PPA
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Power purchase agreement |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Science & Engineering, Medical, Law & Legal, Business & Finance |
PPA has four meanings. The most common are Power purchase agreement (energy) and Primary progressive aphasia (neurology); it can also stand for Provisional patent application and Purchase price allocation.
Meanings of PPA at a glance
| # | PPA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power purchase agreement | Science & Engineering › Energy |
| 2 | Primary progressive aphasia | Medical › Neurology |
| 3 | Provisional patent application | Law & Legal › Intellectual Property |
| 4 | Purchase price allocation | Business & Finance › Accounting |
1. Power purchase agreement
Science & Engineering · Energy Abbreviations
Long-term contract, typically 10 to 25 years, under which a buyer such as a utility or corporation agrees to purchase electricity from a generator at a set price. PPAs provide the stable revenue that lets wind and solar projects obtain financing.
Example: The tech company signed a 15-year PPA for the output of a 300 MW wind farm in Texas.
In a "virtual" PPA the buyer does not take physical power but settles the difference between the contract price and market prices, while receiving renewable energy certificates. Amazon has been the world's largest corporate buyer of renewable energy through PPAs. Residential solar companies also sell PPAs, in which homeowners pay for the electricity rather than the panels.
2. Primary progressive aphasia
Medical · Neurology Abbreviations
Neurodegenerative syndrome in which language gradually deteriorates, with difficulty finding words, understanding or producing grammatical speech, while memory and daily function are relatively preserved early on. It is usually caused by frontotemporal lobar degeneration or Alzheimer's pathology.
Example: Two years of progressive word-finding difficulty and simplified grammar: nonfluent variant PPA, speech therapy referral.
Diagnostic criteria published in 2011 divide PPA into semantic, nonfluent/agrammatic and logopenic variants, each linked to different underlying diseases. Speech-language therapy and communication aids help maintain abilities. Bruce Willis's family first announced an aphasia diagnosis in 2022 before the later FTD diagnosis.
3. Provisional patent application
Law & Legal · Intellectual Property Abbreviations
Lower-cost US patent filing that establishes an early priority date without formal claims or examination, giving the applicant 12 months to file a non-provisional application claiming its benefit. Applicants may then mark products "patent pending".
Example: We filed a PPA the week before the trade show so the demo would not destroy novelty.
Available since June 8, 1995, under 35 U.S.C. § 111(b). A provisional expires automatically after 12 months and never becomes a patent itself. Its disclosure must support the later claims, so a thin provisional may give little real protection. The 12 months do not count toward the 20-year patent term.
4. Purchase price allocation
Business & Finance · Accounting Abbreviations
Process of assigning the price paid in an acquisition to the fair values of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with any excess recorded as goodwill. Intangible assets such as customer relationships, brands and technology are typically identified and valued separately.
Example: The PPA assigned $600 million to customer relationships and the remaining $1.1 billion to goodwill.
Required under US GAAP (ASC 805) and IFRS 3 for business combinations, usually with help from valuation specialists. Amounts allocated to finite-lived intangibles are amortized, reducing future earnings, whereas goodwill is tested for impairment. Companies have up to one year, the measurement period, to finalize the allocation.
Related abbreviations
More energy abbreviations
- OCGT – Open-cycle gas turbine
- PEM – Proton exchange membrane
- PHEV – Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle
- PHS – Pumped hydro storage
- PTC – Production Tax Credit
- PV – Photovoltaic
- PWR – Pressurized water reactor
- REC – Renewable energy certificate
See all 74 energy abbreviations →
More neurology abbreviations
- PLEX – Plasma exchange
- PML – Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
- PN – Peripheral neuropathy
- PNES – Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures
- PPMS – Primary progressive multiple sclerosis
- PRES – Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
- PSP – Progressive supranuclear palsy
- PVS – Persistent vegetative state
See all 131 neurology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical or legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.