Studied by 9 people
fossil fuel
A fuel derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago
nonrenewable energy resource
An energy source with a finite supply, primarily the fossil fuels and nuclear fuels
nuclear fuel
Fuel derived from radioactive materials that give off energy
commericial energy source
An energy source that is bought and sold (mainly coal oil and natural gas)
subsistence energy source
An energy source gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs(straw, sticks and animal dung)
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).
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 capacity
a power plant that uses both exhaust gases and steam turbines to generate electricity
capacity
in reference to an electricity-generating plant, the maximum electrical output
cogeneration
The use of a single fuel to generate electricity and to produce heat
combined heat and power
cogeneration
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, composed of a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur
crude oil
Liquid petroleum removed from the ground
oil sands
Slow-flowing, viscous deposits of bitumen mixed with sand, water, and clay
Bitumen
A degraded petroleum that forms when petroleum migrates to the surface of Earth and is modified by bacteria.
CTL(coal to liquid)
The process of converting solid coal into liquid fuel
energy intensity
The energy use per unit of gross domestic product
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
peak oil
The point at which half the total known oil supply is used up
fission
A nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy
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 nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy.
Energy conservation
the practice of finding ways to use less energy or to use energy more efficiently
peak demand
The greatest quantity of energy used at any one time
passive solar design
Construction designed to take advantage of solar radiation without active technology
thermal mass
A property of a building material that allows it to maintain heat or cold
renewable
In energy management, an energy source that is either potentially renewable or nondepletable
Biomass
total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level
biofuel
Liquid fuel created from processed or refined biomass
modern carbon
Carbon in biomass that was recently in the atmosphere
fossil carbon
Carbon in fossil fuels
carbon neutral
an activity that does not change atmospheric CO2 concentrations
net removal
The process of removing more than is replaced by growth, typically used when referring to carbon
ethanol
Alcohol made by converting starches and sugars from plant material into alcohol and CO2.
biodiesel
A diesel substitute produced by extracting and chemically altering oil from plants
flex-fuel vehicle
A vehicle that runs on either gasoline or a gasoline/ethanol mixture
hydroelectricity
electricity generated by the kinetic energy of moving water
tidal energy
Energy that comes from the movement of water driven by the gravitational pull of the Moon.
active solar energy
energy captured from sunlight with advanced technologies
photovoltaic solar cell
A system of capturing energy from sunlight and converting it directly into electricity
wind energy
Energy generated from the kinetic energy of moving air
geothermal energy
Energy from steam or hot water produced from hot or molten underground rocks.
wind turbine
A turbine that converts wind energy into electricity
fuel cell
a cell producing an electric current directly from a chemical reaction.
ground source heat pump
A technology that transfers heat from the ground to a building
electrolysis
A process by which an electric current breaks chemical bonds.
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Flashcard (76)