Studied by 3 people
Nonrenewable energy
An energy source with a finite supply, primarily the fossil fuels and nuclear fuels.
Renewable energy
In energy management, an energy source that is either potentially renewable or nondepletable.
CFL (compact fluorescent) light
use one-fourth as much energy to provide the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs.
LED (light-emitting diode) light
use one-sixth as much energy as incandescent bulbs.
Biofuels
Liquid fuels created from processed or refined biomass.
Flex-fuel vehicles
A vehicle that runs on either gasoline or ethanol.
Hydroelectricity
Moving water, either falling over a vertical distance or flowing with a river, contains kinetic energy.
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
Siltation
The accumulation of sediments, primarily silt, on the bottom of a reservoir.
Photovoltaic (PV) cells
A system of capturing energy from sun as light, not heat, and converting it directly into electricity
Geothermal energy
Heat energy that comes from the natural radioactive decay of elements deep within Earth.
Wind energy
Energy generated from the kinetic energy of moving air.
Fuel cell
An electrical-chemical device that converts fuel, such as hydrogen, into an electrical current.
Ethanol
Alcohol made by converting starches and sugars from plant material into alcohol and CO2.
fossil fuel
a fuel derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago.
nuclear fuel
fuel derived from radioactive materials that give off energy.
commercial energy source
an energy source that is bought and sold.
subsistence energy sources
energy sources gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs.
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.
electrical grid
a network of interconnected transmission lines that joins power plants together and links them with end users of electricity.
coal
solid fuel formed primarily from the remains of trees, ferns, and other plant materials preserved 280 million to 360 million years ago.
petroleum
a fossil fuel that occurs in underground deposits, formed from decaying marine organisms.
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.
peak oil
the point at which half the total known oil supply is used up.
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.
fuel rod
a cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor.
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.
radioactive waste
nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to emit radioactivity.
nuclear fusion
a reaction that occurs when lighter nuclei are forced together to produce heavier nuclei.
potential energy
stored energy
kinetic energy
energy of motion
energy efficiency
ratio of amount of work done to total amount of energy introduced into the system
electromagnetic radiation
ultimate source of most energy on the earth
entropy
level of randomness in a system
anthracite
type of coal with the most potential energy
lignite
type of coal with the least potential energy
peat
pre-coal material; low quality energy source
bituminous
type of coal with a medium amount of potential energy
fracking
method of extracting natural gas; controversial because of potential groundwater contamination
distillation
process of separating components from crude oil by heating to different temperatures matching the boiling points of the individual compounds
potentially renewable resources
resources that can be regenerated rapidly as long as they are not consumed more quickly than they can be replenished (biomass)
peak demand
greatest quantity of energy used at any one time
tiered rate system
charging less per kWh as a reward for using lower amounts of electricity
passive solar design
building strategy that uses seasonal changes in the sun's position to reduce energy demand
active solar energy
capturing energy from the sun using technology
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