without a continuity solution with the exception of areas solely separated by a road, railway or by courses of water, or nevertheless connected by an electric power line which is exclusively available to the same individual. |
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| SUITABILITY THRESHOLD: |
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parameter which identifies the suitability of an individual based on its annual consumption of electricity. Minimum consumption levels are set by the Bersani Decree. |
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| NATURAL SOURCES: |
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non-artificial sources of emission, including biological and geological sources, etc. |
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| OZONE LAYER: |
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is the ozone found in the stratosphere. It is very diffused and occupies a region which is several kilometres wide. This ozone is conventionally defined as a layer to aid comprehension. |
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| SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: |
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Implies an economic development which takes place in conjunction with protecting the environment, one reinforces the other. The essence of this type of development is a stable relationship between human activities and the natural world, which does not decrease prospects |
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| TARIFF: |
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maximum unit price for a service, net of taxes, pursuant to Law no. 481 dated 14 November 1995. |
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| TRANSMISSION: |
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transporting and transforming electricity on an interconnected network with very high and high voltage to deliver it to customers, distributors and the recipients of self-produced energy. |
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| TRANSIT: |
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the use of the National Grid and distribution networks to transport electricity from its point of withdrawal. |
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