chapter 20 vocabulary
Energy efficiency- a measure of energy produced compared to energy comsumed
Hybrid gasoline electric vehicles- the highest efficiency rating and lowest emissions available in the US
Net energy yield- based on the total useful energy produced during the lifetime of an entire energy system minus the energy required to make useful energy available
Cogeneration- the simultaneous production of both electricity and steam or hot water in the same plant
Passive heat absorption- using natural materials or absorptive structures with no moving parts to simply gather and hold heat
Active solar energy- generally pump a heat absorbing fluid medium through a relatively small collector rather than passively collecting heat in a stationary medium
Green pricing- allows utilities to profit from conservation programs and charge premium prices for energy from renewable sources
Photovoltaic cells- capture solar energy and convert it directly to electrical current by separating electrons from their parent atoms
Fuel cell- devices that use ongoing electrochemical reactions to produce an electric current
Reformer- or converter that strips hydrogen from fuels such as natural gas
Biofuel- a mixture of gasoline and ethanol
Low head hydropower- can extract energy from a small headwater dam that cause much less damage than larger projects
Run of the river flow- submerged projects that are small enough not to impede navigation
Micro hydro generators- operate on small flow of streams, can generate power for a home
Geothermal energy- naturally warm water is used in electric power production, and other industrial means
Tidal station- like a hydropower dam, turbines spin as tide moves through them
Ocean thermal electric conversion(OTEC)- heat from sun warmed upper ocean layers is used to evaporate a working fluid
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