Unit 6

Question 1

AFV

Answer 1

Alternative Fuel Vehicle. Natural Gas cars, fuel cell cars, electric cars

Question 2

Biofuels

Answer 2

Alcohols, ethers, esters, and other chemicals made from raw biological material such as herbaceous and woody plants, agricultural and forestry residues, and a large portion of municipal solid and industrial waste.

Question 3

Biomass

Answer 3

Organic waste from agricultural, livestock, and lumber industry products, dead trees, foliage, etc., and is considered a renewable energy source. Biomass can be used as fuel and is most often burned to create steam that powers steam turbine generators. It is also used to make transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, and chemicals like pyrolysis oil that can be burned like oil to produce energy.

Question 4

BTU

Answer 4

British thermal unit; the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit under stated conditions of pressure and temperature (equal to 252 calories, 778 foot-pounds, 1,005 joules and 0.293 watthours). It is the U.S. customary unit of measuring the quality of heat, such as the heat content of fuel.

Question 5

CO

Answer 5

Carbon monoxide

Question 6

CO2

Answer 6

Carbon dioxide

Question 7

Cogeneration

Answer 7

(also Combined Heat and Power) Production of electricity from steam, heat, or other forms of energy produced as a by-product of another process.

Question 8

Demand

Answer 8

The rate at which electric energy is delivered to or by a system or part of a system, generally expressed in kilowatts (kW), megawatts (MW), or gigawatts (GW), at a given instant or averaged over any designated interval of time. Demand should not be confused with Load or Energy.

Question 9

DOE

Answer 9

U.S. Department of Energy.

Question 10

Electric energy

Answer 10

The generation or use of electric power by a device over a period of time, expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh), megawatt-hours (MWh), or gigawatt-hours (GWh).

Question 11

Energy conservation

Answer 11

Using less energy, either by greater energy efficiency or by decreasing the types of applications requiring electricity or natural gas to operate.

Question 12

Energy efficiency

Answer 12

Using less energy (electricity and/or natural gas) to perform the same function at the same level of quality.

Question 13

EPA

Answer 13

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Question 14

Gigawatt-hour

Answer 14

The unit of energy equal to that expended in one hour at a rate of one billion watts. One GWh equals 1,000 megawatt-hours.

Question 15

Greenhouse gases

Answer 15

Greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, tropospheric ozone, nitrous oxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Question 16

Grid

Answer 16

A system of interconnected power lines and generators that is managed so that power from generators is dispatched as needed to meet the requirements of the customers connected to the grid at various points.

Question 17

Kilowatt (kW)

Answer 17

This is a measure of demand for power. The rate at which electricity is used during a defined period (usually metered over 15-minute intervals). Utility customers generally are billed on a monthly basis; therefore, the kW demand for a given month would be the 15- minute period in which the most power is consumed.

Question 18

Kilowatt hour

Answer 18

This is a measure of consumption. It is the amount of electricity that is used over some period of time, typically a one-month period for billing purposes. Customers are charged a rate per kWh of electricity used.

Question 19

Megawatt

Answer 19

A megawatt equals 1,000 kilowatts or 1 million watts.

Question 20

Megawatt hour

Answer 20

The unit of energy equal to that expended in one hour at a rate of one million watts. One MWh equals 3,414,000 BTU’s.

Question 21

NOx

Answer 21

Nitrogen oxides

Question 22

Peak load or peak demand

Answer 22

The electric load that corresponds to a maximum level of electric demand within a specified time period, usually a year.

Question 23

Public good

Answer 23

A good (or a service) that will not be produced and delivered solely by the free market. Economists call these “public goods” because the public consumes them, but they do not solely benefit a single buyer or group of buyers.

Question 24

Public utility

Answer 24

An investor owned utility regulated by the PUC. “Public utility” excludes municipal utilities, cooperatives, and power marketing authorities.

Question 25

PV

Answer 25

Photovoltaic

Question 26

Silicon (Si)

Answer 26

A semiconducting material found in most solar cells. It absorbs photons in sunlight and creates energy.

Question 27

Utility

Answer 27

A corporation, person, agency, authority, or other legal entity that owns or operates facilities for the generation, transmission, distribution, or sale of electric energy or natural gas primarily for use by the public and is defined as a utility under the statutes and rules by which it is regulated.

Question 28

Watt

Answer 28

The unit of measure for electric power or rate of doing work. The rate of energy transfer equivalent to one ampere flowing under pressure of one volt.