Unit P.1 Review: Lessons 1-4: Blackouts, Circuits, Supply & Demand, and Reliable Energy

Vocabulary flashcards covering electrical circuits, grid failure modes, supply and demand balance, engineering criteria and constraints, and energy source reliability factors.

Electricity

An energy transfer that can power lights and other electrical devices.

Electric Grid

A connected system composed of subsystems that moves energy from an energy source to buildings and devices through conducting structures.

Complete (Closed) Circuit

A circuit condition with separate, unbroken conducting paths between the source and the device, allowing electrical energy to transfer.

Broken (Open) Circuit

A circuit condition where the intended conducting path is interrupted, stopping the transfer of electrical energy to the downstream device.

Short Circuit

A circuit condition with an unintended shorter conducting path that causes electrical energy to bypass the intended devices.

Grounded Circuit

A circuit condition where electrical energy transfers into the ground or surroundings before reaching the intended buildings or devices.

Circuit Breaker

A protective switch designed to open a circuit and stop energy transfer when conditions become unsafe.

Ground Wire

An additional conducting path that provides a safe route to the ground for extra electrical energy.

Insulator

A material that transfers electrical energy poorly, used to prevent unintended transfer of energy to nearby structures.

2003 Northeast Blackout

A massive power failure that affected more than 50 million people, initiated when overgrown trees contacted power lines in Ohio and warning systems failed to alert operators before the problem spread.

Criterion

Something a successful engineering solution should accomplish.

Constraint

A limitation on an engineering solution, such as cost or difficulty of maintenance.

Undergrounding Power Lines

The engineering solution of burying lines underground to protect against tree and storm hazards and reduce visual clutter, constrained by higher costs, repair difficulty, and susceptibility to hazards like flooding or earthquakes.

Energy Supply

The total amount of electrical energy available to be provided by the electric grid.

Energy Demand

The total amount of electrical energy that customers are expected to consume or use.

Stable Grid

A grid condition where energy supply matches energy demand ($\text{Supply} = \text{Demand}$), preventing large mismatches that lead to power outages.

Efficiency

How much input energy is transferred into useful electrical-energy output rather than ending up in the surroundings.

Power

How quickly energy is transferred; describing the amount of energy an electrical plant can provide each second.

Capacity Factor

A measure of how often or consistently an energy source or plant produces near its maximum output over time.

Dispatchable

A property of an energy source that allows plant operators to intentionally increase or decrease output to help match changing demand.

Reliability

How dependably an energy source or system can contribute the needed electrical energy under the specific conditions being evaluated.

February 2021 Texas Crisis

A multi-source grid failure caused by cold weather where energy demand rose rapidly while supply fell, affecting wind, natural gas, and nuclear generation simultaneously.