A fuel derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago
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nonrenewable energy resource
An energy source with a finite supply, primarily the fossil fuels and nuclear fuels
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nuclear fuel
Fuel derived from radioactive materials that give off energy
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commericial energy source
An energy source that is bought and sold (mainly coal oil and natural gas)
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subsistence energy source
An energy source gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs(straw, sticks and animal dung)
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EROEI (energy return on energy investment)
how much energy we get out of an energy source for every unit of energy expended on its production. (energy obtained from the fuel)/(energy invested to obtain the fuel).
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energy carrier
something that can move and deliver energy in a convenient, usable form to end users
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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 in 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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combined cycle capacity
a power plant that uses both exhaust gases and steam turbines to generate electricity
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capacity
in reference to an electricity-generating plant, the maximum electrical output
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cogeneration
The use of a single fuel to generate electricity and to produce heat
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combined heat and power
cogeneration
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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, composed of a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur
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crude oil
Liquid petroleum removed from the ground
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oil sands
Slow-flowing, viscous deposits of bitumen mixed with sand, water, and clay
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Bitumen
A degraded petroleum that forms when petroleum migrates to the surface of Earth and is modified by bacteria.
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CTL(coal to liquid)
The process of converting solid coal into liquid fuel
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energy intensity
The energy use per unit of gross domestic product
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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
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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 massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy
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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 nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy.
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Energy conservation
the practice of finding ways to use less energy or to use energy more efficiently
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peak demand
The greatest quantity of energy used at any one time
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passive solar design
Construction designed to take advantage of solar radiation without active technology
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thermal mass
A property of a building material that allows it to maintain heat or cold
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renewable
In energy management, an energy source that is either potentially renewable or nondepletable
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Biomass
total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level
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biofuel
Liquid fuel created from processed or refined biomass
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modern carbon
Carbon in biomass that was recently in the atmosphere
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fossil carbon
Carbon in fossil fuels
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carbon neutral
an activity that does not change atmospheric CO2 concentrations
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net removal
The process of removing more than is replaced by growth, typically used when referring to carbon
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ethanol
Alcohol made by converting starches and sugars from plant material into alcohol and CO2.
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biodiesel
A diesel substitute produced by extracting and chemically altering oil from plants
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flex-fuel vehicle
A vehicle that runs on either gasoline or a gasoline/ethanol mixture
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hydroelectricity
electricity generated by the kinetic energy of moving water
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tidal energy
Energy that comes from the movement of water driven by the gravitational pull of the Moon.
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active solar energy
energy captured from sunlight with advanced technologies
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photovoltaic solar cell
A system of capturing energy from sunlight and converting it directly into electricity
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wind energy
Energy generated from the kinetic energy of moving air
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geothermal energy
Energy from steam or hot water produced from hot or molten underground rocks.
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wind turbine
A turbine that converts wind energy into electricity
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fuel cell
a cell producing an electric current directly from a chemical reaction.
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ground source heat pump
A technology that transfers heat from the ground to a building
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electrolysis
A process by which an electric current breaks chemical bonds.
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