Glossary — Sullivan County Indiana Energy & Data Center
Plain-language definitions of energy, utility, permitting, and grid terms used across this Sullivan County Indiana project-tracking site.
Glossary
This glossary explains recurring terms used across the Sullivan County Indiana Energy & Data Center site. Definitions are written for general readers first, with site-specific context where useful.
Terms
BESS
Battery Energy Storage System. A grid-connected battery installation that stores electricity for later use. On this site, BESS usually appears as a component of a larger solar project rather than as a stand-alone facility.
capacity factor
The share of time a power plant effectively produces at its maximum nameplate output over a period of time. A plant with a 100 MW nameplate capacity does not produce 100 MW every hour of every day; capacity factor helps describe real output over time.
CCGT
Combined-cycle gas turbine. A natural-gas generating technology that uses a gas turbine plus a steam cycle to improve efficiency. Proposed projects such as Maple Creek Energy are typically described as CCGT facilities.
COD
Commercial operation date. The date a facility is considered to have entered commercial service. Announced CODs are targets unless the site has verified that operation actually began.
CPCN
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. In Indiana utility regulation, a CPCN is a formal approval required for certain utility projects. Not every project on this site needs one; some non-utility generators instead seek declination of jurisdiction from the IURC.
declination of jurisdiction
An Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission determination that the Commission will decline to exercise jurisdiction over a qualifying generation project under the cited statute. A declination order is not the same thing as a blanket approval for every other permit the project may need.
decommissioning bond
A financial-assurance mechanism meant to help ensure that money is available to remove a project or restore land at the end of a facility’s life. In Sullivan County matters, decommissioning assurance has become especially important because broad local zoning rules are absent in much of the county.
EIA Form 860
A U.S. Energy Information Administration plant and generator survey used to track electric generating facilities. This site uses EIA records as a federal reference source for plant identity, ownership clues, and operating status, while noting that EIA records may lag recent changes.
FERC
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The federal agency that regulates interstate electricity transmission and wholesale power markets, among other responsibilities. FERC-related context is often relevant when a project involves regional transmission or market rules.
IDEM
Indiana Department of Environmental Management. Indiana’s main environmental permitting and compliance agency. IDEM records can be important for air, water, waste, and other environmental aspects of major projects.
interconnection queue
A formal line or processing track used by a regional grid operator to study and process requests by new generators or storage projects to connect to the transmission system. A queue position is evidence of grid-planning activity, not proof that a project will be built.
ISO 3166-2
A geographic code standard used for subdivisions such as U.S. states. In this site’s YAML, US-IN identifies Indiana and US-IL identifies Illinois.
IURC
Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Indiana’s state utility regulator. IURC orders and filings are among the highest-priority sources on this site for determining project status and regulatory history.
MISO
Midcontinent Independent System Operator. A regional transmission organization that operates the grid and interconnection process across much of the Midwest, including Indiana. MISO queue entries matter when Sullivan County projects propose to interconnect through the MISO system.
MW vs MWh
MW (megawatts) measures power at a moment in time; MWh (megawatt-hours) measures energy over time. A solar project may be rated in MW, while a battery component may be described both in MW and in MWh.
PJM
PJM Interconnection. A regional transmission organization that manages the grid and market across a broad eastern U.S. footprint. Some projects relevant to this site may appear in PJM interconnection records instead of or alongside MISO records.
PPA
Power purchase agreement. A contract under which a buyer agrees to purchase power from a project. A PPA can be a major indicator of project viability, but project pages should not imply a PPA exists unless a source identifies one.
tax equity
A common renewable-energy financing structure in which an investor helps finance a project in exchange for access to certain tax benefits. It can be important to a project’s economics even when the local public record does not fully disclose the financing stack.
Related Pages
Last Verified: 2026-04-27
Last Verified: 2026-04-27
