Acronyms for Energy at the Edge
Eliminating confusion, from a supposedly "simplified" lexicon
Posted From: Jackson, Wyoming, United States
Introduction Energy Series: Article 0
When acronyms create confusion
A reader of the blog inspired this post by saying, “I’ll need a glossary of abbreviations at some point.” I wholeheartedly agree.
Reliance on acronyms and abbreviations is necessary for those who live and breathe the energy transition. The intention of acronyms is to allow for speed and simplicity when communicating. However, they can create confusion if acronyms are:
Not wildly used to begin with
Used without being reintroduced
Used incorrectly1
If you come across an unfamiliar acronym in any post, feel free to comment or reach out. I’ll keep this list updated.
Below is a reference list of acronyms used throughout the blog.
List of posts and each acronyms’ first appearance
Post 0 - Welcome
DER - Distributed energy resources
Post 1 - Hypotheses
EV / BEV / PHEV - Electric vehicle / battery electric vehicle / plug-in hybrid electric vehicle
IRP - Integrated resource plan
VPP - Virtual power plant
PUC / PSC - Public utility commission / public service commission
Post 2 - Customer Classification
HDI - Human development index
EIA - Energy Information Administration
FERC - Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
kW - Kilowatt (a unit of power)
kWh - Kilowatt hour (a unit of energy)
HVAC - Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
Post 3 - Customer Segmentation
CX - Customer experience
CIS - Customer Information System
AMI - Advanced Metering Infrastructure
CRM - Customer Relationship Management
OMS - Outage Management Systems
DERMS - Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems
Post 4 - Customer Journeys
AI - Artificial intelligence
Post 5 - DER Adoption Hypothesis
IoT - Internet of things
NAICS - North American Industry Classification System
Post 6 - Acronyms
Last updated June 25, 2025