04Appendices, Glossary and Abbreviations

Australian Industry Participation Plans (AIPP)

Large-scale projects are required to develop Australian Industry Participation Plans (AIPPs), which help to open proponent purchasing programs to Australian suppliers of goods and services.

Abatement

Refers to reductions in CO₂-e emissions.

Aggregation finance

The provision of CEFC finance via co-finance intermediary partners, to aggregate customer demand that would otherwise be too expensive to be serviced directly by the CEFC.

Appropriations

The means by which money from the Treasury is made available to the Australian Government by the Parliament.

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)

An Australian Government agency which funds activities that are expected to advance renewable energy technologies towards commercial readiness, improve business models or reduce overall industry costs.

Black price

The wholesale electricity price received by an electricity generation facility, excluding the benefit of any renewable energy certificates.

Clean Energy Finance Corporation Act 2012 (CEFC Act)

The enabling legislation that creates and empowers the CEFC.

Clean Energy Innovation Fund

A new fund drawing on CEFC finance to target a diversified portfolio of Australian-based clean energy investments with a long-term commercial outlook. This includes technologies and businesses that have passed beyond the research and development stage, but are not yet established or of sufficient maturity, size or otherwise commercially ready to attract sufficient private sector capital. Investment proposals are jointly assessed by the CEFC and ARENA, with ARENA providing expert technical review. Final approval is provided by the CEFC Board, which is responsible for all investment commitments made under the CEFC Act.

Clean energy and clean energy technology

The types of technology the CEFC is permitted to invest in, which includes “renewable energy technologies”, “energy efficiency technologies” and “low emissions technologies” as defined in the CEFC Act.

Climate Bonds

A specific type of green bond issued by the Climate Bond Standards and Certification initiative.

CO₂-e

Carbon dioxide equivalent is a standard measure that takes account of the different global warming potential of greenhouse gases and expresses the cumulative effect in a common unit (definition from the National Carbon Offset Standard).

Co-finance partner; co-financed products

The CEFC’s finance is indirectly provided to end users via a third party, such as a bank or financial institution. The CEFC develops products with co-financiers to leverage their capital and sales networks. These products can be distinguished from a direct CEFC loan where the finance moves directly from the CEFC to the project owner.

Cogen/cogeneration

The combined generation of power and useful heat from the same process or source.

Committed investment

Where the CEFC has made a commitment to invest funds if all necessary pre-conditions are fulfilled by the counterparties.

Concession/concessionality

Concessionality is defined by the Investment Mandate and reflects the mark-to-market valuation of loans committed that financial year. It is measured as the difference between the net present value of each loan’s future cash flows, discounted at market rates, and the net present value of each loan’s future cash flows, discounted at the given concessional rate.

Cornerstone investor

Cornerstone investors are usually large institutional investors, or reputable individuals of substance, whose early stage involvement in an investment signals to the market that an opportunity may be worthwhile for other investors to also consider.

Corporate facility or corporate loan

Typically, a loan to a company (rather than a specific project) for its smaller-scale projects, or a bundle of projects, often secured against the assets or operations of the corporate entity.

Dollars ($)

All references to dollars are Australian dollars unless otherwise specified.

Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD)

A set of principles that corporations and government entities must report against under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Energy efficiency technologies

Energy efficiency includes energy conservation and demand management technologies, and enabling technologies that are related to energy efficiency, including supply of goods or services.

Energy productivity

Using less energy per unit of production or output.

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)

The Australian Government’s central piece of environmental legislation, which provides a legal framework to protect and manage nationally and internationally important flora, fauna, ecological communities and heritage places.

Equity

In finance terms, owned capital (such as shares) in a business or enterprise.

Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (Efic)

An Australian Government statutory authority that provides finance and support to Australian exporters.

External benefits

Benefits that are enjoyed by parties outside a transaction e.g. emissions reduction that benefits the environment

Forecast lifetime yield

The annualised weighted average of forecast income on outstanding principal balance over the life of the investment.

Fringe-of-grid

Areas at the edges of an electricity grid.

Government Policy Order

An instrument to direct government entities made under the PGPA Act.

Green bonds

A generic term for bonds used to finance projects with a positive environmental outcome.

Green Investment Bank (GIB)

A public company owned by the UK Government and charged with accelerating the UK’s transition to a greener, stronger economy.

Green price

The price for renewable energy certificates (RECs) that are created and sold by electricity generation facilities registered as accredited renewable energy facilities under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. Renewable energy facilities typically benefit from both the “black price” and the “green price” for each megawatt hour of electricity generated.

Greenhouse gases

The six Kyoto Protocol classes of greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO₂-e), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N2_O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆).

Heliostat

A mirror or polished surface used in concentrating and directing sunlight to optimise generation capacity.

Hybrid technology

As defined by the CEFC Board, a combination of technologies that integrate a renewable energy generation technology with other technologies into a combined system.

Investment Mandate

A formal Ministerial Direction made under the CEFC Act which specifies conditions under which the CEFC may perform its investment function.

Large-scale

In reference to renewables, a power station large enough to earn certificates under the LRET (i.e. above 100kW for Solar PV).

Large-scale generation certificates (LGCs)

Tradable certificates created under Section 17 of the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. One LGC is equivalent to 1MWh (megawatt hour) of eligible renewable electricity produced by an accredited renewable power station above its baseline.

Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET)

The LRET creates a financial incentive for the establishment or expansion of renewable energy power stations, such as wind, solar farms and hydro-electric power stations. It does this by legislating demand for Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs). One LGC can be created for each megawatt-hour of eligible renewable electricity produced by an accredited renewable power station.

Lifetime abatement

The estimated amount of abated emissions over a project’s useful life.

Limited recourse

Means that the right to compensation or recourse of the financier is limited to the assets that are the subject of the finance.

Low emissions technology

Low emissions technologies may be applied to a number of activities including but not limited to:

a) energy production

b) electricity generation including the use of non-renewable, fossil fuels

c) fuels for and modes of transportation

d) using, reducing, or eliminating existing fugitive greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to meeting the above criteria, the Board requires that at the time of CEFC investment, the low emissions technology must result in emissions of CO₂-e being substantially lower than the current average of the most relevant baseline for the activity being undertaken.

Merchant basis

In respect of renewable energy generation, energy sold onto the spot market without the benefit of a fixed price power purchase agreement where the price received is the prevailing market price at the time of sale.

National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS)

A national ratings system that measures the environmental performance of a building or tenancy including energy efficiency, water usage, waste management and indoor environment quality.

Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS)

A national star rating system (out of 10) that rates the energy efficiency of a home, based on its design.

National Electricity Market (NEM)

A regulated electricity trading market that interconnects the electricity grids of the states and territories of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT.

Off-grid

Not connected to the electricity grid, such as in remote areas.

Offtake agreement

An agreement between a producer (of energy or crops) and a purchaser to purchase production output for a defined period at a defined price.

Photovoltaic (PV)

A type of technology that converts energy from the sun into electricity, as in solar PV.

Portfolio Benchmark Return (PBR)

A long-term target rate of return established by the CEFC Investment Mandate, against which the performance of the portfolio invested by the Corporation is measured.

Positive externalities

Benefits which are not exclusive to parties to a contract, such as an investment contract. May include reduced carbon emissions which benefit society as a whole. It is a requirement of the CEFC Investment Mandate that positive externalities be considered when the CEFC makes investment decisions.

Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)

A type of offtake agreement where a purchaser agrees to purchase and a supplier agrees to supply future generated electricity, usually at a specified price for a defined period.

Project finance

Long-term financing of infrastructure and industrial projects (such as a utility-scale generator or an onsite generation facility) which will be repaid from the projected cash flows of the project without recourse to the balance sheets of the sponsors.

Project proponents

The ‘proposers’ or owners of a given project, as distinct from the project financiers.

Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act)

An Act about the governance, performance and accountability of, and the use and management of public resources by, the Commonwealth, Commonwealth entities and Commonwealth companies, and for related purposes.

Refinancing

Repayment of an existing loan with a new loan.

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)

A generic term for tradeable certificates under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000.

Renewable Energy Target (RET)

A target for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. Made up of the small-scale renewables scheme (SRES) and the large-scale target (LRET).

Renewable energy technologies

Clean energy technologies that fit within the definition of “renewable energy technologies” under the CEFC Act, and can include hybrids that integrate renewable energy technologies, and technologies that are related to renewable technologies, including enabling technologies.

Roll-off

Investment amounts that exit the portfolio (e.g. by sale, repayment, cancellation of all or part of the facility, reduction in quantum borrowed etc.).

Senior debt

Debt that takes priority in repayment over other unsecured or more junior debt.

Single-axis tracking

A type of PV array that rotates a panel around a single axis to track the sun’s movement across the horizon, optimising generation capacity.

Special Account

A type of Australian Government account in which funds are held for a specified purpose. The CEFC Act creates a Special Account in order to fund the CEFC

Subordinated debt

Where two or more financiers are involved in offering finance, one may take a “subordinated” or “junior debt” position relevant to the other (“senior debt”) in the event of a loss (i.e. one financier may rank after the other financier in priority for recovery in the event the finance recipient becomes insolvent and cannot repay the loan).

tCO₂-e

Tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas.

Tenor

Length or term of a loan.

Total Annual Remuneration Package (TARP)

Total remunerative benefits for staff including salary, superannuation and any other benefits.

Trigeneration

A system of generating power, heating and cooling from the same process or source. A trigeneration system is identical to a cogeneration system with the addition of the cooling element.

AAO

Administrative Arrangements Orders

AAS

Australian Accounting Standards

AASB

Australian Accounting Standards Board

AIPP

Australian Industry Participation Plans

AML/CTF Act

Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006

ANAO

Australian National Audit Office

ARENA

Australian Renewable Energy Agency

ASX

Australian Securities Exchange

BNEF

Bloomberg New Energy Finance

CCS

Carbon Capture and Storage

CEFC

Clean Energy Finance Corporation

CEFC Act

Clean Energy Finance Corporation Act 2012

CO-₂

Carbon Dioxide

CSIRO

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

CSP

Concentrated Solar Power

EAP

Employee Assistance Program

EEO Act

Equal Employment Opportunity (Commonwealth Authorities) Act 1987

Efic

Export Finance and Insurance Corporation

EPBC Act

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

ERF

Emissions Reduction Fund

ESD

Ecologically Sustainable Development

ESG

Environmental, Social and Governance

FBT

Fringe Benefits Tax

FOI Act

Freedom of Information Act 1982

FRR

Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Financial Reporting) Rule 2015

FTE

Full-time equivalent

FVPL

Financial assets at fair value through profit and loss

GGS

General Government Sector

GHG

Greenhouse gases

GIB

Green Investment Bank

GPO

Government Policy Order

GST

Goods and Services Tax

GW

Gigawatt

GWh

Gigawatt hour

HTM

Held to maturity

IPS

Information Publication Scheme

JCPAA

Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit

KPI

Key Performance Indicators

kW

Kilowatt

kWh

Kilowatt hour

LED

Light emitting diode

LGC

Large-scale generation certificate

LRET

Large-scale Renewable Energy Target

MJ

Megajoule

MP

Member of Parliament

MW

Megawatt

MWh

Megawatt hour

NABERS

National Australian Built Environment Rating System

NatHERS

Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme

NEM

National Electricity Market

NGO

Non-Governmental Organisation

PBO

Parliamentary Budget Office

PBR

Portfolio Benchmark Return

PBS

Portfolio Budget Statement

PGPA Act

Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013

PID Act

Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013

PPA

Power Purchase Agreement

PPP

Public Private Partnership

PV

Photovoltaic

RECs

Renewable Energy Certificates

REEP

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership

RET

Renewable Energy Target

SRES

Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme

TARP

Total Annual Remuneration Package

WHS Act

Work, Health and Safety Act 2011