Glossary

For the purpose of the Energy Industry Act, electric utility companies are all companies and businesses that supply consumers with electrical energy, regardless of legal form and ownership structure. Companies and businesses that are only partially engaged in the supply of electricity, are also classified as electric utility companies.

Electrical energy is the ability of an electric current to perform mechanical work, emit heat or light. Electrical work is the product of electrical power and the time over which it is supplied. Here, electrical work is usually expressed in gigawatt hours (GWh) or terawatt hours (TWh).

Electrical power is an instantaneous value representing the product of current and voltage. When indicating an instantaneous value, the point in time (date and time) must be specified. Average power values for defined periods of time (measurement time, e.g. fifteen minutes or one hour) are used in addition to instantaneous values. Here, electrical power is usually given in megawatts (MW) or gigawatts (GW).

The electricity supply grid refers to the entirety of the facilities linked to one another for the transmission or distribution of electrical energy. For the purposes of differentiation, it can be given different names according to various criteria, including the respective control area, task, operational mode, voltage or ownership.

An electricity supply system is a functional unit within the energy industry that can be defined by certain technical, economical or other criteria.

The term used to refer to the transition in German energy policy, moving away from nuclear and coal power and to a sustainable energy infrastructure by means of renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable development.

An energy exchange is a neutral trading centre with transparent pricing and the same conditions for all admitted trade participants. It does not pursue its own trading strategy. As a commodity exchange, an energy exchange is liable to the German Stock Exchange Act. Other legal conditions or admission requirements may be applicable for stock exchanges based in other countries in Europe.

The ‘Law on the Electricity and Gas Supply’ (Gesetz über die Elektrizitäts- und Gasversorgung, also known as the Energiewirtschaftsgesetz or the Energy Industry Act) from 7 July 2005 contains basic regulations of grid-based energy. The aim of the law is to provide the public with a grid-bound supply of electricity and gas that is as safe, low-priced, user friendly, efficient and environmentally-friendly as possible and which is increasingly based on renewable energy sources. Furthermore, it aims to ensure competition for the supply of electricity and gas, safeguard reliable energy grids and implement legislation from the European Community concerning energy supply.

ENTSO-E is the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity. The assocation comprises 43 transmission system operators (TSOs) from 36 countries and was founded in December 2008.

Its main tasks are defining common security standards and publishing a ten year network development plan (TYNDP). Furthermore, ENTSO-E develops commercial and technical grid codes in order to guarantee the security and reliability of the grid aswell as to ensure energy efficiency.

Indicates a voltage range of 150 kV or higher.