unit 6 apes

Methane hydrate

a solid compound in which a large amount of methane gas molecules (CH4) are caged within a crystalline structure of water

Nondepletable energy resource

perpetual and cannot be depleted no matter how much we use them.

Nuclear Fuels

is material used in nuclear power stations to produce heat to power turbines

Commercial energy source

The energy sources that are used to generate electricity and that are available in the marketplace with a specific price

Subsistence source

a source or means of obtaining the necessities of life

Energy carrier

Something that can move and deliver energy in a convenient, usable form to end users

Turbine

a device with blades that can be turned by water, wind, steam, or exhaust gas from combustion that turns a generator in an electricity-producing plant

Electrical grid

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

Combined cycle

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

Capacity

the maximum population size of a species that can be sustained, given the food, habitat, water, sunlight, and other necessities available in the environment.

Capacity factor

total energy produced over a year divided by energy that would have been produced if running at full capacity

Cogeneration (Combined heat and power)

is a process in which a single power plant generates both electricity and useful heat at the same time.

CAFE

Corporate Average Fuel Economy, to reduce energy consumption by increasing the fuel economy of cars and light trucks

Syngas

a combustible gas mixture derived from solid fuel by applying gasification technology at high temperature and elevated pressure

Hydrologic fracturing

a process that involves drilling through rock to unlock oil and natural gas in the ground using water

Crude Oil

a thick and gooey liquid consisting of hundreds of different combustible hydrocarbons along with small amounts of sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen impurities

Oil Sands

Deposit of mixture of clay, sand, water, and varying amounts of a tar-like heavy oil known as bitumen

Exxon Valdez disaster

an oil tanker owned by the Exxon Shipping Company, spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989.

(CTL) Coal to Liquid

enables conversion of abundant coal into valuable liquid fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel

Energy intensity

the energy use per unit of of gross domestic product

Hubbert Curve

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

Peak Oil

s the point at which global oil production has reached maximum rate

Nuclear Fission

nuclei of isotopes split apart when struck by neutrons

Nuclear Fusion

the result of two or more smaller subatomic particles combining to form different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles.

ITER

a canal or passage.

gasohol

a gasoline substitute consisting of 90% gasoline and 10% grain alcohol from corn.

Control rod

a rod made of a special metal alloy that absorbs neutrons

Radioactive waste

any material that is either radioactive or contaminated by radioactivity and for which no further use is foreseen

Becquerel (Bq)

measure of source strength or total radioactivity, and is defined as one disintegration per second

Curie

a unit of measure for radiation

Run of the river

hydroelectric systems work together with micro hydro systems to take kinetic energy from rivers and oceans without having to make large reservoir

Tiered rate system

a billing system used by some electric companies where customers pay higher rates as electricity use increases

Peak demand

the greatest quantity of energy used at one time

Passive solar design

windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer

Thermal inertia

the degree of slowness with which the temperature of a body approaches that of its surroundings

Potentially renewable

having the prospect of being able to regenerate over time

Biofuel

Fuels, such as ethanol or methanol, that are created from the fermentation of plants or plant products.

Carbon neutral

the state in which an individual, business, or institution emits no net carbon to the atmosphere.

Tidal energy

created when the tide flows in or out through the turbines making them generate energy/electricity

Siltation

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

Photovoltaic /solar cell

convert sunlight directly into. electrical energy

Wind energy

a form of renewable energy that harnesses the power of the wind to generate electricity

Geothermal energy

a type of renewable energy that is generated by harnessing the heat from the Earth's core

Ground source heat pump

A pump that harnesses geothermal energy from near-surface sources of earth and water, in order to heat and cool buildings.

Hydrogen Fuel cell

powered by sunlight, hydrogen and oxygen.

Smart Grid

an energy-efficient, digitally controlled grid, ultra high-voltage (UHV) system w/ super efficient transmission lines

Kite energy

use a wing tethered to a ground station to efficiently harness energy from the wind having eight rotors on the kite to function much like the blades on a wind turbine

Three Mile Island

a partial nuclear meltdown occurring at a power plant in Pennsylvania on March 28, 1979

Fundy Bay (Canada)

bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its tidal range is the highest in the world.

Bio energy- Ethanol

a fuel made from corn and wheat that is used like gasoline but is a renewable resource