English Glossary

inductance

Methane-containing gas, produced on landfills.

During the anaerobic digestion of biomass, structural matter (e.g. straw) can float to the top of the substrate and form a so-called layer of scum that hinders the penetration of biogas. Special stirring devices are needed to break up this layer.

Low-Carbon Development Strategies

Hardware filter in electrical circuits consisting of inductances L and capacitance C to enhance the power quality

levelised cost of electricity

load duration curve

Low-Emission Development Strategies

Bacteria which flourish in warm water (around 35-55°C) and cause Legionnaires' disease

Someone making funds available with the expectation that the funds will be repaid, plus an interest and/or fees. A lender can be an individual, or a public or private group.

The net present value of the unit-cost of electricity over the lifetime of a generating asset. It is often taken as a proxy for the average price that the generating asset must receive in a market to break even over its lifetime. In American literature the term "Levelised Cost Of Energy" is often used as a synonym which is also abbreviated with LCOE.

The level of debt used in a particular transaction expressed as a percentage of equity or as a ratio to equity (also referred to as 'gearing').

linear Fresnel reflectors

London Interbank Ofered Rate

Electromagnetic radiation in the form of energy carrying photons, integrated over time. Although light energy often only refers to the visible spectrum, light energy can be absorbed by solar cells across the whole solar spectrum, from the invisible infrared light to visible light to ultraviolet light.

‘Light soaking’ in the context of photovoltaics refers to exposing PV cells/modules to radiation with solar spectrum, under controlled conditions. Part of IEC 61646 test routines, test used to measure degradation of thin film modules.

(bio.) A complex of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose present in the cell walls of woody plants. Lignin is the complex constituent of wood that cements the cellulose fibres together and it is very difficult to digest, hardly producing any biogas.

Deposit of calcium carbonate

A 'limited recourse' debt is a debt in which the creditor has limited claims on the loan in the event of default. Often a limited recourse debt contract is structured so that the debt transitions to unsecured, or 'non-recourse', debt pending the completion of a specific event. That event may be the completion of a project or the establishment of a specific revenue stream for which the debt was issued. Under certain conditions legal, financial, or other), lenders have access to the sponsors' credit or other legal security to fulfill a project’s debt obligations. There is usually recourse in the event of fraud, misrepresentation, or nondisclosure. For this reason, and because lenders often have some kind of recourse prior to completion, nonrecourse is often described as 'limited-recourse' financing.

A CSP technology which is a lower cost version of the parabolic trough collector. It uses a series of long, flat mirror segments arranged to approximate a parabolic shape. Just like the parablic trough collector, these concentrate solar radiation onto a central receiver tube running along the focal line of the mirror segments to produce high temperatures.