Reference

Glossary.

Battery storage, grid control, cybersecurity and AI — the vocabulary of the modern energy system, in plain English.

Energy systems & assets

MW: Megawatt: unit of power or installed capacity.
GWh: Gigawatt-hour: unit of energy or storage capacity.
BESS: Battery energy storage system including cells, controls, conversion and safety.
BMS: Battery management system protecting cells and estimating battery condition.
PCS: Power conversion system converting DC battery power to and from AC.
PPC: Plant power controller coordinating plant output against grid requirements.
SOH: State of health: remaining battery capability versus new.
RTE: Round-trip efficiency: energy returned versus energy charged.
SCADA: Supervisory control and data acquisition for real-time monitoring and command.
EMS: Energy management system for dispatch, estimation and optimisation.
DMS: Distribution management system for operating distribution networks.
ADMS: Advanced DMS combining outage, DER and distribution optimisation.
IED: Intelligent electronic device for protection, metering or control.
IBR: Inverter-based resource such as solar, wind or batteries.
SoC: State of charge: remaining charge relative to usable battery capacity.

OEM: Original equipment manufacturer supplying proprietary technology.
EPC: Engineering, procurement and construction delivery contractor.
FAT: Factory acceptance test completed before shipment.
SAT: Site acceptance test confirming field installation and integration.
COD: Commercial operation date when the asset enters service.
COMMISSION: Process proving systems are installed and operate as designed.
AS-BUILT: Final record of what was actually installed and configured.
CMMS/EAM: Platforms managing maintenance, work orders and asset records.
BASELINE: Approved reference state used to test change and conformance.
DATA MODEL: Common structure and meaning assigned to operational information.
EDGE/CLOUD: Local and remote compute layers for control, analytics and storage.
API: Application programming interface linking systems and data services.
WAN: Wide-area network connecting operational sites and control environments.
ERP: Enterprise resource planning platform linking business and operational records.
LTSA: Long-term service agreement defining service and performance obligations.

OT: Operational technology used to monitor or control physical processes.
ICS: Industrial control systems: control software, networks and field devices.
OT DMZ: Segregated zone mediating services and data between IT and OT.
PAM: Privileged-access management controlling administrative and engineering access.
MFA: Multi-factor authentication requiring more than one proof of identity.
SOC: Security operations centre for monitoring and response.
AI: Artificial intelligence used for analytics, recommendations and automation.
DLP: Data-loss prevention controls limiting unauthorised disclosure or movement.
RUL: Remaining useful life: estimated time before an asset reaches an end condition.
DRIFT: Change in data or model behaviour reducing AI performance.
IEC 61850: Communication and automation standard for digital substations.
IEC 62443: Cybersecurity standard series for industrial control systems.
Data sovereignty: Control over where data is stored, processed and accessed.
SEGMENTATION: Separation of networks or zones to limit lateral movement.
ASSURANCE: Evidence-based confirmation that requirements and controls remain effective.

Definitions are simplified for executive use; technical meaning may vary by system, vendor and project context.

The system behind the system

Tell us about the asset, the programme or the question you need answered. A senior member of the team will respond.