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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />ELK RIVER MUNICIPAL UTILITIES COMMONLY USED ACRONYMS <br /> <br />Page 3 of 15 <br /> <br />An agent of the Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, CMPAS oper ates as a <br />project-oriented, partial or full-requirements agency. <br /> <br />16. COLA – Cost of Living Adjustment – An increase in income that keeps up with the <br />cost of living. Increases may be based on several factors including applicable competitive <br />job markets, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and financial position. <br /> <br />17. CON – Certificate of Need – A legal request that Minnesota’s utilities must file with <br />the MnPUC for a proposed acquisition, expansion, or creation of a facility. Applicants <br />must be able to show that the proposed change supports reliable and efficient <br />services, that there is not a more prudent reasonable alternative, that it will not <br />threaten the natural or social environment, and that it meets oth er state and federal <br />regulations. <br /> <br />18. COOP – Cooperative Electric Utility – Member-owned, not-for-profit utilities <br />governed by an elected board of directors. Co-ops are found in most states but are <br />most prevalent in the Midwest and Southeast. <br /> <br />19. COU – Consumer Owned Utility – Another description for municipal and cooperative <br />utilities, which are owned by those who use their services. <br /> <br />20. CPI – Consumer Price Index – A measure of the average change over time in the <br />prices paid by consumers for common goods and services, such as food, clothing, <br />shelter, and transportation fees. It is calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics <br /> <br />21. CRC – Cooperative Response Center – Afterhours call center located in Austin, MN, <br />used by ERMU. <br /> <br /> <br />D <br /> <br /> <br />22. DC – Direct Current – A flow of electric charge that does not change direction. Direct <br />current was supplanted by alternating current (AC) for distribution purposes in the <br />late 1880s because it was then uneconomical to transform it to the high voltages <br />needed for long-distance transmission. Batteries, fuel cells, and solar cells all <br />produce DC; current always flows in the same direction between the positive and <br />negative terminals. <br /> <br />23. DG – Distributed Generation – A term for electricity generated from sources, often <br />renewable energy sources, near the point of use instead of centralized generation <br />sources from power plants. Solar panels installed on rooftops, fuel-cells, diesel <br />generators, some geothermal plants, or micro-turbines are common <br />examples. These are smaller than utility scale generation schemes and thus offer <br />much more flexibility in how they are deployed. They can be used to power a single <br />home or large enough to provide electricity for a whole community. <br />217