Chapter 13 Vocab

Question 1

energy conservation

Answer 1

the implementation of methods to use less energy

Question 2

tiered rate system

Answer 2

customers pay a low rate for the first increment of electricity they use and pay higher rates as their use goes up

Question 3

peak demand

Answer 3

the greatest quantity of energy used at any one time

Question 4

passive solar design

Answer 4

the technique of heating and cooling a building naturally without the use of mechanical equipment

Question 5

thermal mass

Answer 5

A property of a building material that allows it to maintain heat or cold.

Question 6

potentially renewable

Answer 6

can be replaced rather rapidly

Question 7

nondepletable

Answer 7

solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, tidal energy = nondepletable in the span of human time. no matter how much you use there will always be more. tomorrow’s resource does not depend on today’s use

Question 8

renewable

Answer 8

that can be replaced naturally

Question 9

biofuel

Answer 9

Fuels, such as ethanol or methanol, that are created from the fermentation of plants or plant products.

Question 10

modern carbon

Answer 10

Carbon in biomass that was recently in the atmosphere

Question 11

fossil carbon

Answer 11

has been buried for millions of years. less neutral than modern carbon

Question 12

carbon neutral

Answer 12

of or relating to fuels that produce an amount of CO2 when burned that is equal to or less than the amount taken up by the plants from which they are made

Question 13

net removal

Answer 13

The process of removing more that is replace by growth, typically used when referring to carbon.

Question 14

ethanol

Answer 14

Alcohol made by converting starches and sugars from plant material into alcohol and CO2.

Question 15

biodiesel

Answer 15

processed fuel made from vegetable oil or animal fats which can be used in unmodified diesel engines

Question 16

flex-fuel vehicle

Answer 16

vehicles that can burn variable mixtures of gasoline and ethanol

Question 17

hydroelectricity

Answer 17

electricity produced by water power

Question 18

run-of-the-river

Answer 18

Hydroelectricity generation in which water is retained behind a low dam or no dam.

Question 19

water impoundment

Answer 19

The storage of water in a reservoir behind a dam.

Question 20

tidal energy

Answer 20

the energy captured by transforming the wave motion of water into electrical energy using a turbine

Question 21

siltation

Answer 21

The accumulation of sediments, primarily silt, on the bottom of a reservoir.

Question 22

active solar energy

Answer 22

collects solar energy and converts it either to heat or to electricity

Question 23

photovoltaic solar cell

Answer 23

capture energy from the Sun as light, not heat, and convert it directly into electricity

Question 24

wind energy

Answer 24

the energy captured by transforming the motion of air into electrical energy using a turbine

Question 25

wind turbine

Answer 25

a windmill connected to a generator that produces electricity

Question 26

geothermal energy

Answer 26

energy produced by thermal energy inside of Earth

Question 27

ground source heat pump

Answer 27

A technology that transfers heat from the ground to a building.

Question 28

fuel cell

Answer 28

An electrical-chemical device that converts fuel, such as hydrogen, into an electrical current.

Question 29

electrolysis

Answer 29

The application of an electric current to water molecules to split them into hydrogen and oxygen.

Question 30

smart grid

Answer 30

An efficient, self-regulating electricity distribution network that accepts any source of electricity and distributes it effectively to end users.

Question 31

oxygenated fuel

Answer 31

A fuel with oxygen as part of the molecule

Question 32

cellulosic ethanol

Answer 32

An ethanol derived from cellulose, the cell wall material in plants