LEARN / GLOSSARY
Terms of the trade
Definitions for the language of American industrial capacity. Each entry gives the statutory or statistical definition where one exists, says why the dictionary version is insufficient for policy work, and links to the reference entries that use it.
Industrial base and supply
INIndustrial base The set of firms, facilities, skills and materials capable of producing goods at a required volume and within a required time. PRPrime contractor A party that has entered into a contract directly with the United States. SUSub-tier supplier A supplier that furnishes goods or services to another supplier rather than directly to the buyer. SUSurge capacity The ability to expand production rapidly above normal rates. DUDual-use Products, services, standards, processes or acquisition practices capable of meeting both military and nonmilitary requirements. CRCritical mineral A mineral designated as critical by the Secretary of the Interior under three statutory criteria.Measuring industry
VAValue added An industry’s gross output minus the inputs it purchased from others. INIndustrial production index The Federal Reserve’s monthly measure of real output in manufacturing, mining and utilities. CACapacity utilization Output as a percentage of sustainable maximum output, published monthly by the Federal Reserve. EMEmployment share A sector’s employment divided by total nonfarm employment. DEDeindustrialization A sustained contraction in a country’s industrial activity. REReshoring Returning production that had previously moved abroad back to the home country. OBObligation and outlay Two stages of federal spending that are routinely reported as one.The power system
INInterconnection One word carrying two unrelated meanings in constant use: a synchronous grid covering much of a continent, and the process by which a single project connects to that grid. BABalancing authority The entity responsible for keeping electricity supply and demand in balance in real time across a defined portion of the grid. RERegional transmission organization An entity that operates the transmission system and runs wholesale electricity markets across a multi-state footprint. LALarge load A single customer whose electricity demand is big enough to require its own study and, increasingly, its own tariff. BEBehind-the-meter Generation or storage on the customer side of the utility meter, serving that site directly. UTUtility-scale A power plant with at least one megawatt of generating capacity.Measuring power
FIFirm power Electricity a system can count on being available when it is needed, as opposed to energy produced when conditions permit. DIDispatchable A generator that can be operated on instruction rather than when conditions permit. EFEffective load carrying capability A measure of how much additional demand a system can serve after adding a resource, holding reliability constant. PLPlanning reserve margin The margin of accredited capacity a system holds above forecast peak demand. REResource adequacy Whether a system holds enough resources to serve demand at an accepted level of risk. NANameplate capacity The maximum theoretical output of a generator as reported to EIA by its manufacturer or operator. CACapacity factor Electricity actually produced over a period, divided by the maximum possible at continuous full power. LOLoad factor Average demand divided by peak demand across a period. COCoincident peak A customer’s demand at the moment the whole system peaks, as distinct from that customer’s own highest demand. CUCurtailment Reducing output or consumption below what was available or requested. INInterconnection queue The list of projects awaiting the impact studies required before they can connect to the transmission grid.Making things
TOTooling The dies, fixtures, moulds and jigs specific to a particular part. QUQualification The demonstration that a specific process, on specific equipment, using specific material, produces parts meeting specification repeatably. YIYield The share of production that meets specification. PRProcess heat Thermal energy used directly in industrial production rather than converted from electricity.