← All glossary terms

Utility Rates, Grid, and Markets

Firm service

Firm service is service with higher priority and fewer curtailment rights than interruptible or non-firm service. Data center users usually need firm service for critical load, but some projects may combine firm and interruptible blocks for economics.

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Commissioning

Commissioning is the structured process of verifying that facility systems are installed, integrated, and performing as designed. It is critical for data centers because individual equipment tests are not enough to prove system behavior under failure or transfer scenarios.

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Cluster study

Cluster study is a process that studies multiple interconnection requests together in a batch. It is designed to reduce serial-study backlogs and allocate shared study or upgrade costs among grouped projects, but withdrawals can still cause restudies and uncertainty.

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Ramp schedule

Ramp schedule is the contractual or operational timeline for adding capacity or load. In data centers, ramp schedules should align utility delivery, construction phasing, equipment procurement, commissioning, customer deployment, and billing obligations.

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