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 DOR delivers 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 does not require a utility interconnection upgrade. It is the fastest way to add throughput at a grid-constrained site. The Immedia Power DOR is purpose-built for behind-the-meter deployment and deploys rapidly, while a utility upgrade can take 7-10+ years. 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 DOR operates at a 185 g/kWh BSFC optimum, which corresponds to 42% engine thermal efficiency.
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 six fuels the DOR supports.
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. The DOR uses a Bosch ECU, which is industry standard and serviceable by any trained engine technician.
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 DOR's total fuel-to-electrical efficiency is 42% 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. The result: the unit can operate standalone, restart a dead site (black-start), and run in parallel with the utility while augmenting available capacity. The DOR uses a grid-forming active rectifier, one of three layers of Immedia Power's competitive moat.
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 DOR (Distributed On-demand Resource), formerly marketed as the GX230, is a new class of on-site power: a distributed power platform delivering permanent, active grid capacity. Each modular multi-fuel unit delivers 200 kW continuous from a 15 sq ft (~1.4 m²) footprint, weighs 700 kg, runs at 42% fuel-to-electrical efficiency at variable load and 69 dB at 5 m, and ramps to full output in <5 s. Runs on natural gas, CNG, LPG, biofuel, synthetic, or hydrogen blends. Operates standalone, grid-tied, or as a microgrid. 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 the standard input for $/kWh calculations on natural-gas-fired generation. The simulator at /simulator/ auto-loads the live Henry Hub spot.
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 DOR uses a 6-cylinder direct-injection multi-fuel ICE designed by CTO Werner Huhn (35+ years at Ferrari, McLaren F1, Porsche, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG).
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. The DOR supports automatic islanding via its grid-forming active rectifier, transitioning in under 50 ms.
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 ~293.07 kWh thermal per MMBtu, which is the basis for the simulator's $/kWh derivation.
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 has signed $60M+ in LOIs and a $150M+ pipeline as of Q1 2026, 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. The DOR is microgrid-capable out of the box via its grid-forming active rectifier and Power OS coordination layer.
MMBtu #
Million British Thermal Units. Standard pricing unit for natural gas, LPG, and other fuels in $/MMBtu. The conversion to $/kWh-electrical for the DOR: $/MMBtu ÷ 123.1 = $/kWh, where 123.1 = 293.07 kWh/MMBtu LHV × 42% efficiency (variable load).
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. The simulator's sizing calculator at /simulator/ computes the DOR fleet size for each topology.
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. Zero up-front capex for the customer. One of three procurement paths Immedia Power offers (alongside Equipment Sale and 3-Year Lease). See technology and simulator.
Peak shaving #
An operating strategy where on-site generation or storage caps grid imports at a customer-defined threshold, reducing demand charges. The DOR dispatches automatically against a peak-shaving setpoint configured in Power OS.
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 DOR delivers ~90 kVA/m³: 200 kW continuous from a 15 sq ft (~1.4 m²) footprint at 700 kg. That density unlocks sites where space is the constraint, from urban EV depots to port berths and wellpads.
Power OS #
Immedia Power's proprietary software layer running on every deployed DOR. Handles peak shaving, load balancing, demand diagnostics, and kW consumption and cost tracking. Power OS monitors oil, filters, engine wear parts, fuel level, and temperature, and flags developing faults before failure (service before failure). It also flags when a site is ready for an additional unit. Service is performed by Immedia or certified partners. One of the three layers of the company's competitive moat.
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 DOR is rated for both. 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 DOR ramps to full output in under 5 seconds. Fast ramp matters for sites with bursty loads (EV charging, ports at-berth, frac pumping).
S
Service before failure #
Immedia Power's maintenance approach. Power OS monitors oil, filters, engine wear parts, fuel level, and temperature on every DOR and flags developing faults before they cause downtime. Service is performed by Immedia or certified partners.
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 (burn off) because it can't be sold. Globally ~151 BCM is flared each year. The DOR can convert stranded gas directly into on-site electricity at the wellpad, replacing diesel pump power and avoiding flaring penalties. 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. One of the six fuels the DOR supports.
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 the standard input for $/kWh calculations on EU-based natural-gas-fired generation. The simulator auto-loads live TTF when EU jurisdiction is selected.
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.
Need power before the grid can deliver it?
The Fleet Charging Simulator models any site type, EV depot, edge data center, hospital, port, factory, with current fuel and electricity prices and side-by-side Sale / Lease / PaaS comparison.
Run the simulator Talk to sales