PV LEGAL Database
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B

BIPV

Building Integrated PV System. This term covers all PV systems which are an essential part of the building like e.g. a PV facade or a PV system which is roof-integrated.

D

distribution grid operator

Distribution grid operators operate medium- and low-voltage grids and co-ordinate their grids with other electricity grids within a designated area (region)

E

electricity retailer

A company which is selling electricity to the final user

G

grid connection

The connection of the PV system to the electrical grid

grid connection fee

The fee to be paid for the connection of the PV system to the grid

grid operator

Operator of transmission or distribution grid that transmits or distributes electricity within a designated area and co-ordinates its services with other grids

grid usage fee

The fee to be paid for the use of the grid (for example transport of generated electricity into and through the grid)

ground-mounted system

This term covers all PV systems which are installed on the ground

I

installed capacity

 

It is the sum of the PV modules’ rated power of a PV system. The rated power is either calculated as sum of the nameplate capacity of the modules or the sum of the flashed power of the PV modules.

 

installer

The person or company that installs the PV system

inverter

A device that converts direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC)

L

land development plan

Higher level in land use planning. Used for planning on town level

land use planning

Branch of public policy which encompasses various disciplines which seek to order and regulate the use of land in an efficient and ethical way

legal-administrative barriers

 

Legal-administrative barriers are barriers that are caused by regulations stemming from government bodies or grid operators and which delay the authorisation or the installation of PV systems. This definition comprises bureaucratic barriers but it also covers barriers which stem directly from the law, not only from the application of the law by the administration

 

Legal-Administrative Labour Requirements

Total amount of time in hours invested for complying with legal-administrative requirements during PV project development process

listed building

A building, which has been placed on a list of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. Usually, a listed building may not be demolished, extended or altered without special permission from the local planning authority

M

maximum capacity

The highest possible output of a PV system under normal conditions.

N

Non Legal-Administrative Labour Requirements

Amount of time in man-hours that need to be invested for this process, excluding the time to be spent for complying with legal-administrative requirements

O

Overall Duration

Total amount of time needed for project development until PV plant starts operating

Overall Labour

Total amount of time in hours invested for complying with legal-administrative requirements during PV project development process

P

permission

A license to carry out an act that; without such licence would have been unlawful.

Process

A Process is one of the necessary functional procedures necessary to develop a PV system, such as site selection, grid connection, PV system construction etc. A Process is described by a sequence of Process Steps (which may be either of administrative or non-administrative nature).

Process Duration

The overall time needed to complete a specific process of the PV project lifecycle

Processes

A Process is one of the necessary functional procedures necessary to develop a PV system, such as site selection, grid connection, PV system construction etc. A Process is described by a sequence of Process Steps (which may be either of administrative or non-administrative nature).

Process Steps

A step is one of a sequential succession of actions that need to be executed in order to satisfy the legal-administrative and the other requirements of a process

project developer

A person or company that is in charge for the planning and development of the PV project

PV Project Lifecycle

All the procedures required to authorise, install and finally connect a PV system. In our representation, the Project Lifecycle is defined as a sequential succession of Processes (such as site selection, grid connection, etc.), each of them described by a sequence of Process Steps (either administrative or non-administrative).

PV system

A PV system uses a semi-conducting material to convert light into electricity

PV system operator

A person or company that (owns and) operates a PV system

R

rooftop system

This term covers all PV systems which are installed on or in the roof of buildings.

S

Segment

A segment is a part of the national PV market. Three market segments have been identified within PV LEGAL:

  • Segment A: small-scale installations on residential buildings.
  • Segment B: small to medium-scale installations on commercial buildings.
  • Segment C: medium to large-scale ground-mounted installations on open lands.

 

Step

A step is one of a sequential succession of actions that need to be executed in order to satisfy the legal-administrative and the other requirements of a process

Sub-segment

A sub-segment is a subset of a national market segment, defined by different legal-administrative requirements based on a particular characteristic of the PV systems: size, Installation location, etc.

T

transmission grid operator

Transmission grid operators operate supra-regional high-voltage grids and co-ordinate their grids with those of the distribution grid operators. In many European countries there is only one transmission grid operator. However in some countries, such as Germany, Austria and Great Britain 3 to 4 companies provide transmission services

U

urban development plan

The lowest level in land use planning. Used for planning on local level and on parts of a town

W

Waiting Time

Overall waiting time for authorities/administrations or grid operators which have to take an action, thereby delaying the PV project. The waiting time has been measured for each process (for example site selection or grid connection permit) and for the overall PV Project Lifecycle which consists of all these processes. The measurement of the waiting time for the overall PV project Lifecycle takes into account the possibility that project developers work on one particular process while waiting for the other. For this reason, the waiting time for the overall PV project Lifecycle is usually shorter than the sum of waiting time being used for the single processes. The waiting time, which takes into account the possibility of working on another process A while waiting for process B, is defined as “net waiting time”. The waiting time that is the sum of all processes is defined as “gross waiting time”.