APES CHAP 12-13

Nonrenewable fuels

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

fossil fuels

Coal, oil, natural gas, and other fuels that are ancient remains of plants and animals.

Commercial energy sources

An energy source that is bought and sold

subsistence energy sources

Energy sources gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs

energy efficiency

The percentage of energy put into a system that does useful work

EROEI

energy returned/energy invested

electricity

A form of energy caused by the movement of electrons.

turbine

A machine for producing power in which a wheel or rotor is made to revolve by a fast-moving flow of water, steam, gas, or air.

electrical grid

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

Combined cycle gas plant

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

Power plant capacity

maximum electrical output

capacity

the maximum amount that something can contain.

capacity factor

The fraction of time a power plant operates in a year

Cogeneration

using waste heat to make electricity

coal

A fossil fuel that forms underground from partially decomposed plant material

Peat

partially decayed plant matter found in bogs

Lignite

the least pure coal.

anthracite

the cleanest-burning coal; almost pure carbon.

bituminous coal

The most common form of coal; produces a high amount of heat and is used extensively by electric power plants.

sub-bituminous coal

coal containing 35-45% carbon; its energy content is somewhat higher than lignite

petroleum

Another name for oil

OPEC

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

crude oil

petroleum that has not been processed

Exxon Valdez

This oil tanker accident in 1989 was the largest oil spill in the United States until 2010

Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

Area where it has been proposed to explore for oil extraction in Alaska; opponents concerned about effect on habitat/wildlife in the refuge.

natural gas

A fossil fuel in the gaseous state

liquefied natural gas (LNG)

Natural gas converted to liquid form by cooling it at a very low temperature

oil sands

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

Bitumen

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

Coal to Liquid (CTL)

The process of converting solid coal into liquid fuel

energy intensity

The energy use per unit of gross domestic product

Hubbert curve

A bell-shaped curve representing oil use and projecting both when world oil production will reach a maximum and when we will run out of oil

peak oil

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

nuclear fission energy

comes from changes to the atom's nucleus: when the nucleus of an atom divides

Uranium-235

an unstable, fissionable isotope of uranium

fuel rods

A cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor

Containment Structure

A large concrete building to contain accidental leaks.

core

The central part of the earth below the mantle

Generator

A machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy

cooling tower

a cooling system used in industry to cool hot water (by partial evaporation) before reusing it as a coolant

control rods

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

Three Mile Island

1979 - A mechanical failure and a human error at this power plant in Pennsylvania combined to permit an escape of radiation over a 16 mile radius.

Chernobyl

nuclear power plant in Russia that had an explosion in 1986 & released radioactive materials into the air

Reactor meltdown

a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating

high-level radioactive waste

radioactive wastes that produce high levels of ionizing radiation.

low-level radioactive waste

radioactive wastes that produce low levels of ionizing radiation.

uranium mine tailings

the residue left after uranium ore is mined and enriched.

nuclear fusion

a nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy.

Yucca Mountain

only candidate for permanent underground storage site for 70,000 tons of high-level radioactive wastes from commercially operated power plants

phantom load

the electricity that is consumed by an appliance or device when it is turned off

nonrewnewable resource

Something produced in nature more slowly than it is consumed by humans

potentially renewable

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

Nondepletable

An energy source that cannot be used up

energy conservation

the practice of finding ways to use less energy or to use energy more efficiently

tiered rate system

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

peak demand

The greatest quantity of energy used at any one time

Brownout

Prolonged (more than a minute) undervoltage

blackout

a period of time that the drinker cannot recall

Sustainable design

The philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability

passive solar design

Construction designed to take advantage of solar radiation without active technology

thermal inertia

The ability of a material to maintain its temperature

Biofuels

Liquid fuels created from processed or refined biomass

modern carbon

Carbon in biomass that was recently in the atmosphere

fossil carbon

Carbon in fossil fuels

carbon neutral

an activity that does not change atmospheric CO2 concentrations

net removal

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

Solid biomass

wood, charcoal, manure

Ethanol

the type of alcohol in alcoholic beverages

flex-fuel vehicles

A vehicle that runs on either gasoline or ethanol

Biodiesel

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

Hydroelectricity

electricity generated by the kinetic energy of moving water

Run-of-the-river

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

water impoundment

the storage of water in a reservoir behind a dam

Tidal energy system

Energy that comes from the movement of water driven by the gravitational pull of the Moon.

fish ladder

a stair-like structure that allows migrating fish to get around a dam

Siltation

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

Box cooker/solar oven

A solar cooker is a device which uses the energy of direct sunlight to heat, cook or pasteurize food or drink.

passive solar heating

the use of sunlight to heat buildings directly

active solar energy

energy captured from sunlight with advanced technologies

Solar water heating

Process of using the sun's energy to heat water

photovoltaic solar cells

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

concentrated solar thermal

Large-scale application of solar energy to electricity generation

geothermal energy

Energy from steam or hot water produced from hot or molten underground rocks.

ground source heat pump

A technology that transfers heat from the ground to a building

wind energy

The energy captured by transforming the motion of air into electrical energy using a turbine

wind turbine

A turbine that converts wind energy into electricity

fuel cell

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

Hydrogen gas

the sun consists mainly of this gas

Electrolysis

A process by which an electric current breaks chemical bonds.

smart grid

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