Agrivoltaics

Refers to the practice of simultaneously co-locating solar energy generation and agricultural production on the same land.

ATI

Array Technologies - solar tracking solutions

BAFO

Best and final offer

BESS/BSS/BS

Battery Energy Storage System (Synonyms/AKA - Batteries, Solar+, Solar-Plus, BESS/BS/BSS/ESS, etc.)

BMP

Best management practices

BOC

Bill of materials

BOM

Beginning of Construction

CM

Corrective Maintenance (An Operations & Maintenance Service)

CO

Change Order - change to the scope of work or material terms inside of an agreement

COD

Commercial Operation Date

COI

Certificate of Insurance

CPRG

Climate Pollution Reduction Grants

CUP

Conditional Use Permit

DAS

Data Acquisition System (I.E. - Monitoring System)

DCS

Distributed Control Systems

DER

Distributed Energy Resources: a small-scale energy source that can be used to generate, store, and distribute electricity. DERs are often located near where electricity is used, such as on rooftops or behind a meter on a customer's property.

DG

Distributed Generation - the process of generating electricity close to where it will be used, rather than at a centralized power plant. DG systems can power homes, businesses, and even entire communities

EIA

US Energy Information Administration

EMR

Experience Modification Rate - Workers Comp experience rating

EOI

Expression of Intent

EOR

Engineer of Record - typically a third party

EPCA

Engineering Procurement Construction Agreement; Synonyms - Contract, Agreement, Services Agreement, etc.

ESS

Energy Storage System (Synonyms/AKA - Batteries, Solar+, Solar-Plus, BESS/BS/BSS/ESS)

FERC

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

GW

gigawatts

IFC

Issued For Construction

IPP

Independent Power Producer - which refers to a company that owns and operates facilities to generate electricity, but is not a public utility, meaning they are separate from the main electricity grid operator and sell their produced power to utilities or directly to consumers through power purchase agreements (PPAs)

IRA

Inflation Reduction Act

ISO

Independent System Operators

ITC

Investment Tax Credit - The Section 48 commercial credit can be applied to both customer-sited commercial solar systems and large-scale utility solar farms. The rate is effectively at 30% until Treasury issues guidance on new wage and apprenticeship standards. Two months later, the rate will be at 6%, with an additional 24% (for a total of 30%) available for meeting these new labor standards.

kW

kilowatts

LD

Liquidated Damages

LNTP

Limited Notice to proceed

LOI

Letter of Intent

MVXFMR

Medium voltage transformer

MW

megawatts

NoMP

Notice of Material Procurement

NPPD

Nebraska Public Power District

NTP

Notice to Proceed

O&M

Operations and Maintenance

OER

Client - One Energy Renewables

OPPD

Omaha Public Power District

P&P Bond

Performance & Payment Bond

PACE

Powering Affordable Clean Energy - Program from USDA and made possible by Biden's IRA  - Agriculture Secretary is Tom Vilsack

Peak Shaving

In solar refers to the practice of reducing energy consumption during periods of high electricity demand, often using stored solar energy to offset reliance on the grid during these times

PMI

Preventative Maintenance and Inspection - O&M term

POI

Point of Interconnect(ion)

PPA

Power Purchase Agreement - a contract in which a customer agrees to buy electricity generated by a renewable energy system from a third-party developer. The developer is responsible for installing, operating, and maintaining the system.

PR

Performance Ratio (PR) test

PUC

Public Utility Commission

PV

Photovoltaic

PVsyst

PVsyst is a widely used simulation software package in the solar energy industry, designed for modeling and analyzing the performance and design of photovoltaic (PV) systems, including grid-connected, stand-alone, and pumping systems.

REC

Renewable Energy Credits (or Certificates)

RFI

Request for information

RPCS

RP Construction Services (RPCS) and Array Technologies (ATI) are partners in the solar tracker industry - Rebranded/named as "Ampacity" as of April 2025

RRR

Repair/Replace/Retrofit - Services for rectifying deficient conditions or increasing the productivity of an existing solar energy generation facility (or other).

SCADA

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, and it's a system that monitors and controls industrial processes, machines, and plants. SCADA systems use software and hardware to collect, analyze, and display data in real time

Solar +

Solar plus battery

SOQ

Statement of Qualification

SPP

Southwest Power Pool - This is an independent system operator (ISO) and regional transmission organization (RTO) for the electric grid in the central U.S., ensuring reliable and affordable electricity by coordinating power flow and managing the wholesale market, according to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (.gov) and spp.org.

SWPPP

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan

TFCA

Transmission Facility Construction agreement

UL / UL Test Cert

PV Module Certification - Information, durability, adhesion, testing, annual inspection - Underwriters Laboratories (UL) are most widely known for standards in electrical products OR UL Certification

Unit Rate

Hourly metric on time to implement

VM

Vegetation Management (or "Maintenance")

WIP

Work in Progress

XFMR

Transformer