vocab 35-37

fossil fuels

Derived from biological material that was fossilized millions of years ago.

non-renewable energy resource

An energy source with a finite supply, mainly fossil and nuclear fuels.

renewable energy resource

Energy sources that are infinite.

potentially renewable

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

non-depletable

An energy source that can't be used up.

commercial energy sources

Energy sources that are bought and sold, like coal, oil, and natural gas.

subsistence energy sources

Energy sources gathered by individuals for their own needs, like straw, sticks, and animal dung.

energy intensity

Energy use per unit of gross domestic product (GDP).

fossil fuel combustion

Chemical reaction between fossil fuel and oxygen resulting in the production of carbon dioxide, water, and release of energy.

Hubbert curve

A graph that represents oil use and projects when all production will reach a maximum and when world oil will be depleted.

peak oil

The point at which oil extraction and use would increase steadily until roughly half the supply had been used up.

energy conservation

Methods for finding and implementing ways to use less energy.

energy efficiency

Ratio of the amount of energy expended in the form you want to the total amount of energy introduced to the system.

Energy return on energy investment (EROEI)

Amount of energy we got out of an energy source for every unit of energy expended on its production.

biofuel

Liquid fuel like ethanol or biodiesel created from processed or refined biomass.

modern carbon

Carbon in biomass that was recently in the atmosphere.

fossil carbon

Old carbon contained in fossil fuels.

carbon neutral

An activity that does not change atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

coal

Solid fuel formed primarily from the remains of trees, ferns, and other plant materials preserved 280 to 300 million years ago.

peat

Precursor to coal made of partially decomposed organic material.

lignite

Brown coal that is a soft sedimentary rock typically containing 60 to 70% carbon.

bituminous coal

Black or dark brown coal containing bitumen, typically 80% carbon.

anthracite

Hard coal containing greater than 90% carbon, with the highest quality of energy per volume of coal.

natural gas

Relatively clean fossil fuel containing 80 to 95% methane and 5 to 20% ethane, propane, and butane.

crude oil

A mixture of hydrocarbons that exists in a liquid state underground and is brought to the surface.

tar sands

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

energy carrier

An energy source like electricity that can move and deliver energy in a convenient usable form.

combined cycle

A feature in some natural gas-fired power plants that uses a steam turbine to generate electricity and a separate turbine powered by exhaust gases to generate additional electricity.

capacity

Maximum electrical output of something, such as a power plant.

capacity factor

The fraction of time a power plant operates during a year.

cogeneration

Use of a fuel to both generate electricity and deliver heat to a building or industrial process.

fracking

Method of oil and gas extraction that uses high-pressure fluids to force open existing cracks deep underground.

volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Type of organic pollutants that evaporate at typical atmospheric temperatures.

turbine

A device that can be turned by water, steam, or wind power to produce electricity.

electrical grid

A network of interconnected transmitting lines.

energy quality

The ease at which an energy source can do work.