| AD: |
Anaerobic digester, a device that promotes a biochemical process converting organic materials into gases that can be burned to provide electricity and heat |
| AGM: |
Annual General Meeting |
| ART: |
Advanced Renewable Tariffs,
roughly synonymous with feed-in laws and standard offer contracts |
| BP: |
Business Plan |
| CANSIA: |
Canadian Solar Industries Association, a non-profit trade association working to strengthen the Canadian solar industry and promote the use of renewable energy |
| CANWEA: |
Canadian Wind Energy Association, a nonprofit trade association promoting the responsible development of wind energy in Canada |
| CEC: |
Countryside Energy Cooperative |
| CED: |
Community Economic Development |
| CSA: |
Canadian Standards Association |
| CUCO: |
Credit Union Central of Ontario, a central credit union in Ontario owned and controlled by 172 member credit unions |
| EA: |
Environmental Assessment |
| ESA: |
Electrical Safety Authority, an independent body responsible for public electrical safety in Ontario through the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services |
| ESR: |
Environmental Screening Report |
| FSCO: |
Financial Services Commission of Ontario, the body that regulates cooperatives, trust companies, credit unions, insurance brokers and pensions in Ontario |
| GW: |
Gigawatt, a measure of electricity production or consumption equal to one billion watts |
| GWh: |
Gigawatt-hour, a measure of electricity consumed by a continuous load or produced by the continuous generation of one gigawatt over one hour, equivalent to one thousand MWh |
| IESO: |
Independent Electricity System Operator, the body that balances the flow of electricity throughout Ontario |
| kW: |
Kilowatt, a measure of electricity consumption or production equal to one thousand watts |
| kWh: |
Kilowatt-hour, a measure of electricity consumed by a continuous load or produced by the continuous generation of one kilowatt over one hour |
| LDC: |
Local Distribution Company, such as Toronto Hydro |
| MMAH: |
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing |
| MW: |
Megawatt, a measure of electricity production or consumption equal to one million watts |
| MWh: |
Megawatt-hour, a measure of electricity consumed by a continuous load or produced by the continuous generation of one megawatt over one hour, equivalent to one thousand kWh |
| NIMBY: |
Not In My Backyard, a term often used to characterize local opposition toward capital projects |
| NGO: |
Non-governmental organization, a broad term used to indicate an organization that is not a government entity, though the term typically denotes an organization that is not a for-profit organization |
| OEB: |
Ontario Energy Board, regulators of Ontario’s electricity and natural gas sectors |
| O & M: |
Operations and Maintenance |
| OMB: |
Ontario Municipal Board, an independent, adjudicative tribunal that hears appeals and applications on land use disputes |
| OSEA: |
Ontario Sustainable Energy Association |
| PPA: |
Power Purchase Agreement, a contract between a producer and consumer to sell and purchase electricity over time |
| PURE: |
Power Up! Renewable Energy Cooperative |
| PV: |
Photovoltaic, referring to solar technologies that convert sunlight into electricity |
| RET: |
Renewable Energy Tarrifs, see ART |
| RFP: |
Request For Proposal |
| RPS: |
Renewable Portfolio Standards |
| SOC: |
Standard Offer Contract, Ontario’s program offering a standardized rate for electricity produced by small or community-based renewable power projects |
| SME: |
Small/Medium-sized Enterprise |
| TREC: |
Toronto Renewable Energy Cooperative, responsible for WindShare and the Exhibition Place turbine |
| TW: |
Terawatt, a measure of electricity production or consumption equal to one trillion watts |
| TWh: |
Terawatt-hour, a measure of electricity consumed by a continuous load or produced by the continuous generation of one terawatt over one hour, equivalent to one thousand GWh |
