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| Glossary
of Technical Terms
Technical/Legal
- Capacity
- The maximum load of electricity, measured in kilowatts
or megawatts, that equipment can carry.
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- Capacitor
bank
- A collection of individual capacitor units used to support
system voltage.
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- Conductor
- A material that allows an electric current to pass through
it, as well as the wire that carries electricity in an electric
distribution or transmission system.
- Demand
- The total amount of electricity required at any given
time by a utility's customers as expressed in kilowatts
or megawatts.
- Demand-side
management
- Utility programs designed to control energy consumption
on the customer's side of the meter, including conservation,
energy efficiency, and load management.
- Distribution
line
- A line or system for distributing power from the transmission
system to customers. Distribution lines carry power at lower
voltage than transmission lines, generally at 12,470 volts.
- Electric
and magnetic fields (EMFs)
- Electric and magnetic fields are created whenever electricity
flows through a conductor. These fields exist near power
lines, in the wiring in your home, and near and in any electrical
appliance or device.
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- Generation
- The act or process of transforming other forms of energy
into electric energy. Electric power for supplying consumers
is generally produced by using steam (produced by heat from
burning fuels or nuclear fission), falling water, wind,
or hot gas to turn an electric turbine in a generating station.
- Generating
station
- A facility where electricity is made; also referred to
as a power plant.
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- Kilowatt
(kW)
- 1 kilowatt (kW) = 1,000 watts.
- Kilowatt-hour
(kWh)
- The basic unit of electric energy equal to one kilowatt
or 1,000 watts of power used for one hour. For example,
a 100 watt light bulb that burns for 10 hours = 1 kWh (100
watts x 10 hrs).
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- Kilovolts
(kV)
- 1 kilovolt = 1,000 volts.
- Lamoille
County Study Area
- A geographic area in the north-central portion of Vermont—principally
in Lamoille County—with a linked transmission and
distribution system. The area is bounded by East Fairfax,
Middlesex, Irasburg, Comerford, and Montpelier.
- Load
- The amount of power delivered, as required, at any point
or points in an electric system.
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- Load forecast
- The projected amount of electrical demand on a system.
- New
England Independent System Operator (ISO-NE)
- The entity designated as the Regional Transmission Organization
for New England.
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- New
England Power Pool (NEPOOL)
- An organization of New England electric utilities, and
transmission, end users, alternate resource suppliers and
generation owners, which are participants in the New England
electric market. The group advises the Independent System
Operator on operation of the market and advocates for its
members' interests at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
- Peak
demand
- The amount of power necessary to supply customers at the
point of maximum demand.
- Regional
Transmission Organization (RTO)
- An organization designated by the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission to direct operation of the regional electric
transmission grid in its area, as well as to serve as the
independent operator of the regional electric market.
- Reliability
- The degree to which the performance of an electrical system
results in electricity being delivered to customers within
accepted standards and in the amount that meets customer
demand.
- Right-of-way
- A permit or easement that authorizes the use of lands
for specified purposes, such as for an access road, public-use
facilities, or utility lines.
- Service
Area
- A territory in which a utility is required and has the
right to supply electric service to customers.
- Substation
- A small building or fenced-in yard containing switches,
transformers, and other equipment and structures for the
purpose of adjusting voltage, monitoring circuits, and other
service functions. As electricity gets closer to where it
is to be used, it goes through a substation where the voltage
is lowered so it can be distributed to homes, public institutions,
and businesses.
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- Switching
station
- A type of substation where connections are made between
several transmission lines. Voltage is not changed.
- Tap
- A terminal where an electric connection is established
between two or more lines.
- Structure
- A wood or steel support found along transmission lines
that is used to support conductors.
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- Transformer
- A device used to change voltage levels to facilitate the
transfer of power from a generating station to the customer.
A step-up transformer increases the voltage (power) of electricity
while a step-down transformer decreases it.
- Transmission
line
- Facility for transmitting electrical energy at high voltage
from a power generation source to a substation. Transmission
lines carry power at higher voltages than distribution lines,
generally at 34,500 volts or more.
- Transmission
system
- An interconnected group of electric transmission lines
and associated equipment for moving or transferring electric
energy in bulk between points of supply and points at which
it is transformed for delivery over the distribution system
lines to consumers, or is delivered to other electric systems.
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- Volt
- A unit of electrical pressure. It measures the force or
push of electricity. Volts are analogous to the pressure
of water in a pipe that, if steadily applied to a circuit
having a resistance of one ohm, will produce a current of
one ampere.
- Watt
- A measure of how much electricity an appliance or electrical
using device needs at any instant in time. A watt is an
electrical unit of power. This term is commonly used to
rate appliances using relatively small amounts of electricity.
There is a mathematical relationship between watts, volts,
and amps that is expressed as: Watts = Amps x Volts. For
example, a 120 volt, 15 amp circuit can carry 1800 watts.
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| DOCKET
7032
CASE SCHEDULE
02.09.05
Public hearing
02.18.05
Deadline for intervention requests
03.10.05
Site visit
03.18.05
Last date for filing discovery requests on petitioners
03.28.05
Last date for petitioners’ prefiled direct testimony
and exhibits
04.11.05
All parties other than petitioners prefile direct testimony
and exhibits
05.02.05
Last day to serve discovery on April 11 prefiled testimony
and exhibits
05.12.05
Last day for discovery responses
05.23.05
All parties prefile rebuttal testimony and exhibits
06.03.05
Last day to serve discovery on rebuttal prefiled testimony
and exhibits
06.13.05
Last day for responses to rebuttal discovery
06.27.05
All parties prefile surrebuttal testimony and exhibits
07.06.05
Technical hearing
07.07.05
Technical hearing
07.08.05
Technical hearing
07.18.05
(week of)
Technical hearings
08.08.05
Briefs due
08.22.05
Reply briefs due
10.19.05
Proposal for decision issued
11.04.05
Comments due on proposal for decision
12.07.05
Oral
argument on proposal for decision
BOARD
SCHEDULING ORDER (PDF)
SCHEDULE
CHANGE MEMO OF 04.14.05 (PDF)
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