B

Battery

A rechargeable storage device for electric energy. It stores energy in the form of a potential chemical reaction and recovers it in the form of electric current. Both the charging and recovery process generate heat, which results in some energy loss. Batteries make it possible to operate electric and electronic devices independently of electricity networks.

Biomass

Biomass is anything derived from plant or animal matter and includes agricultural, forestry wastes/residues and energy crops.

C

Cap and trade scheme

A scheme to regulate emissions where a cap is set on the amount of emissions permitted, and the rights to emit are distributed to companies who are then able to buy and sell these rights.

Carbon capture

This is the removal of CO2 from fossil fuels either before or after combustion. Estimates suggest that carbon capture and storage could reduce carbon emissions by 80-90% from a power station. Carbon capture and storage is referred to as CCS.

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

A greenhouse gas generated as a by-product of the combustion of fossil fuels or vegetable matter. The most common global warming theories attribute temperature increases to increases in the greenhouse effect caused primarily by human-generated carbon dioxide

Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT)

This is an obligation on energy suppliers to improve domestic energy efficiency, which will replace the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC). CERT runs 2008-2011. Suppliers will have to spend twice as much under CERT as they did under EEC. The main objective of CERT is carbon reduction to tackle climate change, but with a focus on energy savings for low-income customers. There are plans to include microgeneration and measures to encourage behaviour change within the scope of CERT.

Carbon Footprint

The Carbon Footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). An 'Energy' Carbon Footprint is the amount of CO2 emitted every year from the energy produced for a person's use (primarily from fossil fuel sources).

Carbon intensity

Carbon intensity measures the volume of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of electricity generated. This allows you to compare the efficiency of two differently-sized companies doing similar things, which a carbon footprint comparison would not.

Carbon offsetting

Carbon offsetting involves calculating a carbon footprint and then investing in a project that reduces greenhouse gases emissions into the atmosphere by an equivalent amount. To be effective, an offset must be additional.

Carbon storage

Sometimes called carbon sequestration, this is the long-term storage of carbon or CO2. In nature, large forests and oceans act as carbon 'sinks' and help to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Artificial sequestration, such as injecting CO2 into geological formations (often under the seabed), requires technology such as carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Coal gasification

In an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) generating unit, ground coal is combined with steam and oxygen at extremely high pressure and extremely high temperatures (up to 2,000 degrees Celsius or 3,632 degrees Fahrenheit). This creates syngas, which consists mainly of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The syngas is then used to run a combined cycle gas turbine, which has a significantly higher thermal efficiency than a traditional coal-fired generating unit. Also, the carbon dioxide concentrations in an IGCC unit are much higher, making carbon capture easier and more economical. IGCC technology is not yet ready for use on a commercial scale. For one thing, the initial gasification of coal requires large amounts of energy. In the future, this technology could be used to produce synthetic fuels and hydrogen.

Combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT)

Combined cycle gas turbine refers to a gas-fired electricity generation plant which uses waste heat to power a steam turbine. All our gas-fired power stations are CCGT plants.

Combined heat and power (CHP) / cogeneration

Generating technology in which both electric and thermal energy are obtained from a single energy source, which makes CHP generating units significantly more efficient.

Climate Change Levy

The Climate Change Levy (CCL) was introduced by the Government in 2001 as part of its commitment under the Kyoto Protocol to tax non-domestic energy use. The CCL aims to promote energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Businesses that have Climate Change Agreements with the Government get an 80% reduction on the levy. Other exemptions from the CCL include renewable electricity sold under a renewable source contract and energy sold to charities for certain activities. Gas and electricity suppliers are responsible for charging CCL to their business customers and then paying the Government.

Corporate Responsibility

Corporate Responsibility, also known as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR),is a term used to describe the responsibilities a company has to its wider stakeholders including its employees, its customers, its neighbours and the environment.

D

Distributed generation

The process by which consumers generating their own heat and power can sell it back to the network

DTI

Department for Trade and Industry