Glossary, distributed power, EV charging, grid interconnection
Plain-language definitions for the terms that come up when buyers ask AI assistants and search engines about getting more electrical power for their site. Each entry is short, sourced, and cross-linked. Where Immedia Power addresses the concept directly, the relevant page or product is linked.
A
Active grid capacity #
Electrical capacity that serves a site's load day to day rather than sitting idle until an outage. Backup assets add resilience; active grid capacity adds usable power. The pre-pilot DOR is designed to deliver permanent, active grid capacity behind the meter. See distributed power platform.
Active rectifier #
A power electronics stage that converts AC to DC (or vice versa) using switched semiconductors with active control over voltage, frequency, and reactive power. In the DOR the active rectifier is grid-forming, meaning it can establish reference voltage and frequency rather than just following an existing grid. See grid-forming inverter.
B
Behind-the-meter (BTM) generation #
Electrical generation installed on the customer's side of the utility meter. Because the energy never crosses the meter, BTM capacity can avoid a utility capacity upgrade, though interconnection and permitting requirements remain site-specific. The pre-pilot DOR is being designed for behind-the-meter deployment through a shorter, site-specific path than a major utility upgrade. See also interconnection queue.
BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) #
Stored electrochemical energy used to deliver power on demand. BESS is excellent for short-duration peaks but is recharge-constrained, once depleted, throughput depends entirely on the upstream connection. For high-throughput continuous loads, BESS is typically paired with on-site generation rather than used alone.
Black-start #
The ability of an on-site power source to start up and energize a site without any external grid power. Required for true off-grid operation and for restarting a site after a grid outage. Enabled by a grid-forming inverter.
BSFC (Brake-Specific Fuel Consumption) #
Mass of fuel consumed per unit of mechanical work delivered, expressed in grams per kWh (g/kWh). Lower is better. The pre-pilot DOR targets a 185 g/kWh BSFC optimum and 42% engine thermal efficiency, subject to validation.
C
CARB At-Berth Regulation #
California Air Resources Board rule requiring container, reefer, cruise, ro-ro, and tanker vessels to reduce auxiliary engine emissions while at California ports, typically by plugging into shore power. Non-compliance fines: $37,500 per violation. See ports shore power crisis.
CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) #
Natural gas stored under pressure (~3,600 psi) to reduce volume for transport and use without a continuous pipeline. One of the five fuel categories the DOR is designed to support, subject to validation and certification.
D
Demand charge #
A utility billing component based on a customer's peak power draw within a billing period (typically the highest 15-minute average kW). Demand charges can dominate commercial and industrial bills. Peak shaving with on-site generation reduces demand charges directly.
Distributed power generation #
Electricity generation located near the point of consumption rather than at central utility plants. Includes BTM diesel/gas gensets, fuel cells, linear generators, micro-CHP, and solar+storage. The DOR belongs to a newer class: the distributed power platform, which adds permanent, active grid capacity rather than backup. Compare alternatives at comparison.
Distributed power platform #
A new class of on-site power that delivers permanent, active grid capacity rather than backup, combining modular hardware with a coordinating software layer. The DOR (Distributed On-demand Resource) is the first of this new class.
E
ECU (Engine Control Unit) #
The embedded controller that manages fuel injection, ignition, and emissions on a modern internal-combustion engine. Bosch ECU/component use remains a planned DOR configuration subject to final supplier selection and integrated-system validation.
Edge data center #
A small to mid-scale data center sited close to end users to reduce latency for inference, content delivery, 5G compute, and IoT processing. Edge sites often face the same grid bottleneck as EV charging hubs. See edge data centers power problem.
Engine thermal efficiency vs. fuel-to-electrical efficiency #
Engine thermal efficiency measures fuel energy converted to mechanical shaft work. Fuel-to-electrical efficiency measures fuel energy converted to delivered electrical output, after conversion losses in the power electronics. The pre-pilot DOR targets 42% engine thermal efficiency and 87% engine-to-grid conversion, or approximately 36.5% total fuel-to-electrical efficiency at variable load.
F
FuelEU Maritime #
EU regulation requiring vessels at berth in EU ports to reduce greenhouse-gas intensity, typically by plugging into shore power. Non-compliant vessels face fines of approximately $144K per day per vessel. See ports shore power crisis.
Frac fleet #
A coordinated group of high-pressure pumps, blenders, sand-handling equipment, and ancillary trucks used in hydraulic fracturing. A typical US frac fleet burns ~5.5M gallons of diesel/year. Multi-fuel modular generation can replace diesel by running on field gas. See frac fleet power.
Fuel cell #
An electrochemical device that converts fuel (typically natural gas or hydrogen) directly into electricity without combustion. Solid-oxide fuel cells (e.g. Bloom Energy) deliver high efficiency. Compare to ICE-based architectures at comparison.
G
Grid-forming inverter / grid-forming active rectifier #
Power electronics that establish their own reference voltage and frequency rather than synchronizing to an existing grid signal. They can support standalone operation, black-start, and parallel utility operation. A grid-forming active rectifier and these operating modes are planned DOR capabilities subject to integrated-system validation.
Grid-following inverter #
Power electronics that synchronize to an existing grid voltage and frequency. If the grid drops, a grid-following inverter drops with it. Adequate for solar-PV inverters in stable-grid regions; insufficient for sites that need standalone operation or grid-augmenting capacity.
DOR (Distributed On-demand Resource) #
Immedia Power's pre-pilot DOR (Distributed On-demand Resource), formerly marketed as the GX230, is a new class of on-site power: a distributed power platform designed to deliver permanent, active grid capacity. Each modular unit targets 200 kW continuous output from a 15 sq ft (~1.4 m²) footprint, a 700 kg system weight, 36.5% total fuel-to-electrical efficiency at variable load, 69 dB at 5 m, and a ramp to full output in <5 s. The design supports natural gas, CNG, LPG, biofuel, and hydrogen blends, subject to validation, certification, and market configuration. Full spec at technology.
H
Henry Hub #
The benchmark pricing point for North American natural gas, located in Erath, Louisiana. Spot price in $/MMBtu is a standard input for $/kWh calculations on natural-gas-fired generation.
Hyperscale data center #
A very large data center operated by a cloud or social-media platform (Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Meta), typically >100 MW. Hyperscale power needs are usually solved via dedicated PPAs and utility deals, not modular on-site generation. Immedia Power serves edge and inference data centers, not hyperscale training campuses.
I
ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) #
An engine that converts fuel to mechanical work via combustion in cylinders. The pre-pilot DOR design uses a 6-cylinder direct-injection multi-fuel ICE architecture.
Interconnection queue #
The list of pending generation and large-load projects waiting on utility study, agreement, and physical connection. Most US RTOs report 7-10+ year wait times in 2026; EU countries report 7-10+ years. See interconnection wait times.
Islanding #
A site operating disconnected from the utility, powered entirely by its own generation. Required during grid outages and at sites with no grid connection. Automatic islanding is a planned DOR capability; under-50-millisecond transfer is an engineering target subject to integrated-system testing.
L
LHV (Lower Heating Value) #
The heat released by burning a fuel, excluding the latent heat of water vapor produced. Used in efficiency calculations for combustion-based generation. For natural gas, LHV is approximately 293.07 kWh thermal per MMBtu.
Linear generator #
A class of generator using a free-piston design that produces electricity directly from linear motion, without a rotating crankshaft. Mainspring Energy is the leading commercial vendor. See comparison.
LOI (Letter of Intent) #
A non-binding written commitment from a customer indicating intent to purchase or contract for a specified scope. Immedia Power reports $60M+ in signed LOIs and a $150M+ pipeline, anchored by the leading US rental car fleet.
M
Microgrid #
A localized electrical network that can operate connected to or independently from the utility grid. Microgrids combine generation, storage, and controls. Microgrid operation through a grid-forming active rectifier and Power OS coordination is a planned DOR capability subject to integrated-system testing.
MMBtu #
Million British Thermal Units. Standard pricing unit for natural gas, LPG, and other fuels in $/MMBtu. At the DOR's 36.5% total fuel-to-electrical efficiency target, the illustrative conversion is $/MMBtu ÷ 106.97, where 106.97 = 293.07 kWh/MMBtu LHV × 36.5%. This is a fuel-cost illustration, not validated performance or a customer quote.
N
N+1, 2N, 2N+1 (redundancy topologies) #
Redundancy levels for critical-power deployments. N+1 deploys one spare unit beyond the production count (one fault tolerable). 2N duplicates the entire production fleet (every production unit has a matching spare). 2N+1 adds an additional spare on top of the duplicate. Common in data centers, healthcare, and military deployments.
Natural gas (pipeline gas) #
Methane-dominant gaseous fuel delivered via pipeline. The most common DOR fuel because most commercial and industrial sites already have a gas line. Live US pricing reference: Henry Hub; live EU reference: TTF.
P
Power-as-a-Service (PaaS) #
Procurement model in which the customer pays a per-kWh service fee on delivered electricity. The provider owns and operates the hardware, sources fuel, and handles maintenance. Immedia Power presents PaaS as one of three planned commercial paths for the pre-pilot DOR, alongside Equipment Sale and 3-Year Lease. See technology.
Peak shaving #
An operating strategy where on-site generation or storage caps grid imports at a customer-defined threshold, reducing demand charges. Automated peak shaving is a planned Power OS capability subject to integrated-system testing.
PJM, ERCOT, CAISO, NYISO, MISO (RTOs / ISOs) #
Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators that coordinate electricity flows across multi-state areas of the US. Each maintains its own interconnection queue. Current 2026 wait times run 7-10+ years across major US RTOs (PJM, ERCOT, CAISO, NYISO, MISO). See interconnection wait times.
Power density #
Electrical output per unit volume or per unit weight. The pre-pilot DOR targets approximately 90 kVA/m³: 200 kW continuous output from a 15 sq ft (~1.4 m²) footprint at 700 kg. Final performance and site suitability remain subject to validation and engineering review.
Power OS #
Immedia Power's proprietary software layer designed for future DOR fleets. Planned capabilities include peak shaving, load balancing, demand diagnostics, consumption and cost tracking, remote monitoring, and predictive maintenance. Final features and service workflows remain subject to validation and commercialization.
Prime power vs. backup power #
Prime power means the on-site unit is the primary continuous power source for a load. Backup power means it runs only when the utility fails. The pre-pilot DOR targets both configurations, subject to validation and site engineering. Conventional diesel gensets are typically rated for backup duty.
R
Ramp time #
The time required for a power source to reach full rated output from cold start. The pre-pilot DOR targets a ramp to full output in under five seconds, subject to integrated-system testing. Fast ramp matters for sites with bursty loads.
S
Service before failure #
A planned Power OS capability for monitoring unit-health signals and flagging developing faults. The function remains subject to integrated-system testing; the service program and authorized network have not yet been established.
Shore power (cold ironing) #
Electrical power supplied to a vessel at berth so it can shut down auxiliary engines and idle on grid (or BTM) power instead of diesel. Currently only ~3% of global berths have shore power infrastructure. Mandated for major vessel classes by CARB At-Berth (California) and FuelEU Maritime (EU).
Stranded gas #
Natural gas produced as a byproduct of oil extraction in locations without pipeline access. Operators typically flare it when it cannot be sold. The pre-pilot DOR is being designed for site-approved gaseous-fuel configurations that could include wellpad applications; performance, emissions, fuel compatibility, and permitting remain subject to validation and engineering review. See stranded gas wasted opportunity.
Syngas (synthetic gas) #
A fuel mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (and sometimes methane) produced by gasifying biomass, coal, or municipal waste. Syngas is not included in Immedia Power's current public five-fuel target list.
T
TTF (Title Transfer Facility) #
The benchmark pricing point for European natural gas, a virtual hub in the Netherlands. Spot price in €/MWh thermal is a standard input for $/kWh calculations on EU-based natural-gas-fired generation.
U
Utility upgrade / service upgrade #
A utility-side capacity increase delivered by adding or upgrading transformers, conductors, breakers, and (sometimes) substations. Typical timeline: 7-10+ years in the US, 7-10+ in the EU, with multi-six-figure to seven-figure capex paid by the customer. Often the trigger for evaluating behind-the-meter generation as a faster alternative.
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