Sustainability and EV Charging

64 terms

A

• Accessible EV Charging SpaceAn accessible EV charging space is a charging space designed so a person with a disability can park, reach the equipment and operate it....
• Adaptive (Responsive) Lighting TechnologyLighting systems that can adjust their output, intensity, color, or distribution in response to specific conditions or inputs.
• AlbedoAlbedo refers to the measure of the reflectivity of a surface, specifically how much sunlight or radiation it reflects compared to how much it...
• Automated Load Management System (ALMS)An automated load management system (ALMS), called an energy management system (EMS) in the National Electrical Code, is the software and controls that share...

B

• BallastBallast refers to a device used in lighting systems to regulate the current to the lamps and provide sufficient voltage to start the lamps.
• Ballast FactorBallast Factor refers to the ratio of the light output of a lamp when operated on a specific ballast compared to the light output...
• Battery Energy Storage SystemA battery energy storage system (BESS) is a stationary installation of batteries, inverters and controls that stores electricity and releases it when it is...
• Bidirectional ChargingBidirectional charging is EV charging hardware and vehicle capability that lets power flow both ways: from the grid into the battery, and from the...

C

• California Independent System OperatorThe California Independent System Operator (CAISO) is the nonprofit that runs the high-voltage grid and wholesale electricity market for most of California and a...
• Carbon FootprintThe carbon footprint of a parking facility encompasses the total amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted directly and indirectly throughout its lifecycle, from design...
• ChargerAn EV charger, in everyday use, is the equipment a driver plugs into to charge an electric vehicle. Engineers and codes call it electric...
• Charger UptimeCharger uptime is the share of time a charging port is available and working. Broken or offline chargers are the most common complaint among...
• Charging PortA charging port is a single outlet on a charging station that can charge one vehicle at a time. A station, or charger, may...
• Charging SpaceAn EV charging space is a parking space served by a charging port, where a vehicle can park and charge. Codes and ordinances may...
• Charging UtilizationCharging utilization measures how much of the time chargers are actually delivering energy, distinct from how often the charging spaces are occupied.
• ConnectorA connector is the plug at the end of a charging cable that mates with the inlet on an electric vehicle. Its shape and...
• CurtailmentCurtailment is the deliberate reduction of output from a generator, most often solar or wind, because the grid cannot absorb it at that moment.

D

• DarkSky International (International Dark-Sky Association)DarkSky International, known until 2023 as the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), is a nonprofit organization founded in 1988 that works to reduce light pollution...
• DC Fast Charging (DCFC)DCFC delivers direct current at up to 400 kW, adding over 100 miles of range per hour, the charging class for dwell times that...
• Demand ChargeA demand charge is the part of a commercial electric bill priced on the customer's highest rate of consumption during the billing period, measured...
• Duck CurveThe duck curve is the shape of net electricity demand on a grid with a lot of solar: a midday trough when solar covers...

E

• Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE)Electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) is the equipment that delivers electricity from the building's supply to an electric vehicle: the conductors, connectors, plugs, controls...
• Embodied CarbonEmbodied carbon is the greenhouse-gas footprint of a facility's materials and construction, as distinct from the operational energy it uses.
• Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardized, independently verified document that reports the environmental impacts of a product over its life cycle, most...
• EVElectric Vehicle (EV) refers to a type of vehicle that is powered entirely or partially by electricity.
• EV CapableAn EV Capable parking space has the electrical capacity and a raceway (conduit) reserved to serve a future charger, but no wiring, outlet or...
• EV Charging MetrologyEV charging metrology is the science and regulation of accurately measuring the electricity delivered to vehicles, so that drivers are charged fairly when energy...
• EV ReadyAn EV Ready parking space has a complete electrical branch circuit, with wiring and overcurrent protection, ending in a receptacle or junction box near...
• EVSE InstalledAn EVSE Installed parking space, sometimes called EV Installed, has electric vehicle supply equipment mounted, wired and working when the building opens. It is...

F

• Flex AlertA Flex Alert is a public appeal issued by the California Independent System Operator asking consumers to cut electricity use voluntarily during a window,...

G

• Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) is an organization that administers project certifications and professional credentials within the framework of various green building and sustainability...
• Green RoofsGreen Roofs refer to a roofing system that incorporates vegetation and a growing medium, installed over a waterproof membrane.

H

• Heat Island EffectThe heat island effect is the local temperature increase produced by dark, impervious surfaces, with parking lots among the leading contributors.

I

• InterconnectionInterconnection is the utility process that approves a customer's generation or storage equipment to connect to, and export power onto, the distribution grid.
• Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)An internal combustion engine (ICE) is a heat engine that converts the chemical energy in a fuel, such as gasoline or diesel, into mechanical...
• International Green Construction Code (IgCC)The International Green Construction Code (IgCC) is a model code that sets minimum requirements for sustainable design and construction, covering energy, water, materials, site...

K

• kW versus kWhA kilowatt (kW) is power, the rate a device draws; a kilowatt-hour (kWh) is energy, power sustained over time.

L

• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)A widely recognized and internationally used green building certification program developed by the U.S.
• LED LightingLED lighting uses light-emitting diodes as the light source. It has become the standard for parking garages and lots because it uses far less...
• Light Pollution (Skyglow)Light pollution is artificial light that goes where it is not needed or wanted. In parking, the main sources are surface lots and the...
• Lighting Power Density (LPD)Lighting power density (LPD) is the installed lighting power of a space divided by its floor area, usually stated in watts per square foot.

M

• Make-Ready InfrastructureMake-ready is everything behind the charger: utility service and transformer capacity, switchgear and panels, conduit sized for the buildout, load management, metering, trenching, and...
• Managed ChargingManaged charging is the control of when and how fast electric vehicles charge, so total demand fits within the available electrical capacity, electricity prices...
• MicrogridA microgrid is a local group of generation, storage, and loads that can operate connected to the main grid or on its own.

N

• Net PeakNet peak is the hour of highest electricity demand after subtracting solar and wind output, which on a solar-heavy grid falls in the early...
• NFPA 855NFPA 855 is the National Fire Protection Association standard for the installation of stationary energy storage systems.

O

• Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP)The Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) is an open communication standard that connects electric vehicle chargers to the central software that manages them, maintained...

P

• Parksmart CertificationParksmart is a certification program that rates the sustainability of parking structures. It is administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), which also certifies...
• Photovoltaic PanelsPhotovoltaic (PV) panels convert sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductor cells. Parking facilities are among the best places to install them: large, unshaded top...
• Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV)A plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) is any vehicle that can recharge its battery by plugging into an external source of electricity.

R

• Rainwater Harvesting SystemsA rainwater harvesting system collects rain from roofs and other surfaces, stores it and reuses it, typically for irrigation, toilet flushing, cooling or washing,...
• Reach CodeA reach code is a local building code amendment that goes beyond the minimum requirements of the state code, for example by requiring a...
• Resource AdequacyResource adequacy is the planning standard that requires utilities and other load-serving entities to line up enough generation and storage capacity, plus a reserve...
• Rule 21Rule 21 is the California Public Utilities Commission tariff that governs how generators and storage, including bidirectional EV chargers, interconnect to the distribution systems...

S

• Second-Life BatteryA second-life battery is an EV traction pack that has retired from vehicle service, typically at 70 to 80 percent of its original capacity,...
• Solar CanopyA solar canopy is a photovoltaic array structure over the top parking deck or surface lot, a power plant with a parking benefit.
• Stormwater DetentionStormwater detention is the temporary storage of rainwater runoff, released slowly to the storm drain system or a stream so that peak flows do...
• Supplemental Cementitious Materials (SCM)Supplemental Cementitious Materials (SCMs) refer to materials that are added to concrete mixtures as a partial replacement for Portland cement.
• SustainabilitySustainability is the practice of meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, balancing environmental, social and economic outcomes.

T

• Thermal RunawayThermal runaway is the self-sustaining overheating failure mode of lithium-ion batteries: long-burning, extinguishment-resistant, and capable of reignition.
• Time-of-Use RateA time-of-use (TOU) rate is an electricity tariff that charges different prices at different hours of the day, higher during the evening peak and...

U

• U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization that is widely recognized for its leadership in promoting sustainable building practices and developing...

V

• Vehicle-to-GridVehicle-to-grid (V2G) is the use of parked electric vehicles as a distributed battery, discharging stored energy back to the grid when demand or prices...

W

• Wireless EV ChargingWireless EV charging, also called inductive charging, transfers power from a pad on or in the parking surface to a receiver under the vehicle,...