Unit 6 Flashcards
AFV
Alternative Fuel Vehicle. Natural Gas cars, fuel cell cars, electric cars
Biofuels
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.
Biomass
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.
BTU
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.
CO
Carbon monoxide
CO2
Carbon dioxide
Cogeneration
(also Combined Heat and Power) Production of electricity from steam, heat, or other forms of energy produced as a by-product of another process.
Demand
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.
DOE
U.S. Department of Energy.
Electric energy
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).
Energy conservation
Using less energy, either by greater energy efficiency or by decreasing the types of applications requiring electricity or natural gas to operate.
Energy efficiency
Using less energy (electricity and/or natural gas) to perform the same function at the same level of quality.
EPA
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Gigawatt-hour
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.
Greenhouse gases
Greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, tropospheric ozone, nitrous oxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
Grid
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.
Kilowatt (kW)
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.
Kilowatt hour
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.
Megawatt
A megawatt equals 1,000 kilowatts or 1 million watts.
Megawatt hour
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.
NOx
Nitrogen oxides
Peak load or peak demand
The electric load that corresponds to a maximum level of electric demand within a specified time period, usually a year.
Public good
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.
Public utility
An investor owned utility regulated by the PUC. “Public utility” excludes municipal utilities, cooperatives, and power marketing authorities.
