WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL HELP!
PLEASE MAKE YOUR CHECK PAYABLE TO:
WCRE
AND MAIL IT TO:
THE WOODLANDS COALITION
37 HACKBERRY HILL RD.
WESTON, CT 06883
GLOSSARY
OF WOODLANDS COALITION TERMS**
To
better help everyone understand some of the terms
that you hear so frequently and to get a better
idea of who the “players” are in this issue,
we have put together this glossary. If there is
something that we have left off, please bring it
to our attention immediately at info@woodlandscoalition.com
115 kV:
115
kilovolts or 115,000 volts
345 kV:
345 kilovolts or 345,000 volts
"345-kV Loop":
Two
345-kV lines providing service to the Norwalk area
from both the east and north.
AC: (alternating
current)
An
electric current which reverses its direction of
flow periodically.
(In the United States this occurs 60 time a
second-60 cycles or 60 Hertz.)
This is the type of current supplied to
homes and business.
ACSR:
Aluminum
Conductor, Steel Reinforced, a common type of
overhead conductor.
AEIC:
Abbreviation
for the Association of Edison Illuminating
Companies
Ampere (Amp):
A
unit measure for the flow (current) of
electricity.
A typical
home service capability (i.e., size) is 100 amps;
200 amps is required for homes with electric heat.
Arrester:
Protects
lines, transformers and equipment from lightning
and other voltage surges by carrying the charge to
ground. Arresters
serve the same purpose on a line as a safety valve
on a steam boiler.
Attorney General:
Chief legal officer of the State. The Connecticut Constitution, CT General Statutes, and common law authorize the AG to represent the interests of the people of the State of Connecticut in all litigation involving the state to protect the public interest, and to serve as legal counsel to all state agencies. http://www.cslib.org/attygenl
Bundle:
(circuit)
Two
or more parallel 3-conductor circuits joined
together to operate as one single circuit.
Bundle: (conductor)
Two
or more phase conductors or cables joined together
to operate as a single phase.
Cable:
A
fully insulated conductor usually installed
underground but in some circumstances can be
installed overhead.
Capacitance:
The property of an electric conductor that
characterizes its ability to store an electric
charge. An electronic device called a capacitor is
designed to provide capacitance in an electric
circuit by providing a means for storing energy in
an electric field between two conducting bodies.
CDOT:
Connecticut
Department of Transportation
CHC:
Connecticut
Historical Commission
Circuit:
A
system of conductors (three conductors or three
bundles of conductors)
through which an electrical current is
intended to flow and which may be supported above
ground by transmission structures or placed
underground.
Circuit Breaker:
A
switch that automatically disconnects power to the
circuit in the event of a fault condition.
Located in substations. Performs the same
function as a circuit breaker in a home.
CL&P:
The
Connecticut Light & Power Company
CMEEC:
Connecticut
Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative, Inc.
Conductor:
A
metallic wire busbar, rod , tube or cable which
serves as a path for electric flow.
Conduit:
Pipes,
usually PVC plastic, typically encased in
concrete, for underground power cables.
Conversion:
Change
made to an existing transmission line for use at a
higher voltage, sometimes requiring the
installation of more insulators.
(Lines are sometimes prebuilt for future
operation at the higher voltage.)
CONVEX:
Connecticut
Valley Electric Exchange
Corona:
A
luminous discharge caused by the ionization of
neutral air molecules surrounding the conductor.
This discharge is caused by a voltage
gradient which exceeds a certain critical value.
Corona Losses:
Transmission
power transfer losses caused by corona discharge.
CSC:
Connecticut Siting Council
The
CSC has a mandate to objectively balance the
statewide public need for adequate and reliable
services at the lowest reasonable cost to
consumers with the need to protect the environment
and ecology of the state. The Council is funded
primarily by application fees and assessments, and
administrative assessments of the electric
utilities, hazardous waste generators, and
telecommunications providers of the State.
http://www.state.ct.us/csc.
For
a listing of the members of the CSC you may go to: http://woodlandscoalition.com/SitingCouncil.htm
DC: (direct
current):
Electricity
that flows continuously in one direction.
A battery produces DC power.
Demand:
The
total amount of electricity required at any given
time by an electric supplier’s customers.
DEP:
Department
of Environmental Protection
Distribution:
Line,
system. The
facilities that transport electrical energy from
the transmission system to the customers.
D&M Plan:
Development & Management Plan showing details of construction and impact mitigation measures. Plan must be approved by the Council.
DPUC:
Department
of Utility Control. The mission of the DPUC
is to ensure that safe, reliable, modern, and
fairly priced utility services are available
throughout Connecticut. http://www.state.ct.us/dpuc
Duct Bank:
A group of ducts or conduit usually encased
in concrete in a trench.
EHV:
Extra high voltage.
Electric Field:
Result
of voltages applied to electrical conductors and
equipment.
Electric Transmission:
The
facilities (69 kV+) that transports electrical
energy from generating plants to distribution
substations.
EMF:
Electric
and magnetic fields.
Eminent
Domain
The
right of a government to appropriate private
property for public use, usually with compensation
to the owner. Compensation does not include loss
of total property value, simply the current value
of the land which is taken.
EPR:
Ethylene-propylene
rubber – A type of electric insulation
Fault:
A
failure or interruption in an electrical circuit
(short circuit).
FEMA:
Federal
Emergency Management Agency
FERC
The
Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission
regulated the transmission and wholesale sales of electricity
in interstate commerce; Licenses and inspects
private, municipal and state hydroelectric
projects; Oversees environmental matters related
to natural gas, oil, electricity and hydroelectric
projects; http://www.ferc.fed.us/about/about.htm
G:
Gauss;
1G = 1000 mG (milligauss); the unit of measure for
magnetic fields.
GIL:
Gas
Insulated Transmission using SF6.
GIS :
Gas
Insulated Substation composed of equipment
containing sulfur hexaflouride (SF6) as
the insulating medium.
General Assembly:
The elected body that creates legislation for the state of Connecticut, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. http://www.cga.state.ct.us/default.htm
Ground Wire:
Cable/wire
used to connect wires and metallic structure parts
to the earth.
Sometimes used to describe the lightning
shield wire.
Harmonics:
H-frame Structure:
A
wood or steel structure constructed of two upright
poles with a horizontal crossarm and bracings.
HPFF Pipe Cable System:
High-pressure
fluid-filled; a type of underground transmission
line
HPGF Pipe Cable System:
High-pressure
gas-filled, a type of underground transmission
line
Hz:
Hertz,
a measure of frequency; one cycle/second
kcmil:
1000
circular mils, approximately 0.0008 sq. in.
ISO-NE
Independent
Service Operators-New England ISO
New England is a non-profit Independent System
Operator. Regulator of power to all of New
England.
http://www.iso-ne.com
kV:
kilovolt,
equals 1000 volts
kV/m:
Electric
field measurement
(kilovolts/meter)
Lattice-type Structure:
Transmission or substation structure constructed of
lightweight steel members.
Lightning Shield Wire:
Electric
cable intended to prevent lightning from striking
transmission circuit conductors.
Line:
A
series of overhead transmission structures which
support one or more circuits; or in the case of
underground construction, a single electric
circuit.
Load:
Amount of power delivered as
required at any point or points in the system.
Load is created by the power demands of
customers' equipment (residential, commercial,
industrial).
LPFF:
Low-pressure fluid-filled; a type
of self-contained fluid filled (SCFF) underground
transmission line.
Magnetic Field:
Produced by the flow of electric current; strength measured
as magnetic flux density in units called gauss (G)
or milligauss (mG).
Magnetic Flux Density:
Strength of magnetic field
Manhole:
See Splice Vault
mG:
milliGauss (see Magnetic Field)
MOD:
Motor-Operated Disconnect switch
MVA (Megavolt Ampere):
Measure of electrical capacity
equal to the product of the voltage times the
current. Electrical
equipment capacities are sometimes stated in MVA
MVAR (Megavolt Ampere Reactive):
A reactive power measurement
incapable of doing work. Electrical equipment capacities are sometimes stated in MVAR.
MW (Megawatt):
Megawatt equals 1 million watts, measure of the work
electricity can do.
NEPOOL:
New England Power Pool
NESC:
National
Electrical Safety Code
NPCC:
Northeast Power Coordinating
Council
NU/CL&P:
Northeast
Utilities/Connecticut Light & Power http://www.nu.com
Office
Consumer Counsel:
The
Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC), is an
independent state agency with statutory
responsibility to represent customers of
Connecticut’s five regulated utilities –
electric, gas, water, telephone, and to some
extent, cable television, primarily in matters
that go before the Department of Public Utility
Control (DPUC). The OCC is authorized to
participate on behalf of consumer interests in all
administrative and judicial forums and in any
matters in which the interests of consumers with
respect to public utility matters may be involved.
http://www.occ.state.ct.us/
OH (Overhead): Electrical facilities installed above the surface of the
earth, usually relying on air for insulation.
Party/ Intervenor:
As
part of the application process, a citizen may
choose to take a more active participatory role.
He or she may file for party status. The AG’s
office, the OCC and the Woodlands Coalition all
have intervenor status, thus giving us a “seat
at the table” for the process. The role of the
Woodlands Coalition as an intervenor is to
represent the members of the Coalition.
Phases:
Transmission
(and some distribution) AC circuits are comprised
of three phases
which have a voltage differential between
them.
Pothead:
See
Terminator
PSI:
Pounds
per square inch
Reinforcement:
Any
of a number of approaches to improve the capacity
of the transmission system, including rebuild,
reconductor, conversion and bundling methods.
Rebuild:
Replacement
of an existing overhead transmission line with new
structures and conductors generally along the same
route as the replaced line.
Reconductor:
Replacement
of existing conductors with new conductors, but
with little if any replacement or modification of
existing structures.
Right of way:
ROW;
corridor; R/W
ROW:
Right
of way; corridor; R/W
SCADA:
Supervisory
Control and Data Acquisition
SCFF Cable System:
Self-contained
fluid-filled hollow-core cable; a type of
underground transmission line used primarily for
submarine installations.
SF6:
Sulfur
hexaflouride, an insulating gas used in GIS
substations and circuit breakers.
Shield Wire:
See
Lightning Shield Wire
Shunt Reactor:
An
electrical reactive power device used to
compensate for reactive power demands by
underground transmission lines.
Splice:
A
device to connect together the ends of bare
conductor or insulated cable.
Splice Vault:
A
buried concrete enclosure used to splice
underground cable ends and to install cable
bonding and grounding.
S/S (Substation):
A
fenced-in yard containing switches, transformers,
line terminal structures, and other equipment
buildings and structures.
Adjustments of voltage, monitoring of
circuits and other service functions take place in
this installation.
S/S (Switching Station):
A
fenced-in yard containing switches, line terminal
structures and other equipment, buildings and
structures. Switching
of circuits and other service functions take place
in this installation.
Steel Lattice Tower:
See
Lattice-Type Structure
Steel Monopole Structure:
Transmission
structure consisting of a single tubular steel
column with horizontal arms to support insulators
and conductors.
Step-down Transformer:
See
Transformer
Step-up Transformer:
See
Transformer
Switchgear: