Energy Resources and Management Vocabulary

biofuel

fuel that comes from biomass, such as plants, animals, or microbial materials

biomass energy

energy extracted from living things

carbon neutral

having a balance of any carbon given off through energy production with an equal amount of carbon savings in other areas

chemical energy

energy stored in the chemical bonds of a substance

coal

solid fossil fuel formed over millions of years in areas that were once swamp-like

depleted resource

resource that is used up and not replenished regularly

elastic energy

potential energy stored when an elastic object is either stretched or deformed

electrical energy

energy possessed by moving electrons flowing in an electric circuit

energy

ability of an object to do work

fossil fuels

energy-rich materials formed over millions of years from the buried, partially decayed remains of ancient organisms

geothermal energy

energy extracted from deep within Earth's crust and used to generate electricity

global energy consumption

total amount of energy used by countries around the world

gravitational energy

potential energy resulting when an object's height is above a reference point, such as Earth's surface

hydroelectric energy

energy produced by using the kinetic energy of fast-flowing water to spin a turbine and generate electricity

kinetic energy

energy possessed by an object due to its movement

natural gas

odorless, invisible gas often found in oil deposits or trapped in rock formations deep underground

nonrenewable energy resources

resources that are replenished by nature over millions of years

nuclear energy

energy stored within the nucleus of an atom

oil

dark liquid fuel that is formed from the remains of marine organisms

petroleum

mixture of mostly liquid hydrocarbons

potential energy

energy stored in an object due to the object's position or structure

radiant energy

energy that is transferred by electromagnetic radiation, such as X-rays and gamma rays

renewable energy resources

resources that are continually being replenished by nature

solar energy

energy harnessed from the sun and converted to thermal energy or electricity

sound energy

movement of vibrations through any medium

tidal energy

energy generated using the kinetic energy of waves resulting from changes in ocean tides

turbine

device designed to turn the shaft of a generator, which transforms kinetic energy into electricity

wind energy

energy produced when the energy of the wind is converted to electricity

wind turbine

device that converts the kinetic energy in the wind to electricity

work

measure of the energy transfer that occurs when an object moves in the direction of an applied force

energy dependence rate

percentage or rate of the total energy that a country imports for use, often expressed in British thermal units (BTU)

global distribution

where resources are found on Earth

gross available energy

measure primarily made up of the amount of energy produced by a country, plus smaller amounts of recycled energy resources and existing supplies

lava

magma that reaches Earth's surface

magma

underground liquid rock

metamorphism

process in which solid minerals undergo a chemical change to produce new minerals

methane

hydrocarbon containing one carbon atom linked to four hydrogen atoms

mineral

naturally occurring solid chemical compound that is found in the ground

mineral ore

rock deposit that contains enough of an economically important mineral that it can be profitably mined

net imports

total imports minus total exports

oil reserve

estimated amounts of oil available for extraction

peat

dried and compressed plant matter

pipeline

system of pipes connected in series to transport liquid or gas to distant places for consumption

placer deposits

natural accumulations of minerals caused by gravity acting on heavy particles flowing in a stream

thermal generating station

plant where the conversion into electricity of the chemical energy stored within fossil fuels takes place

active solar heating

heating that involves the use of a solar collector to first capture solar energy and then heat a fluid, usually air or water

agrofuels

fuels derived from plants instead of from oil or other fossil fuels

alternative energy

energy sources other than fossil fuels, including solar energy and hydroelectric energy

anemometer

device that measures wind speed and direction

biodiesel

gaseous fuel produced from food waste, fats, and oils

biogas

gaseous fuel produced by the fermentation of organic material

biomass

renewable energy resource that is harnessed from living organisms either directly or indirectly; short for biomass fuel

biomass fuel

renewable energy resource that is harnessed from living organisms either directly or indirectly

capacity factor

measure of how often a power plant functions for a specific period of time or the percentage of time a plant is running at maximum power

chain reaction

series of reactions that occurs when a product, such as a neutron, of one reaction initiates subsequent reactions

cogeneration system

system that has the ability to produce two useful commodities at the same time, reducing total energy use or energy waste

compression air energy storage

storage from which compressed air is released during peak hours to run generators that provide electricity to the power grid

energy conservation

reduction of energy use that is achieved by adjusting people's behaviors or habits and that can happen at the individual, local, or regional level

energy efficiency

property of doing the same amount of work using less energy by reducing energy waste

energy returned over energy invested (EROEI) ratio

way engineers compare and evaluate the energy efficiency of different energy sources and technologies

ethanol

gasoline additive

fish ladders

structures used in some locations to allow migrating fish to bypass a dam

flood control

process of controlling the amount of water flowing downstream to minimize potential flooding

generation capacity

maximum power output of a power station when operating at full capacity

geothermal power

electricity generated from geothermic energy

ground source heat pump

device that uses geothermal energy to warm homes

half-life

time required for half of the nuclei in a sample to decay

hydrogen fuel cell

device that reacts hydrogen with oxygen to generate electricity, heat, and water

impoundment system

system that uses a dam to store water in a reservoir

local energy conservation

strategies that impact more than just one person and that include multiple locations where energy conservation takes place

microalgae

single-celled protists that photosynthesize

nacelle

streamlined enclosure (as for an engine) on an aircraft; body of a turbine

neodymium magnet

permanent, strong magnet made of the rare-earth element neodymium that is mined from Earth's crust

net-zero emissions

state in which greenhouse gas emissions are eliminated or offset through ecological activities, so the balance is zero

nuclear fission

nuclear reaction in which a large atomic nucleus splits into two or more smaller nuclei

nuclear fission reactor

device that allows the fission of U-235 to occur in a controlled manner so that the energy released can then be used to generate electricity

nuclear force

attractive force that operates only within close distances, such as those in the nucleus

nuclear fusion

nuclear reaction that occurs when two small nuclei are crammed together to form one larger nucleus

ocean thermal energy conservation (OTEC)

use of the ocean thermal gradient between deep, colder water and shallow, warmer water to run a heat engine and produce electricity

off-peak use

times of the day or year during which electricity demand is lower

passive solar heating

heating that uses the sun's energy to directly warm a living space

peak use

times of the day or year during which electricity is in high demand

penstock

channel or pipe

photovoltaic cell

device that captures solar energy and converts it into electricity; also called a solar cell

power grid

network of electrical transmission lines connecting a variety of generating stations to the many locations where electrical energy is demanded

pumped storage

storage that uses almost the same mechanisms as hydroelectric energy

radioactive decay

spontaneous breakdown of a large nucleus into smaller fragments of matter and energy

regenerative braking system

system that converts the kinetic energy provided by a slowing vehicle into another form of useful energy, such as the electrical energy stored in a battery

regional energy conservation

strategies that involve several communities and that focus on evaluating ways to meet the energy demand present in a specific geographic area using as few energy resources as possible with minimum waste and few negative impacts on the environment

solar power

electricity that results from the conversion of solar energy into electrical energy

step-down transformer

device that restores current back to the levels needed by electric devices

step-up transformer

technology designed to conserve electrical energy

thermal pollution

increase in water temperature that can occur when water used as a coolant is discharged at a higher temperature to a lake or a river

tidal barrage

dam-like structure that impounds the water of an incoming high tide in a reservoir

tidal stream device

technology that involves anchoring turbines to the ocean floor

wind farms

power stations that include several wind turbines