Unit 6: Energy Resources and Consumption

Vocabulary connected to AP Environmental Science Unit 6 Topics

Acid Rain

Precipitation with a low pH, usually caused by man-made emissions reacting with water molecules in the atmosphere.

Active Solar Heating System

A solar water or space-heating system that moves heated air or water using pumps or fans.

Alternating Current (AC)

An electric current that reverses its direction at regular intervals or cycles.

Alternative Fuel

A popular term for non-conventional transportation fuels made from natural gas or biomass materials.

Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV)

A vehicle designed to operate on an alternative fuel or a vehicle designed to operate on an alternative fuel and a traditional fuel.

Ampere (A)

A unit of measure for an electric current.

Anemometer

A device used to measure wind speed.

Appliance

A piece of equipment, commonly powered by electricity, used to perform a particular energy-driven function.

Atom

A tiny unit of matter made up of protons and neutrons in a nucleus, with a cloud of electrons surrounding the core.

Barrage

A man-made dam or channel to capture and direct tidal waters.

Baseload Power

The minimum amount of electricity a utility must have available to its customers round-the-clock, using the most inexpensive sources.

Battery

A device that stores chemical energy that can be transformed into electrical energy.

Bauxite

The ore that provides the principle source of aluminum.

Biodiesel

An alternative fuel that can be made from any fat, grease, or vegetable oil and used in any diesel engine with few or no modifications.

Biofuels

Liquid fuels and blending components produced from biomass feedstock, used primarily for transportation.

Biogas

A gas produced by the breakdown of organic matter.

Biogas Digester

Containers or pits to deposit biogenic waste that ferments and produces a methane-rich gas which can then be harvested for electricity production.

Binary Cycle Plant

A type of power plant that transfers thermal energy from one reservoir to another to produce electricity.

Biomass

Any organic (plant or animal) material available on a renewable basis.

Breeding

A process used at a specific reactor to create extra fissile material.

British Thermal Unit (Btu)

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit; equal to 252 calories.

Bulk Plant

A filling station for propane dealers.

Capacity

The amount of electric power a power plant can produce.

Carbohydrate

An energy-rich organic compound made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

Carbon Dioxide

A colorless, odorless, noncombustible gas with the formula CO2 that is present in the atmosphere.

Cellulose

An organic compound, typically the main component of plant cell walls, that is a long chain of sugar molecules.

Chain Reaction

A self-sustaining nuclear reaction that takes place during fission.

Chemical Energy

Energy stored in the chemical bonds of a substance and released during a chemical reaction.

Circuit(s)

A conductor or system of conductors through which electric current flows.

Climate Change

A term used to refer to all forms of climatic inconsistency, but especially to significant change from one prevailing climatic condition to another.

Coal

A fossil fuel formed by the breakdown of plant material millions to hundreds of millions of years ago.

Cogeneration

The production of electrical energy and another form of useful energy (such as thermal energy) through the sequential use of energy.

Coke

Residue from coal that can be used to create other metals.

Combustion

Chemical oxidation accompanied by the generation of light and heat.

Commercial Sector

The part of the economy having to do with the buying and selling of goods and services.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb

A light bulb consisting of a gas-filled tube and an electronic ballast.

Compressor

A machine used to increase the pressure of a gas.

Concentrated Solar Power

Technologies that focus the energy from the sun onto one smaller area creating high temperatures that can produce electricity.

Conservation

Reducing energy consumption.

Control Rod

Rods contained in the fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor that absorb neutrons and slow the reaction within the core.

Cooling Tower

Structure used at thermal power plants to remove heat from the plant and extract it into the surrounding atmosphere.

Core

The innermost layer of the Earth composed of both solid and liquid contents under extreme heat and pressure.

Crude Oil

See petroleum.

Crust

The uppermost, brittle, thin layer of the Earth that is divided into moving plates.

Derrick

A frame tower that supports the drill equipment used to find oil and natural gas in the Earth.

Developmental Well

A well drilled in an area proven to produce oil and natural gas resources.

Diesel Fuel

A fuel composed of distillates obtained in petroleum refining operations or blends of such distillates with residual oil used in motor vehicles.

Direct Current (DC)

An electric current that flows in only one direction through a circuit, as from a battery.

Dish/Engine Systems

A form of concentrated solar power that relies on solar dishes and an engine to generate power.

Distillation

Process by which heat is added to a liquid to reach its boiling point and separate materials or impurities.

Distribution Terminal

Facility used by propane companies to store propane before shipping it to retailers.

District Energy System

A centralized system, usually for heating and cooling multiple buildings in close proximity.

Dopant

An element that is inserted into a substance to alter the conductivity or electrical properties.

Drilling Rig

Equipment used for drilling and producing oil from an on-shore well.

Dry Steam Plant

Power plant that relies on steam produced from a geothermal reservoir, but uses very little water in liquid form.

EPA

United States Environmental Protection Agency; a government agency tasked with regulating and protecting the environment.

Efficiency

The ratio of useful energy delivered compared to energy supplied.

Elastic Energy

Energy stored through the application of a force to stretch or compress an item.

Electric Current

The flow of charged particles like electrons through a circuit, usually measured in amperes.

Electric Power

The part of the economy related to the generation of electricity.

Electrical Energy

The energy associated with electric charges and their movements.

Electricity

A form of energy characterized by the presence and motion of elementary charged particles generated by friction, induction, or chemical change.

Electrolysis

The process of splitting a water molecule into its basic elements.

Electromagnetic

Having to do with magnetism produced by an electric current.

Electron

A subatomic particle with a negative electric charge; electrons form part of an atom and move around its nucleus.

Emission

A discharge or something that is given off; generally used in regard to discharges into the air or the releases of gases into the atmosphere from some type of human activity.

Energy

The ability to do work, produce change, or move an object.

Energy Consumption

The use of energy as a source of heat or power or as a raw material input to a manufacturing process.

Energy Efficiency

The ratio of energy input to output; energy transformations have varying levels of efficiency.

Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER)

Rating used to help determine efficiency of appliances.

ENERGY STAR®

A program that tests and certifies products based on efficiency and features; labels help consumers save money.

EnergyGuide label

A label on an appliance that shows how much energy the appliance uses in comparison to similar appliances.

Ethanol

A colorless liquid that burns to produce water and carbon dioxide.

Exploratory Well

A well drilled by energy companies in an effort to locate a source of fuel, or geothermal activity.

F-gases

Synthetically sourced gases composed of bonded halogen and carbon atoms; these gases, also known as fluorinated gases, have a multitude of uses with harmful atmospheric effects.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

The Federal Government agency that regulates and oversees energy industries in the economic, environmental, and safety interests of the American public.

Feedstock

A raw material that can be used as a fuel or processed into a different fuel or product.

Fermentation

The changing of a sugar into an acid, gas, or alcohol with the presence of bacteria or yeast.

Filament

The fine metal wire in a light bulb that glows when heated by an electric current.

Fish Ladder

Installations at dams that allow fish to travel upstream, over the dam, to spawn.

Fission

The splitting of atomic nuclei; this splitting releases large amounts of energy and one or more neutrons.

Flash Steam Plants

Electrical generation facilities where water explosively boils into steam to turn the turbine generator.

Flow

In hydropower, the amount of water moving through the dam or system.

Fossil Fuels

Fuels (coal, oil, natural gas, etc.) that result from the compression of ancient plant and animal life formed over hundreds of millions of years.

Free Electrons

Electrons that are not held tightly to an atom and are likely to be donated.

Fuel Cell

A device used to generate electricity using hydrogen and oxygen, an electrolyte membrane, and catalysts.

Fuel Rods

Sealed metal tubes consisting of ceramic fuel pellets, which are bundled into assemblies for use in nuclear reactors.

Fumarole

An opening in the Earth’s crust that emits steam and other gases; often near a volcano.

Fusion

When the nuclei of atoms are combined or “fused” together.

Gaseous Diffusion Plant

Plant used to produce enriched uranium; uranium hexafluoride is forced (as a gas) through membranes to separate and increase percentages of U-235.

Gasket

A material used to make a joint or seal air or water tight.

Gasoline

A complex mixture of relatively volatile hydrocarbons with or without small quantities of additives, blended to form a fuel suitable for use in spark-ignition engines.

Generator

A device that turns mechanical or motion energy into electrical energy.

Geoexchange Unit

See heat exchanger.

Geothermal Energy

The heat energy that is produced by natural processes inside the Earth.

Gigawatt

Unit of power used to measure large quantities of power; 109 watts.

Global Warming

An increase in the near surface temperature of the Earth.

Gravitational Potential Energy

Energy of position or place.

Green Pricing

Consumers can voluntarily choose to pay a higher cost for electricity generated by renewable energy sources.

Greenhouse Effect

The trapping of heat from the sun by the atmosphere, due to the presence of certain gases.