An energy source with a finite supply, primarily the fossil fuels and nuclear fuels.
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Renewable energy
In energy management, an energy source that is either potentially renewable or nondepletable.
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CFL (compact fluorescent) light
use one-fourth as much energy to provide the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs.
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LED (light-emitting diode) light
use one-sixth as much energy as incandescent bulbs.
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Biofuels
Liquid fuels created from processed or refined biomass.
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Flex-fuel vehicles
A vehicle that runs on either gasoline or ethanol.
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Hydroelectricity
Moving water, either falling over a vertical distance or flowing with a river, contains kinetic energy.
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Three Gorges Dams
In China, largest dam in the world, has a capacity of 18,000 MW, submerged ancient cultural and archaeological sites as well as large areas of farmland
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Siltation
The accumulation of sediments, primarily silt, on the bottom of a reservoir.
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Photovoltaic (PV) cells
A system of capturing energy from sun as light, not heat, and converting it directly into electricity
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Geothermal energy
Heat energy that comes from the natural radioactive decay of elements deep within Earth.
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Wind energy
Energy generated from the kinetic energy of moving air.
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Fuel cell
An electrical-chemical device that converts fuel, such as hydrogen, into an electrical current.
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Ethanol
Alcohol made by converting starches and sugars from plant material into alcohol and CO2.
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fossil fuel
a fuel derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago.
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nuclear fuel
fuel derived from radioactive materials that give off energy.
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commercial energy source
an energy source that is bought and sold.
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subsistence energy sources
energy sources gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs.
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turbine
a device with blades that can be turned by water, wind, steam, or exhaust gas from combustion that turns a generator into an electricity-producing plant.
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electrical grid
a network of interconnected transmission lines that joins power plants together and links them with end users of electricity.
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coal
solid fuel formed primarily from the remains of trees, ferns, and other plant materials preserved 280 million to 360 million years ago.
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petroleum
a fossil fuel that occurs in underground deposits, formed from decaying marine organisms.
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Hubbert curve
graph representing oil use and projecting both when world oil production will reach a maximum and when we will run out of oil.
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peak oil
the point at which half the total known oil supply is used up.
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fission
a nuclear reaction in which a neutron strikes a relatively large atomic nucleus, which then splits into two or more parts, releasing additional neutrons and energy in the form of heat.
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fuel rod
a cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor.
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control rod
a cylindrical device inserted between the fuel rods in a nuclear reactor to absorb excess neutrons and slow or stop the fission reaction.
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radioactive waste
nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to emit radioactivity.
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nuclear fusion
a reaction that occurs when lighter nuclei are forced together to produce heavier nuclei.
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potential energy
stored energy
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kinetic energy
energy of motion
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energy efficiency
ratio of amount of work done to total amount of energy introduced into the system
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electromagnetic radiation
ultimate source of most energy on the earth
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entropy
level of randomness in a system
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anthracite
type of coal with the most potential energy
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lignite
type of coal with the least potential energy
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peat
pre-coal material; low quality energy source
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bituminous
type of coal with a medium amount of potential energy
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fracking
method of extracting natural gas; controversial because of potential groundwater contamination
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distillation
process of separating components from crude oil by heating to different temperatures matching the boiling points of the individual compounds
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potentially renewable resources
resources that can be regenerated rapidly as long as they are not consumed more quickly than they can be replenished (biomass)
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peak demand
greatest quantity of energy used at any one time
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tiered rate system
charging less per kWh as a reward for using lower amounts of electricity
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passive solar design
building strategy that uses seasonal changes in the sun's position to reduce energy demand
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