Technical reference
This glossary defines common EPC, solar PV, battery-storage, steam and industrial water-treatment terms. Each definition states what the term means, preserves important technical boundaries and links to a primary institutional reference.
Reviewed by the Spenomatic Engineering Team on . Contractual and regulatory meanings can vary by project and jurisdiction.
Energy storage
A battery energy storage system captures electrical energy, stores it in batteries and releases it later. Its power rating describes how quickly it can charge or discharge, while its energy rating describes how much energy it can store.
Water and wastewater
Biochemical oxygen demand is a water-quality measure of the oxygen microorganisms consume while breaking down biodegradable organic matter under specified test conditions.
Thermal energy
A biomass boiler produces hot water or steam by converting the chemical energy in an eligible biological fuel, such as agricultural residue or wood-based fuel, into useful heat.
Water and wastewater
Chemical oxygen demand is a laboratory measure of the oxygen equivalent required to chemically oxidize substances in a water or wastewater sample under defined test conditions.
Solar PV
Commercial and industrial solar is a photovoltaic system designed around the electricity demand, site constraints and operating profile of a business or industrial facility.
Project delivery
Commissioning is the planned process of checking, testing and documenting that installed systems and their interfaces operate in accordance with the project requirements before or during handover.
Thermal energy
Condensate recovery returns hot condensed steam to the boiler system where suitable, conserving heat and treated water and potentially reducing make-up water and chemical demand.
Project delivery
Engineering, procurement and construction is a project-delivery arrangement in which a contractor carries out the engineering, procurement and construction needed to deliver the facility defined by the contract. Exact responsibilities and risk allocation depend on the agreed contract.
Water and wastewater
An effluent treatment plant combines physical, chemical and/or biological processes to treat industrial wastewater toward the discharge, reuse or downstream-treatment requirements that apply to the facility.
Solar PV
An inverter converts direct-current electricity from sources such as photovoltaic modules or batteries into alternating-current electricity. Grid-connected inverters may also provide monitoring, protection and grid-support functions.
Solar PV
Megawatt-peak is a nameplate measure of a photovoltaic array’s rated direct-current power under specified standard test conditions. It is a power rating, not a measure of energy generated over time.
Operations
Operations and maintenance covers the procedures, monitoring, inspections, preventive work and corrective work used to operate an asset safely and sustain its intended performance after handover.
Solar PV
Photovoltaic describes devices that convert light directly into electricity. A PV system combines modules with electrical, structural, protection and control components needed for its intended application.
Energy storage
A power rating in kilowatts or megawatts describes the rate at which energy is transferred. An energy rating in kilowatt-hours or megawatt-hours describes an amount of energy over time. The two quantities are not interchangeable.
Commercial models
A power purchase agreement is a contract under which an electricity buyer purchases power from a project owner or generator under agreed commercial terms for a defined period.
Water and wastewater
Reverse osmosis is a pressure-driven membrane process that separates water from many dissolved ions and other constituents, producing a treated permeate stream and a more concentrated reject stream.
Water and wastewater
A sewage treatment plant uses staged physical, biological and, where required, chemical processes to treat domestic or sanitary wastewater before compliant discharge or planned reuse.
Project delivery
A turnkey project is delivered as a completed facility intended to be ready for operation at handover, subject to the tests, acceptance criteria, training and other obligations defined in its contract.
Water and wastewater
Zero liquid discharge is a treatment objective in which a facility recovers water and manages the remaining dissolved and suspended material so that no routine liquid wastewater stream is discharged from the defined process boundary.