ENERGY.ARCHIVE.CA
A-Z CANADIAN ENERGY TERMINOLOGY
Comprehensive glossary of energy terms, technical definitions, and industry terminology used across Canada's energy sector.
Definition: Integrated system of smart meters, communication networks, and data management systems enabling two-way communication between utilities and customers. AMI provides real-time energy usage data, remote meter reading, outage detection, and foundation for demand response programs and dynamic pricing.
Related Terms: Smart Grid, Demand Response, Time-of-Use Pricing
Definition: Minimum level of electricity demand on power grid over time. Baseload generation runs continuously providing steady, reliable electricity to meet constant demand. Nuclear, hydroelectric, and coal-fired plants historically provided baseload power. Contrasts with peak load addressing demand spikes and intermediate load filling gaps between baseload and peak.
Canadian Context: Hydroelectric (Quebec, Manitoba, BC) and nuclear (Ontario) provide majority of Canadian baseload generation.
Definition: Canadian-designed pressurized heavy-water nuclear reactor using natural uranium fuel and heavy water (deuterium oxide) as moderator and coolant. Key features include online refueling, enhanced neutron economy, fuel flexibility, and multiple independent safety systems. CANDU reactors operate in Canada, Argentina, China, India, Pakistan, Romania, and South Korea.
Advantages: No fuel enrichment required, online refueling maintains continuous operation, excellent safety record, proven technology with 60+ years Canadian experience.
Definition: Technologies capturing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes or power generation and storing permanently in geological formations. CCS prevents CO2 from entering atmosphere, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use and industrial processes. Captured CO2 may be used for enhanced oil recovery or other beneficial applications (CCUS - Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage).
Canadian Leadership: Boundary Dam (Saskatchewan), Quest Project (Alberta), Alberta Carbon Trunk Line demonstrate commercial CCS viability.
Definition: Ratio of actual energy output over period to potential output if operated at full capacity continuously. Expressed as percentage, capacity factor measures how effectively generation asset is utilized. High capacity factors indicate reliable, consistent generation. Factors vary by technology: nuclear (85-90%), geothermal (70-90%), hydroelectric (40-50%), wind (25-40%), solar (15-25%).
Application: Critical metric for project economics, grid planning, and technology comparison.
Definition: Grid management strategy incentivizing consumers to reduce or shift electricity consumption during peak demand periods or system stress. Programs include time-of-use rates, critical peak pricing, direct load control, and interruptible service agreements. Demand response enhances grid reliability, reduces need for peaking generation, and lowers overall system costs.
Benefits: Lower electricity costs, enhanced grid stability, reduced emissions, deferred infrastructure investments.
Definition: Electricity generation located close to consumers rather than centralized power plants transmitting power over long distances. Distributed generation includes rooftop solar panels, small wind turbines, combined heat and power systems, fuel cells, and backup generators. Benefits include reduced transmission losses, enhanced reliability, grid resilience, and renewable energy integration.
Technologies: Solar PV, wind, biomass CHP, natural gas generators, battery storage, geothermal heat pumps.
Definition: Using less energy to provide same service or output. Energy efficiency improvements reduce costs, lower emissions, enhance energy security, and decrease infrastructure requirements. Measures include building insulation, efficient appliances and lighting, industrial process optimization, transportation improvements, and behavior changes. Often most cost-effective emission reduction strategy.
Canadian Programs: Building retrofits, appliance standards, industrial programs, vehicle efficiency regulations.
Definition: Hydrogen produced through electrolysis powered by renewable electricity (wind, solar, hydroelectric). Electrolysis splits water (H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen without carbon emissions. Green hydrogen offers zero-emission fuel for transportation, industry, heating, and electricity generation. Contrasts with gray hydrogen (natural gas reforming) and blue hydrogen (natural gas with carbon capture).
Applications: Heavy vehicles, aviation, marine shipping, steel production, ammonia synthesis, industrial processes, energy storage.
Definition: Point where renewable energy generation costs equal or fall below conventional generation costs without subsidies. Grid parity achieved when levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from renewables matches grid electricity prices. Many jurisdictions including Canadian provinces have achieved solar and wind grid parity. Accelerating technology improvements and declining costs expand grid parity reach.
Impact: Economic viability drives renewable energy deployment without policy incentives, accelerating energy transition.
Definition: Electricity generated by harnessing gravitational force of falling or flowing water. Water flows through turbines connected to generators producing electricity. Technologies include conventional dams with reservoirs, run-of-river systems, pumped storage, and tidal/wave energy. Canada ranks second globally in hydroelectric generation with 60% of national electricity from hydro.
Advantages: Renewable resource, energy storage capability, flood control, low operating costs, flexible generation, long asset life (50-100+ years).
Definition: Achieving balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and removed from atmosphere. Net-zero requires reducing emissions to lowest feasible levels and offsetting remaining emissions through carbon removal (forests, carbon capture, etc.). Canada targets net-zero emissions by 2050 through renewable energy expansion, electrification, energy efficiency, carbon pricing, and innovation.
Strategies: Renewable electricity, transportation electrification, building retrofits, industrial decarbonization, nature-based solutions.
Definition: Process splitting atomic nuclei releasing enormous energy as heat. Nuclear power plants use controlled fission reactions heating water to produce steam driving turbine-generators. Fission occurs when neutrons strike uranium or plutonium atoms causing nuclei to split, releasing heat and additional neutrons sustaining chain reaction. Nuclear fission generates 15% of Canadian electricity with zero direct carbon emissions.
Fuel: CANDU reactors use natural uranium; most global reactors use enriched uranium.
Definition: Advanced nuclear reactors with capacity under 300 MW designed for factory fabrication and modular construction. SMRs offer scalable capacity, enhanced safety features (passive cooling systems), reduced capital costs, shorter construction times, and flexible applications (remote communities, industrial facilities, grid support). Canada develops SMR technology through Ontario, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan initiatives.
Designs: Light water reactors, molten salt reactors, sodium-cooled fast reactors, high-temperature gas reactors.
Definition: Electricity network using digital communications, sensors, and automated controls to optimize generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption. Smart grids integrate distributed generation, enable demand response, detect/isolate faults, support electric vehicles, and provide consumers real-time usage information. Technologies include smart meters, distribution automation, advanced analytics, and cybersecurity systems.
Benefits: Enhanced reliability, reduced outages, lower costs, renewable integration, consumer engagement, operational efficiency.
Definition: Electricity generated by converting wind's kinetic energy into mechanical power through turbines. Wind turns blades connected to rotor spinning generator shaft producing electricity. Modern utility-scale turbines reach 100+ meter heights with 150-meter rotor diameters generating 3-5 MW each. Canada operates 14,000+ MW wind capacity across 300+ wind farms concentrated in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.
Technologies: Horizontal-axis turbines (most common), vertical-axis turbines, onshore wind farms, offshore wind (emerging in Atlantic Canada).
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