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The amount of cash available to service debt after all essential operating expenses have been met.

Flow of cash generated by a project.

The order of priorities under the financing documentation for the application of the project’s cash flow. (Syn. Cash waterfall)

The order of priority for project cash flows as established under the loan and financing documents.(Syn. Cash flow cascade)

An accounting methodology that analyses all incoming and outgoing cash-flows to understand the cash flows per year (or month) and to make sure that a company is solvent at all times.

A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction, but is not consumed by the reaction; it can be recovered chemically unchanged at the end of the reaction.

A cathode is an electrode from which a conventional current leaves a polarized electrical device. ‘Conventional current’ describes the direction in which positive electronic charges move. Electrons have a negative charge, so the movement of electrons is opposite to the conventional current flow. Electrons flow towards the cathode from the outside circuit. The polarity of voltage on a cathode with respect to an associated anode varies depending on the device type and on its operating mode. This definition is sometimes remembered using the mnemonic CCD for 'cathode current departs'.

circuit breakers

combined cycle gas turbine

clean development mechanism

cadmium telluride

California Energy Commission

Cellulose is a complex carbohydrate, (C6H10O5)n, which is composed of glucose units, forms the main constituent of the cell wall in most plants, and is important in the manufacture of numerous products, such as paper, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and explosives.

Large-scale PV power plants installed in a specific location to feed a central electricity grid. Also known as solar farms , solar parks and utility-scale PV.

Supplying slurry from several animal farms to a centrally located biogas plant, to be co-digested with other suitable feedstock.

Certified Emission Reduction

A CER credit represents a unit of carbon awarded by the Executive Board of the Clean Development Mechanism. CERs are produced through hypothetical emissions reductions in projects funded in developing countries by developed countries. CERs, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2, can be bought and sold at a price set by the market.

chopper

An electronic device on an off-grid PV system which regulates the voltage applied to the battery system from the PV array, and controls the connection from the PV array to the loads. Essential for ensuring that batteries are not overdischarged, are not overcharged and longest life.

A valve that normally allows fluid (liquid or gas) to flow through it in only one direction.