- • Bagasse: A fibrous residue by-product of the sugarcane milling process used as a biofuel in power generation. It is a significant source of renewable energy in Mauritius, contributing to the country’s energy mix during the sugarcane harvest season.
• Base Load: The minimum level of demand on an electrical grid over a span of time. Mauritius relies on base load power plants that primarily use coal and heavy fuel oil, but there is a shift towards incorporating more renewable energy sources.
• Capacity: The maximum power available from a power station at any given time is segmented as follows:
• Installed Capacity: This refers to the generator set's nameplate capacity.
• Plant Capacity: Net capacity measured at the station's terminals after accounting for auxiliary installations and transformer losses.
• Effective Capacity: This is the plant capacity minus any derated capacity from the installed capacity.
• Capacity Factor: The ratio of an actual electrical energy output over a given period of time to the maximum possible electrical energy output over that period. This factor is crucial for evaluating the efficiency of power plants in Mauritius.
• Carbon Footprint: The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Reducing the carbon footprint is a key goal of Mauritius' national energy strategy.
• Carbon Trading: A market-based approach used to control carbon dioxide emissions by providing economic incentives for achieving emissions reductions. Although not currently implemented in Mauritius, it represents a potential future strategy for GHG emission management.
• Central Electricity Board (CEB): The main utility company in Mauritius responsible for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity across the island.
• Conversion Factors: These are used to convert various physical unit quantities into a common accounting unit called the 'tonne of oil equivalent' (toe), which is used for aggregating different energy sources.
• Cogeneration: The simultaneous production of electricity and other forms of useful energy (such as heat or steam) from the same process. This is an efficient use of energy that Mauritius can utilize, particularly within its sugarcane industry.
• Demand Response: A change in the power consumption of an electric utility customer to better match the demand for power with the supply. Mauritius can implement demand response programs to enhance grid stability and manage peak load times.
• Demand-Side Management (DSM): Measures that are taken to reduce the energy demand, such as energy efficiency programs or incentives for consumers to decrease energy use during peak hours. In Mauritius, DSM programs help balance supply and demand, reduce costs, and decrease environmental impacts.
• Distributed Generation (DG): The production of electricity near the point of use, as opposed to centralized generation sources like large power plants. Solar panels on homes and businesses in Mauritius are examples of distributed generation.
• Energy Audit: A systematic analysis of a building or facility to identify how energy is being used and to propose efficiency improvements. In Mauritius, energy audits are crucial for identifying savings opportunities, especially in large energy-consuming sectors like hotels and manufacturing.
• Energy Conservation: The effort made to reduce the consumption of energy by using less of an energy service. Mauritius promotes energy conservation through various public awareness campaigns and subsidies for energy-efficient appliances.
• Energy Efficiency: The goal to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services in Mauritius. Efforts include using advanced technological solutions and improving energy conservation measures in residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.
• Energy Intensity: A measure of the energy efficiency of a nation's economy. It is calculated as units of energy per unit of GDP. Lowering energy intensity indicates an improvement in energy efficiency, a goal for Mauritius to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact.
• Energy Policy: A plan or course of action undertaken by a government or business to achieve specific energy-related goals. Mauritius' energy policy focuses on increasing renewable energy adoption and improving energy efficiency across the island.
• Energy Security: The association of national security with the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. For Mauritius, energy security involves ensuring a stable and sufficient supply of energy to meet domestic demand.
• Energy Storage: The capture of energy produced at one time for use at a later time. Technologies such as batteries (especially for solar energy systems) are becoming increasingly important in Mauritius to manage the variability of renewable energy sources.
• Energy Transition: The process of shifting from dependence on fossil fuels to more renewable and sustainable energy sources. In Mauritius, this transition includes significant investments in solar, wind, and biomass energy.
• Feed-in Tariff (FiT): A policy mechanism designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies by offering long-term contracts to renewable energy producers, typically based on the cost of generation of each technology. This incentivizes the production of energy from renewable sources such as solar and wind.
• Feedstock: Raw material supplied to a machine or processing plant. In the context of Mauritius, sugarcane bagasse is a significant feedstock used for generating bioenergy.
• Final Energy Consumption: The energy used by the end-user, categorized by sector as follows:
• Global Warming Potential (GWP): A measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere up to a specific time horizon, relative to carbon dioxide. This concept is crucial for evaluating different GHGs within Mauritius’ energy sector strategies.
• Green Energy: Energy that can be generated with minimal impact on the environment. Mauritius is increasingly investing in green energy projects, especially solar and wind power.
• Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions: Emissions of gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. Mauritius is involved in various initiatives to reduce GHG emissions in the energy sector by switching to cleaner energy sources.
• Grid Parity: The point at which renewable energy can generate power at a cost and performance level equal to or less than electricity generated from conventional methods. Mauritius aims for grid parity to make renewable energy a more attractive and viable option.
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP): The total value of all goods and services produced within a country over a specific period, minus the consumption of fixed capital.
• Hydro Energy: Energy harnessed from inland water's potential and kinetic properties.
• Imports: Fuel amounts obtained from other countries.
• Independent Power Producers (IPPs): Private entities that generate electricity for sale to the grid, operated by the CEB in Mauritius. IPPs often use renewable sources such as bagasse and solar energy.
• Intermittency: A characteristic of renewable energy sources that are not continuously available due to factors outside human control (like solar energy during the night). Addressing intermittency is vital for Mauritius as it increases its reliance on renewable resources.
• Landfill Gas (LFG): A gas mix, primarily of methane and carbon dioxide, produced by the decomposition of organic material in landfills. Used as an energy source to reduce methane emissions and reliance on fossil fuels.
• Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE): A measure of the average net present cost of electricity generation for a generating plant over its lifetime. It is used in Mauritius to compare the cost-effectiveness of different generation technologies.
• Load Shedding: A deliberate shutdown of electric power in parts of a power-distribution system to prevent the failure of the entire system when the demand strains the capacity of the system. This is a last-resort measure in Mauritius during periods of peak demand.
• Mauritius Renewable Energy Agency (MARENA): The governmental agency responsible for promoting the adoption and development of renewable energy sources in Mauritius.
• Microgrid: A local energy grid with control capability, which means it can disconnect from the traditional grid and operate autonomously. Microgrids can help Mauritius enhance energy resilience, especially in remote areas.
• Net Metering: A billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid. In Mauritius, this is part of the strategy to encourage the installation of solar panels in homes and businesses. - • Ocean Energy: Energy harnessed from marine water's potential and kinetic properties.
• Off-grid Solutions: Energy systems that are not connected to the main power grid. These solutions are essential for remote areas in Mauritius, providing access to electricity through stand-alone systems, typically involving renewable energy sources.
• Peak Demand: The highest amount of electrical power demand within a specific period. Managing peak demand is crucial for energy providers in Mauritius to ensure grid stability and efficiency.
• Peak Load: The maximum electricity demand within a specific period. Managing peak load is crucial for Mauritius to ensure reliability and stability of the electricity supply, particularly as the island seeks to integrate more variable renewable energy sources into the grid.
• Photovoltaic: Technology that converts solar energy directly into electricity, a sustainable energy form.
• Power Purchase Agreement (PPA): A contract between two parties, one which generates electricity (the seller) and one which is looking to purchase electricity (the buyer). PPAs in Mauritius facilitate the adoption of renewable energy by ensuring consistent and reliable purchases.
• Primary Energy: Energy sourced directly from natural environments without substantial processing, e.g., coal, natural gas, and wood.
• Primary Energy Requirement: The total of imported and locally available fuels adjusted for stock changes and re-exports.
• Renewables: Natural resources capable of regeneration after exploitation, such as solar, wind, and hydro energy.
• Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs): Instruments that certify the bearer owns one megawatt-hour of electricity generated from a renewable energy resource. These certificates can be traded or sold, providing an additional revenue stream for renewable energy projects in Mauritius.
• Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS): A regulation that requires the increased production of energy from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal. Mauritius could adopt an RPS to increase its renewable energy usage.
• Secondary Energy: Energy derived from the transformation of primary energy sources, like charcoal from wood.
• Smart Grids: An electricity supply network that uses digital communications technology to detect and react to local changes in usage. Mauritius is exploring smart grid technologies to enhance the efficiency of its energy distribution systems.
• Smart Meters: Advanced meters that can record the consumption of electric energy in intervals of an hour or less and communicate that information back to the utility for monitoring and billing purposes. Smart meters support energy management strategies in Mauritius.
• Solar Energy: Energy from the sun captured through photovoltaic or thermal methods.
• Sustainable Energy Development: Efforts and policies aimed at developing energy sources that are sustainable and have minimal impact on the environment. Mauritius aims to increase its share of renewable energy sources as part of its commitment to sustainable development.
• Thermal Plants: Facilities that generate energy from conventional heat sources, possibly combined with electricity production, including steam, internal combustion, and gas turbine operations.
• Transmission and Distribution (T&D) Losses: Energy losses that occur in the process of transmitting electricity from power plants to consumers. Reducing T&D losses is critical in Mauritius to enhance the efficiency of the power system.
• Wind Energy: Energy derived from wind movement.
