Unit 6 Part 2 Vocab

energy conservation

the prevention of the wasteful use of energy, especially in order to ensure its continuing availability

peak demand

the highest electrical demand over a certain period

passive solar design

solar system without substantial mechanical and electrical devices

thermal mass

the ability of a material to absorb, store and release heat

potentially renewable energy

a resource that can be naturally replenished relatively quickly

nondepletable energy

energy sources that cannot be fully used up

biofuel

fuel created from biomass like wood, dirt, manure, etc.

modern carbon

carbon from living and dead things that aren’t yet fossils

fossil carbon

carbon from fossils

carbon neutral

making no net carbon emissions; usually from offsetting carbon production

ethanol

renewable fuel from corn and other plant materials

biodiesel

a form of diesel fuel coming from plants

flex-fuel vehicle

vehicles designed to run on gasoline and ethanol

hydroelectricity

using moving water as an energy source

run-of-the-river

a hydroelectric plant where little or no water is stored

reservoir

a supply of something; probably water

tidal energy

energy source powered by natural tides and ocean currents

siltation

process of blocking something with sand or soil

active solar energy

using solar energy to heat a fluid then transferring heat to storage for later use

photovoltaic solar cell

cell that converts solar energy to electricity

wind energy

energy source that uses wind

wind turbine

structure used to get wind energy

geothermal energy

energy source using thermal energy in the earth’s crust

ground source heat pump

heating/cooling system for buildings that uses a type of heat pump to transfer heat to or from the ground

hydrogen fuel cell

cell that converts chemical energy into electricity

electrolysis

the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen

smart grid

electrical grid that uses technology and renewable sources to conserve energy