BPA Definitions - IJK

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IAP

See Intertie Access Policy.

IAQ

See indoor air quality.

ICP

See Inter-Company Pool.

impact

Direct or indirect changes in the existing environment, whether beneficial or adverse, resulting from a specific act or series of acts.

impact evaluation

A method of measuring effects of an energy conservation program, in particular how much energy is saved.

impedance

A characteristic of an electric circuit that determines its hindrance to the flow of electricity. The higher the impedance, the lower the current. The unit of measure is the same as resistance (ohms).

impoundment

The accumulation of water in a reservoir.

inactive storage

See storage.

inadvertent interchange

The measured interchange (actual) minus the scheduled interchange of energy between power systems. Includes interchange made for frequency and time correction as well as unscheduled interchange due to human or equipment errors.

inadvertent spill

See spill.

incident solar radiation

See insolation.

incineration

A treatment technology used to destroy waste by controlled burning at high temperatures.

incremental costs

See costs.

incremental load

See load.

indemnification

Protection from, or compensation for, damage, loss, or injury.

independent power producer (IPP)

A non-utility producer of electricity that operates one or more generation plants under the 1978 Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). Many independent power producers are cogenerators who produce power for their own use and sell the extra power to their local utilities.

indirect costs

See costs.

indoor air quality (IAQ)

The degree of contamination of air inside a habitable structure.

inductance

The property of an electric circuit that causes it to store energy in the form of a magnetic field and because of which a varying current in a circuit induces an electromotive force (voltage) in that circuit or a neighboring circuit. Also see capacitance.

induction

The process by which an electrical or electromechanical effect is produced in a device by its exposure to a magnetic field.

inductor

A device designed to introduce a specific inductance into a circuit. Generally, a coil of wire wound around a core of air, iron, or other substance, such as in a motor or transformer.

industrial firm power

See power types.

industrial firm power (IP) rate

See rates.

industrial replacement energy

Non-Federal power that Bonneville purchases on a Direct Service Industry's behalf during a restriction.

industrial sector

See sector.

infiltration

The uncontrolled, undesirable flow of air into a building through cracks, windows, doors, or other openings in the building envelope, generally accompanied by exfiltration (flow out of the building).

infiltration barrier

A building material that resists the flow of air without preventing the flow of invisible moisture in the air.

inflation

The general price increase for all goods in the economy taken as a whole, expressed as an annual percentage. Also see escalation.

injection well

A well into which fluids are injected for such purposes as disposing of waste, improving the recovery of crude oil, or solution mining.

in-lieu energy

See energy.

IN rate

Intertie north rate. See rates.

in service

In operation and/or energized.

insolation

Incident solar radiation. The amount of direct, diffused, and reflected solar radiation (all wavelengths) that strikes a surface, measured in Langleys, a unit of heat energy equivalent to one calorie falling on a surface of one square centimeter. One Btu per square foot is equivalent to 0.27125 Langley is equivalent to 1136 joules per square meter.

installed capacity

See capacity.

instantaneous flow rate

The minimum amount of streamflow in a river system (usually in terms of fish survival) at a given moment in time.

insufficiency

The lack of sufficient Federal capacity or energy resources to meet BPA’s energy commitments. Also see notice of insufficiency.

insulator

A device, made of non-conducting material, used to give support to electrical conductors and shield them from ground or other conductors. An insulator inhibits the flow of current from the conductor to the earth or another conductor.

fog-type insulator

A special insulator designed for use in areas where there is fog and moisture in connection with contaminants. Usually has a special skirt design with a longer leakage distance.

grease insulator

A silicone grease applied to an insulator skirt to encapsulate any foreign material and thus reduce the effects of contamination.

johnny ball insulator

A small porcelain insulator with an eye in each end, installed in down guys where the guy wire could possibly come in contact with the energized conductor or be subject to galvanic (chemically induced) current.

line post insulator

A rigid transmission line insulator that supports the conductor.

non-ceramic insulator

A fiberglass suspension insulator most often covered with a polymer compound resembling rubber, available in different lengths for different voltage levels.

porcelain insulator

An insulator with the skirt made by a ceramic process.

string insulator

Two or more suspension insulators connected in series. The higher the operating voltage of a transmission line, the longer the insulator string.

stripped insulators

A string of insulators that have the skirts broken off, normally done by gunfire or lightning.

suspension insulator

An insulator used to suspend the conductor from the tower or structure; main parts consist of the cap (upper part made of metal), the skirt (middle section made of insulating material) and the ball stem (lower metal portion).

insulator contamination

Deposits of foreign material, such as natural, industrial, or agricultural dust or ocean salt, which can significantly reduce the performance of insulators.

insulator dead-end assembly

The special configurations of insulators for attaching conductor dead-ends to dead-end towers at full line tension.

integral NOx control

An air pollution control technology used in the combustion process to suppress the formation of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) rather than removing it from the gas stream as in baghouse filtration, electrostatic precipitators, mechanical collectors, and scrubbers (dry or wet).

Integrated System for Analysis of Acquisitions (ISAAC)

A computer model used by BPA and the Northwest Power Planning Council to analyze resource acquisition strategies and issues. Formerly Joint Decision Analysis Model.

integration of resources (IR) rate

See rates.

interchange energy

See energy.

Inter-Company Pool (ICP)

An organization that coordinates the power operations of investor-owned utilities in the Pacific Northwest.

interconnection

1) A system consisting of two or more individual power systems operating with connecting lines to make a larger system, thus permitting the sharing of generation reserves and providing alternative transmission paths to serve customers during line outages. 2) The connection between two power systems.

Interconnection and Exchange Agreement (I&E)

A long-term, three-way contract between BPA, B.C. Hydro and B.C. Hydro's marketing subsidiary, the Power Exchange Corporation (POWEREX), which serves as an umbrella agreement for services across the Northern Intertie.

interest expense

1) In BPA rates, interest charges based on the cost of borrowing funds. 2) In accounting, the total amount of interest charges recorded on debts for a specific period of time.

interference

The disturbance of the reception of desired signals due to stray or extraneous power.

interim rate adjustment (IRA)

A rate adjustment designed to increase rates in the second year of a two-year rate period, if BPA’s financial reserves fall below a defined “trigger” point.

interlock

A mechanical, electrical, or key-operated device that prevents or allows operation of equipment only in a prearranged sequence.

internal fault

1) A fault in a piece of power equipment such as a generator or transformer. 2) A fault within the protective zone of a relay.

interphase spacer

A mechanical device attached to conductors (or conductor bundles) of two phases to prevent physical contact of phases. Also see spacer.

interruptible load

See load.

interruptible power

Same as nonfirm power. See power types.

Intertie

See Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie.

intertie

1) A system of transmission lines permitting a flow of energy between major power systems. The BPA transmission grid has interties to British Columbia, California, and eastern Montana. 2) Unless otherwise specified, short for the Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie, and often capitalized.

intertie access

The rights assigned by an intertie owner for other utilities to send or receive a defined amount of electric power at a certain time over the intertie.

Intertie Access Policy (IAP)

The set of rules and guiding principles under which BPA allocates the use of the Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie by other utilities. When BPA’s own needs do not exhaust the capacity of the Intertie, others may use it.

intertie north (IN) rate

See rates.

intertie south (IS) rate

See rates.

inundation

The flooding of an area with water; occurs when a reservoir is first filled.

inverted rates

A rate structure that prices successive blocks of kilowatthour use or kilowatt demand at increasingly higher per-unit prices; reverse of declining block rates.

investor-owned utility (IOU)

A privately owned utility organized under State law as a corporation to provide electric power service and earn a profit for its stockholders. A private utility.

IOU

See investor-owned utility.

IPP

See independent power producer.

IP-PF rate link

A BPA rate-setting methodology, developed in the 1985 rate proceeding and formalized in a separate section 7(i) proceeding, that, pursuant to section 7(c)(2) of the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act, links the industrial firm (IP) rate to the priority firm (PF) rate for subsequent rate development processes.

IP rate

Industrial firm power rate. See rates.

IRA

See interim rate adjustment.

IRE

See industrial replacement energy.

IR rate

Integration of resources rate. See rates.

irrigation discount

A discount provided by BPA to utilities that resell power to irrigators during April through October. The result of a BPA policy to encourage irrigation loads when economic conditions would otherwise cause those loads to decline.

irrigation sector

See sector.

ISAAC

See Integrated System for Analysis of Acquisitions.

IS rate

Intertie south rate. See rates.

J

See joule.

jack

A returning, sexually immature three-year-old male salmon.

johnny ball insulator

See insulator.

Joint Customers

A loose coalition of BPA customers who make joint recommendations during BPA rate cases and on other matters.

Joint Decision Analysis Model

See Integrated System for Analysis of Acquisitions.

joint-use corridor

See corridor.

joint-use roads

Private roads, usually constructed by property owners, on which BPA has acquired the right of use in conjunction with other parties. BPA sometimes shares in maintenance costs according to a formal agreement.

joule (J)

A unit of energy or work which is equivalent to one wattsecond or 0.737 footpounds. Work done when a force of one newton moves an object one meter in the direction of the force.

judgment

the official and authentic decision of a judicial court upon the respective rights and claims of the parties to an action or suit; at BPA, the term usually applies to land acquisition processes.

jumper

A short length of conductor connecting two points in a circuit.

just compensation

In land acquisition usage, an indemnity payment no more and no less than sufficient to make good the loss. Usually the equivalent of market value.

juvenile

The stage in the life cycle of anadromous fish when they migrate downstream to the ocean.

Kaplan turbine

See turbine.

kcfs

1,000 cubic feet per second, or 28 cubic meters per second; a measure of the flow of water, equivalent to 1 699 010 liters (448,800 gallons) per minute.

kHz

See kilohertz.

kilo

A prefix indicating 1,000.

kilohertz (kHz)

A frequency of 1,000 Hz.

kilovolt (kV)

One kilovolt equals 1,000 volts.

kilovoltampere (kVA)

One kilovoltampere equals 1,000 voltamperes.

kilowatt (kW)

An electrical unit of power; one kilowatt equals 1,000 watts.

kilowatthour (kWh)

The common unit of electrical energy, equal to one kilowatt of power supplied to or taken from an electric circuit for one hour.

kokanee

Landlocked form of salmon.

ksfd

1,000 second foot days. See thousand second foot day.

kV

See kilovolt.

kVA

See kilovoltampere.

kW

See kilowatt.

kWh

See kilowatthour.

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