Modules 34-40 Terms Flashcards

1
Q

a fuel derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago

A

fossil fuel

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2
Q

coman energy source with a finite supply, primarily the fossil fuels and nuclear fuels

A

nonrenewable energy source

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3
Q

fuel derived from radioactive materials that give off energy

A

nuclear fuel

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4
Q

an energy source that is bought and sold

A

commercial energy source

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5
Q

an energy source gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs

A

subsistence energy source

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6
Q

something that can move and deliver energy in a convenient, usable form to end users

A

energy carrier

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7
Q

a device that can be turned by water, steam, or wind to produce power

A

turbine

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8
Q

a network of interconnected transmission lines that joins power plants together and links them with end users

A

electrical grid

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9
Q

a power plant that uses both exhaust gases and steam turbines to generate electricity

A

combined cycle

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10
Q

in reference to an electricity-generating plant, the maximum electrical output

A

capacity

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11
Q

the fraction of time a power plant operates in a year

A

capacity factor

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12
Q

the use of a fuel to generate electricity and produce heat. Also known as combined heat and power

A

Cogeneration

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13
Q

a solid fuel formed primarily from the remains of trees, ferns, and other plant materials preserved 280-360 million years ago

A

coal

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14
Q

a widely-used fossil fuel that occurs in underground deposits, composed of a liquid mix of hydrocarbons, water and sulfur

A

petroleum

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15
Q

liquid petroleum removed from the ground

A

crude oil

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16
Q

slowing-flowing, viscous deposits of bitumen mixed with sand, water and clay

A

oil sands

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17
Q

a degraded petroleum that forms when petroleum migrates to the surface of Earth and is modified by bacteria

A

bitumen

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18
Q

the technology to convert solid coal into liquid fuel

A

CTL (coal to liquid)

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19
Q

the energy use per unit of GDP

A

energy intensity

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20
Q

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

A

Hubbert curve

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21
Q

the point at which half the total known oil supply is used up

A

peak oil

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22
Q

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

A

fission

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23
Q

a cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor

A

fuel rod

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24
Q

a cylindrical device inserted between the fuel rods in a nuclear reactor to absorb excess neutrons and slow or stop the fission reaction

A

control rod

25
Q

nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to emit radioactivity

A

radioactive waste

26
Q

unit that measures the rate at which a sample of radioactive material decays; 1 Bq=decay of 1 atom or nucleus per second

A

Becquerel (Bq)

27
Q

a unit of measure for radiation; 1 curie= 37 billion decays per second

A

Curie

28
Q

a reaction that occurs when lighter nuclei are forced together to produce heavier nuclei

A

nuclear fusion

29
Q

finding and implementing ways to use less energy

A

energy conservation

30
Q

a billing system used by some electric companies in which customers pay higher rates as their use goes up

A

tiered rate system

31
Q

the greatest quantity of energy used at any one time

A

peak demand

32
Q

construction designed to take advantage of solar radiation without active technology

A

passive solar design

33
Q

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

A

thermal mass

34
Q

an energy source that can be regenerated indefinitely as long as it is not over harvested

A

potentially renewable

35
Q

an energy source that cannot be used up

A

nondepletable

36
Q

in energy management, an energy source that is either potentially renewable or nondepletable

A

renewable

37
Q

liquid fuel created from processed or refined biomass

A

biofuel

38
Q

carbon in biomass that was recently in the atmosphere

A

modern carbon

39
Q

carbon in fossil fuels

A

fossil carbon

40
Q

an activity that does not change atmospheric CO2 concentrations

A

carbon neutral

41
Q

the process of removing more than is replaced by growth, typically used when referring to carbon

A

net removal

42
Q

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

A

ethanol

43
Q

a diesel substitute produced by extracting and chemically altering oil from plants

A

biodiesel

44
Q

a vehicle that runs on either gas or a gal/ethanol mix

A

flex-fuel vehicle

45
Q

electricity generated by the kinetic energy of moving water

A

hydroelectricity

46
Q

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

A

run-of-the-river

47
Q

the storage of water in a reservoir behind a dam

A

water impoundment

48
Q

energy that comes from the movement of water driven by the gravitational pull of the moon

A

tidal energy

49
Q

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

A

siltation

50
Q

energy captured from sunlight with advanced technologies

A

active solar energy

51
Q

a system of capturing energy from sunlight and converting it directly into electricity

A

photovoltaic solar cell

52
Q

energy generated from the kinetic energy of moving air

A

wind energy

53
Q

a turbine that converts wind energy into electricity

A

wind turbine

54
Q

heat energy that comes from the natural radioactive decay of elements deep within the earth

A

geothermal energy

55
Q

a technology that transfers heat from the ground to a building

A

ground source heat pump

56
Q

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

A

fuel cell

57
Q

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

A

electrolysis

58
Q

an efficient, self-regulating electricity distribution network that accepts any source of electricity and distributes it automatically to end users

A

smart grid