Modules 34-40 Terms Flashcards
a fuel derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago
fossil fuel
coman energy source with a finite supply, primarily the fossil fuels and nuclear fuels
nonrenewable energy source
fuel derived from radioactive materials that give off energy
nuclear fuel
an energy source that is bought and sold
commercial energy source
an energy source gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs
subsistence energy source
something that can move and deliver energy in a convenient, usable form to end users
energy carrier
a device that can be turned by water, steam, or wind to produce power
turbine
a network of interconnected transmission lines that joins power plants together and links them with end users
electrical grid
a power plant that uses both exhaust gases and steam turbines to generate electricity
combined cycle
in reference to an electricity-generating plant, the maximum electrical output
capacity
the fraction of time a power plant operates in a year
capacity factor
the use of a fuel to generate electricity and produce heat. Also known as combined heat and power
Cogeneration
a solid fuel formed primarily from the remains of trees, ferns, and other plant materials preserved 280-360 million years ago
coal
a widely-used fossil fuel that occurs in underground deposits, composed of a liquid mix of hydrocarbons, water and sulfur
petroleum
liquid petroleum removed from the ground
crude oil
slowing-flowing, viscous deposits of bitumen mixed with sand, water and clay
oil sands
a degraded petroleum that forms when petroleum migrates to the surface of Earth and is modified by bacteria
bitumen
the technology to convert solid coal into liquid fuel
CTL (coal to liquid)
the energy use per unit of GDP
energy intensity
a bell-shaped curve representing oil use and projecting both when world oil production will reach a max and when the world will run out of oil
Hubbert curve
the point at which half the total known oil supply is used up
peak oil
nuclear reaction in which a neutron strikes a relatively large atomic nucleus, which then splits into two or more parts, releasing additional neutrons and energy in the form of heat
fission
a cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor
fuel rod
a cylindrical device inserted between the fuel rods in a nuclear reactor to absorb excess neutrons and slow or stop the fission reaction
control rod
nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to emit radioactivity
radioactive waste
unit that measures the rate at which a sample of radioactive material decays; 1 Bq=decay of 1 atom or nucleus per second
Becquerel (Bq)
a unit of measure for radiation; 1 curie= 37 billion decays per second
Curie
a reaction that occurs when lighter nuclei are forced together to produce heavier nuclei
nuclear fusion
finding and implementing ways to use less energy
energy conservation
a billing system used by some electric companies in which customers pay higher rates as their use goes up
tiered rate system
the greatest quantity of energy used at any one time
peak demand
construction designed to take advantage of solar radiation without active technology
passive solar design
a property of a building material that allows it to maintain heat or cold
thermal mass
an energy source that can be regenerated indefinitely as long as it is not over harvested
potentially renewable
an energy source that cannot be used up
nondepletable
in energy management, an energy source that is either potentially renewable or nondepletable
renewable
liquid fuel created from processed or refined biomass
biofuel
carbon in biomass that was recently in the atmosphere
modern carbon
carbon in fossil fuels
fossil carbon
an activity that does not change atmospheric CO2 concentrations
carbon neutral
the process of removing more than is replaced by growth, typically used when referring to carbon
net removal
alcohol made by converting starches and sugars from plant material into alcohol and CO2
ethanol
a diesel substitute produced by extracting and chemically altering oil from plants
biodiesel
a vehicle that runs on either gas or a gal/ethanol mix
flex-fuel vehicle
electricity generated by the kinetic energy of moving water
hydroelectricity
hydroelectricity generation in which water is retained behind a low dam or no dam
run-of-the-river
the storage of water in a reservoir behind a dam
water impoundment
energy that comes from the movement of water driven by the gravitational pull of the moon
tidal energy
the accumulation of sediments, primarily silt, on the bottom of a reservoir
siltation
energy captured from sunlight with advanced technologies
active solar energy
a system of capturing energy from sunlight and converting it directly into electricity
photovoltaic solar cell
energy generated from the kinetic energy of moving air
wind energy
a turbine that converts wind energy into electricity
wind turbine
heat energy that comes from the natural radioactive decay of elements deep within the earth
geothermal energy
a technology that transfers heat from the ground to a building
ground source heat pump
an electrical-chemical device that converts fuel, such as hydrogen, into an electrical current
fuel cell
the application of an electric current to water molecules to split them into hydrogen and oxygen
electrolysis
an efficient, self-regulating electricity distribution network that accepts any source of electricity and distributes it automatically to end users
smart grid
