- Anaerobic Bacteria
- Microorganisms that live and reproduce in an environment containing no
"free" or dissolved oxygen. Used for anaerobic digestion. See ANAEROBIC DIGESTION.
- Anaerobic Digester
- A device for optimizing the anaerobic digestion of biomass and/or
animal manure, and possibly to recover biogas for energy production. Digester
types include batch, complete mix, continuous flow (horizontal or plug-flow, m
ultiple-tank, and vertical tank), and covered lagoon.
- Anaerobic Digestion
- The complex process by which organic matter is decomposed by anaerobic
bacteria. The decomposition process produces a gaseous byproduct often called
"biogas" or "digester gas". See BIOGAS and DIGESTER GAS.
- Anaerobic Lagoon
- A holding pond for livestock manure that is designed to anaerobically
stabilize manure, and may be designed to capture biogas with the use of an
impermeable, floating cover.
- Array (Solar)
- Any number of solar photovoltaic modules or solar thermal collectors or
reflectors connected to provide electrical or thermal energy.
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- Base Load
- The lowest level of power production needs during a season or year.
-
- Base Load Unit
- A power generating facility that is intended to run constantly at near
capacity levels, as much of the time as possible.
- Baseline Forecast
- A prediction of future energy needs which does not take into account
the likely effects of new conservation programs that have not yet been started.
- BI-PV (Building Integrated Photovoltaics)
- A term for the design and integration of photovoltaics into the building
envelope, typically replacing conventional building materials. This integration
may be in vertical facades, replacing view glass, spandral glass, or other
facade material; into semitransparent skylight systems; into roofing systems,
replacing traditional roofing materials; into shading "eyebrows" over windows;
or other building envelope systems.
- Biogas
- A combustible gas created by anaerobic decomposition of organic material, composed
primarily of methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide. See DIGESTER GAS.
- Biomass
- Energy resources derived from organic matter. These include wood, agricultural
waste and other living-cell material that can be burned to produce heat energy. They also
include algae, sewage and other organic substances that may be used to make energy through
chemical processes.
- Biopower
- The use of biomass to generate electricity. There are four major types of biopower
systems: direct-fired , cofiring , gasification , and small, modular. Direct-fired systems burn
bioenergy feedstocks directly to produce steam, which is usually captured by a turbine and converted
into electricity by a generator. Cofiring involves using bioenergy feedstocks as a
supplementary energy source in high efficiency boilers. Gasification systems use high
temperatures and an oxygen-starved environment to convert biomass into a gas (a mixture of
hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane) which fuels a gas turbine that turns an electric generator.
A small, modular system is either a direct-fired, cofiring, or gasification system that generates
electricity at a capacity of 5 megawatts or less and is designed for use at the small town or consumer level.
- Bioreactor
- Vessel or tank in which whole cells or cell-free enzymes transform raw materials
into biochemical products and/or less undesirable by-products.
- Biosolids
- The waste material from animal or vegetable sources. Waste contains mainly carbon
and hydrogen. See SLUDGE.
- British Thermal Unit (Btu)
- The standard measure of heat energy. It takes one Btu to raise
the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit at sea level. For example, it
takes about 2,000 Btus to make a pot of coffee. One Btu is equivalent to 252 calories, 778
foot-pounds, 1055 joules, and 0.293 watt-hours.
- Building Integrated Photovoltaics
- See BI-PV.
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- California Energy Commission (CEC)
- The state agency established by the Warren-Alquist State
Energy Resources Conservation and Development Act in 1974 (Public Resources Code, Sections
25000 et seq.) responsible for energy policy. The Energy Commission's five major areas of
responsibilities are:
(a) Forecasting future statewide energy needs
(b) Licensing power plants sufficient to meet those needs
(c) Promoting energy conservation and efficiency measures
(d) Developing renewable and alternative energy resources, including providing assistance to
develop clean transportation fuels
(e) Planning for and directing state response to energy emergencies
Funding for the Commission's activities comes from the Energy Resources Program Account,
Federal Petroleum Violation Escrow Account and other sources.
-
- California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
- A state agency created by constitutional amendment in 1911 to regulate the rates and services of more than 1,500 privately owned
utilities and 20,000 transportation companies. The CPUC is an administrative agency that
exercises both legislative and judicial powers; its decisions and orders may be appealed
only to the California Supreme Court. The major duties of the CPUC are to regulate privately
owned utilities, securing adequate service to the public at rates that are just and reasonable
both to customers and shareholders of the utilities; including rates, electricity transmission
lines and natural gas pipelines. The CPUC also provides electricity and natural gas forecasting,
and analysis and planning of energy supply and resources.
- Capacity Factor (net)
- The ratio of the net energy generated, for the period of time considered, to the energy
that could have been generated at continuous full-power operation during the same period.
- Capital Cost
- The cost of field development and plant construction and the equipment required for
the generation of electricity.
- Char
- Fixed carbon.
- Clerestory
- A wall with windows that is between two different (roof) levels. The windows
are used to provide natural light into a building.
- Cofiring
- The use of two or more different fuels (e.g. wood and coal) simultaneously in
the same combustion chamber of a power plant.
- Cogeneration
- The sequential use of energy for the production of electrical
and useful thermal energy. The sequence can be thermal use followed by power production or the
reverse, subject to the following standards:
(a) At least 5 percent of the cogeneration project's total annual energy output shall be in the
form of useful thermal energy.
(b) Where useful thermal energy follows power production, the useful annual power output plus
one-half the useful annual thermal energy output equals not less than 42.5 percent of any
natural gas and oil energy input.
- Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
- The sequential or simultaneous generation of two different forms of useful energy -- mechanical and thermal -- from a single primary energy source in a
single, integrated system. CHP systems usually consist of a prime mover, a generator, a heat
recovery system, and electrical interconnections configured into an integrated whole.
- Combustion Turbine
- A turbine that generates power from the combustion of a fuel.
- Commercial Sector
- Business establishments that are not engaged in transportation or in manufacturing or other types of industrial activity (agriculture, mining or construction).
Commercial establishments include hotels, motels, restaurants, wholesale businesses, retail stores, laundries, and other service enterprises; religious and nonprofit
enterprises; health, social, and educational institutions; and federal, state and local governments. Streetlights, pumps, bridges, and public services are also considered
commercial if the establishment operating them is considered commercial.
- Competitive Service Provider (CSP)
- A seller of competitive energy services and or/other
related competitive energy services to a retail customer.
- Complete Mix Digester
- A type of anaerobic digester that has a mechanical mixing system
and where temperature and volume are controlled to maximize the anaerobic digestion process
for biological waste treatment, methane production, and odor control. The most common form
of anaerobic digester.
- Contact Digester
- High-rate complete mix or plug flow digester which is operated
in the thermophilic or mesophilic range to treat dilute and concentrated waste in a contact reactor.
See CONTACT REACTOR.
- Contact Reactor
- A high rate process that retains bacterial biomass by separating and
concentrating the solids in a separate reactor and returning the solids to the influent. More of
the degradable waste can be converted to gas since a substantial portion of the bacterial mass
is conserved.
- Covered Lagoon
- Anaerobic digester which consists of a storage lagoon with an impermeable cover
which traps gas produced during the decomposition of waste. The contents of a covered
lagoon are neighter mixed nor heated. See ANAEROBIC DIGESTER and LAGOON.
Top
- Daylighting
- The use of direct, diffuse, or reflected sunlight to provide supplemental
lighting for building interiors.
- Dewater
- To drain or remove water from an enclosure. A structure may be dewatered so that it
can be inspected or repaired. Dewater also means draining or removing water from sludge to
increase the solids concentration.
- Digester Gas
- The gas containing methane produced from anaerobic digestion of animal or other organic
wastes. See ANAEROBIC DIGESTION.
- Direct Solar Gain
- Solar energy collected from the sun (as heat) in a building through
windows, walls, skylights, etc.
- Discount Rate
- The interest rate used in discounting future cash flows.
- Distributed Generation
- A distributed generation system involves small amounts of
generation located on a utility's distribution system for the purpose of meeting local
(substation level) peak loads and/or displacing the need to build additional (or upgrade)
local distribution lines.
- Distribution System (Electric utility)
- The substations, transformers and lines that
convey electricity from high-power transmission lines to ultimate consumers. See GRID.
Top
- Effluent
- The discharge of a pollutant in a liquid form, often from a pipe into a
stream or river.
- Electric Utility
- Any person or state agency with a monopoly franchise (including any
municipality), which sells electric energy to end-use customers.
- Emission
- The release or discharge of a substance into the environment; generally refers to
the release of gases or particulates into the air.
- End-Use Sectors
- The residential, commercial, transportation and industrial sectors of the economy.
- Energy Consumption
- The amount of energy consumed in the form in which it is acquired by
the user. The term excludes electrical generation and distribution losses.
- ESP
- Electric Service Provider.
Top
- Fenestration
- In simplest terms, windows or glass doors. Technically, fenestration is
described as any transparent or translucent material plus any sash, frame, mullion or divider.
This includes windows, sliding glass doors, French doors, skylights, curtain walls and garden
windows.
- Fuel Oil
- Petroleum products that are burned to produce heat or power.
Top
- Gasification
- The process in which a solid fuel is converted into a gas; also known as
pyrolitic distillation or pyrolysis.
- Generation
- Of the three components involved in making energy available for the end user,
the state in which energy is produced.
- Generator
- A device for converting mechanical energy to electrical energy.
- Greenhouse Gas
- A gas, such as carbon dioxide or methane, which contributes to potential climate
change.
- Grid
- The electric utility companies' transmission and distribution system that links
power plants to customers through high power transmission line service (110 kilovolt [kv] to
765 kv); high voltage primary service for industrial applications and street rail and bus
systems (23 kv-138 kv); medium voltage primary service for commercial and industrial
applications (4 kv to 35 kv); and secondary service for commercial and residential customers
(120 v to 480 v). Grid can also refer to the layout of a gas distribution system of a city or
town in which pipes are laid in both directions in the streets and connected at intersections.
- Groundwater
- Water occurring in the subsurface zone where all spaces are filled with water under
pressure greater than that of the atmosphere.
Top
- Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)
- A toxic, colorless gas that has an offensive odor of rotten eggs and is soluble in water and
alcohol; freezes at –85.5ºC and boils at –60.7ºC. Hydrogen sulfide is a dangerous fire and explosion
hazard, and a strong irritant. It is used as a reagent and as a source of hydrogen and sulfur.
- Hydrolysis
- A chemical decomposition process that uses water to split chemical bonds of substances.
Top
- Independent System Operator (ISO)
- A neutral operator responsible for maintaining
instantaneous balance of the grid system. The ISO performs its function by controlling the
dispatch of flexible plants to ensure that loads match resources available to the system.
- Industrial Sector
- Manufacturing industries, which make up the largest part of the sector, along with
mining, construction, agriculture, forestries and fishing. Establishments in this sector range
from steel mills to small farms, to companies assembling electronic components.
- Installed Capacity
- The total capacity of electrical generation devices in a power station
or system.
- Investor-Owned Utility (IOU)
- A private company that provides a utility, such as water,
natural gas or electricity, to a specific service area. Investor-owned utilities are regulated
by the California Public Utilities Commission. In California, the investor owned utilities
supplying energy are:
a) Canadian Pacific National Corporation
b) Pacific Gas and Electric Company
c) Pacific Power and Light Company
d) San Diego Gas & Electric
e) Sierra Pacific Power Company
f) Southern California Edison Company
g) Southern California Gas Company (The Gas Company)
h) Southwest Gas Corporation
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- Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
- The most commonly-used unit of measure telling the amount of electricity
consumed over time. It means one kilowatt of electricity supplied for one hour.
Top
- Lagoon
- In wastewater treatment or livestock facilities, a shallow pond used to store
wastewater where sunlight and biological activity decompose the waste.
- Landfill
- A landfill is an engineered area where waste is placed into the land. Landfills
usually have liner systems and other safeguards to prevent groundwater contamination.
- Landfill Gas (LFG)
- Gas generated by the natural degrading and decomposition of municipal solid
waste by anaerobic microorganisms in sanitary landfills. LFG is comprised of 50 to 60% methane,
40 to 50% carbon dioxide, and less than one percent hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other
trace gases. The gases produced can be collected by a series of low-level pressure wells and
can be processed into a medium Btu gas that can be burned to generate steam or electricity.
- Leachate
- Liquids that have percolated through a soil and that carry substances in solution
or suspension.
- Local Distribution Company (LDC)
- The utility that owns or controls the distribution lines
and other equipment necessary to deliver electricity to the customer.
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- Mass Burn Facility
- A type of municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration facility in which
MSW is burned with only minor presorting to remove oversize, hazardous, or explosive materials.
Mass burn facilities can be large, with capacities of 3000 tons (2.7 million kg) of MSW per day
or more. They can be scaled down to handle the waste from smaller communities, and modular
plants with capacities as low as 25 tons (22.7 thousand kg) per day have been built. Mass burn
technologies represent over 75% of all the MSW-to-energy facilities constructed in the United
States to date. The major components of a mass burn facility include refuse receiving and
handling, combustion and steam generation, flue gas cleaning, power generation (optional),
condenser cooling water, residue ash hauling and landfilling.
- Methane (CH4)
- A flammable, explosive, colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is slightly soluble in water
and soluble in alcohol and ether; boils at –161.6ºC and freezes at –182.5ºC. It is formed in marshes
and swamps from decaying organic matter, and is a major explosion hazard underground. Methane is a major
constituent (up to 97%) of natural gas, and is used as a source of petrochemicals and as a fuel.
- Microturbine
- Small combustion turbine with an output of 25 to 500 kW. Microturbines are
composed of a compressor, combustor, turbine, alternator, recuperator, and generator.
Relative to other technologies for small-scale power generation, microturbines offer a number
of advantages, including: a small number of moving parts, compact size, light weight, greater
efficiency, lower emissions, lower electricity costs, potential for low cost mass production,
and opportunities to utilize waste fuels.
- Mini-Grid
- An integrated local generation, transmission and distribution system serving numerous
customers.
- Municipal Landfill
- Piece of land where household waste and/or treated domestic sewage
biosolids are disposed.
- Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)
- As defined in the Energy Security Act (P.L. 96-294; 1980) as "any organic
matter, including sewage, sewage sludge, and industrial or commercial waste, and mixtures of
such matter and inorganic refuse from any publicly or privately operated municipal waste
collection or similar disposal system, or from similar waste flows (other than such flows which
constitute agricultural wastes or residues, or wood wastes or residues from wood harvesting
activities or production of forest products)."
Top
- Net Generation
- Gross generation minus the energy consumed at the generating station for
its use.
- NOx
- Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) are a family of reactive gaseous compounds that contribute
to air pollution in both urban and rural environments. NOx emissions are produced during the
combustion of fuels at high temperatures. The primary sources of atmospheric NOx include highway
sources (such as light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles), nonroad sources (such as construction and
agricultural equipment, and locomotives) and stationary sources (such as power plants and
industrial boilers). NOx can irritate the lungs, cause bronchitis and pneumonia, and lower
resistance to respiratory infections. Nitrogen oxides are an important precursor both to ozone
and acid rain, and may affect both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
- NPV (Net Present Value)
- The present value of an investment's future net cash flows minus the initial investment.
Generally, if the NPV of an investment is positive, the investment should be made (unless an
even better investment exists), otherwise it should not. See PRESENT VALUE.
Top
- Operating Pressure
- Pressure of the gas system or digester during normal operation.
- Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Cost
- Operating expenses are associated with operating a
facility (i.e., supervising and engineering expenses). Maintenance expenses are that portion of
expenses consisting of labor, materials, and other direct and indirect expenses incurred for
preserving the operating efficiency or physical condition of utility plants that are used for
power production, transmission, and distribution of energy.
Top
- pH
- An expression of the intensity of the alkaline or acidic strength of water. Values
range from 0-14, where 0 is the most acidic, 14 is the most alkaline, and 7 is neutral.
- Phased Digester
- Digester used to convert municipal sludge to gas. Phased digesters are
classified into acid phased digesters and temperature phased digesters.
- Photovoltaic (PV) Cells
- Cells composed of semiconducting materials that convert sunlight
directly into electricity. When sunlight is absorbed by these materials, the solar energy knocks
electrons loose from their atoms, allowing the electrons to flow through the material to produce
electricity through a process known as the photovoltaic effect. PV cells are typically combined
into modules that hold about 40 cells; about 10 of these modules are mounted in PV arrays that
can measure up to several meters on a side.
- Photovoltaic (PV) Module/Panel
- A solar photovoltaic product that generally consists
of groups of PV cells electrically connected together to produce a specified power output under
standard test conditions, mounted on a substrate, sealed with an encapsulant, and covered with
a protective glazing. Maybe further mounted on an aluminum frame. A junction box, on the back
or underside of the module is used to allow for connecting the module circuit conductors to
external conductors.
- Plant
- A facility containing prime movers, electric generators, and other equipment for
producing electric energy.
- Plug Flow Digester
- A type of anaerobic digester that has a horizontal tank in which a
constant volume of material is added and forces material in the tank to move through the tank
and be digested. The simplest and least expensive form of anaerobic digestion. The plug flow
digester can be a horizontal or vertical reactor. Applications are limited to concentrated dairy
manure containing a minor amount of sand or silt. If stratification occurs due to dilute waste or
excess sand, significant operating costs are incurred.
- Pyrolysis
- The transformation on a compound or material into one or more substances by heat
alone (without oxidation); often called destructive distillation. Pyrolysis of biomass is the
thermal degradation of the material in the absence of reacting gases, and occurs prior to or
simultaneously with gasification reactions in a gasifier. Pyrolysis products consist of gases,
liquids, and char generally. The liquid fraction of pyrolisized biomass consists of an insoluble
viscous tar, and pyroligneous acids (acetic acid, methanol, acetone, esters, aldehydes, and
furfural). The distribution of pyrolysis products varies depending on the feedstock composition,
heating rate, temperature, and pressure.
- Present Value
- The current value of one or more future cash payments, discounted at some appropriate
interest rate.
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- Rankine Cycle
- The steam-Rankine cycle employing steam turbines has been the mainstay of
utility thermal electric power generation for many years. The cycle, as developed over the years
uses superheat, reheat and regeneration. Modern steam Rankine systems operate at a cycle top
temperature of about 1,073 degrees Celsius with efficiencies of about 40 percent.
- Rate of Return
- The annual return on an investment, expressed as a percentage of the total amount invested.
- RD&D
- Research, development and demonstration.
- RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel)
- The fuel component of municipal solid waste (MSW), which is the
by-product of shredding MSW to a uniform size, screening out oversized materials and isolating
ferrous material in magnetic separation. The resulting RDF can be burned as a fuel source.
- Reclamation
- In recycling, reclamation is the restoration of materials found in the waste stream
to a beneficial use which may be for purposes other than the original use.
- Renewables Program Advisory Committee (RPAC)
- The Pier Commonwealth/Biogas PV Mini-Grid Renewable Resources RD&D program advisory committee,
composed of 8-12 professionals with both program development and implementation experience and technical
expertise relating to the technologies addressed by the Program. The purpose of the RPAC is to:
- Provide strategic guidance to the Program Management Team (consisting of the Program Director, the
Leads of each project, and the Commission Contract Manager).
- Review current and future deliverables to evaluate functionality of the deliverables.
- Provide specific suggestions/recommendations for needed adjustments, refinements, or enhancement of the
deliverables.
- Provide guidance in research direction. The guidance should include, but not be limited to, scope of
research; research methodologies; timing; coordination with other research, etc. The guidance may be based on:
- technical area expertise,
- knowledge of market applications, and/or
- linkages between the programmatic contract work and other past, present or future research (both public
and private sector) they are aware of in a particular area.
- Evaluate tangible benefits to California and provide recommendations, as needed, to enhance tangible benefits.
- Provide recommendations regarding information dissemination, market pathways or commercialization strategies
relevant to the research products.
- Renewable Resources
- Naturally replenishable, but flow-limited energy resources. They are
virtually inexhaustible in duration but limited in the amount of energy
that is available per unit of time. Some (such as geothermal and biomass) may be stock-limited
in that stocks are depleted by use, but on a time scale of decades, or perhaps centuries, they
can probably be replenished. Renewable energy resources include: biomass, hydro, geothermal,
solar and wind. In the future they could also include the use of ocean thermal, wave, and tidal
action technologies. Utility renewable resource applications include bulk electricity generation,
on-site electricity generation, distributed electricity generation, non-grid-connected generation,
and demand-reduction (energy efficiency) technologies.
- RPAC
- See RENEWABLES PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
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- Sanitary Landfill
- A landfill permitted to accept household and commercial waste (solid and
liquid non-hazardous waste.
- Self-Generation
- A generation facility dedicated to serving a particular retail customer,
usually located on the customer's premises. The facility may either be owned directly by the
retail customer or owned by a third party with a contractual arrangement to provide electricity
to meet some or all of the customer's load.
- Sequencing Batch Reactor
- Contact digester which utilizes the same tank for waste digestion
as well as separation of biomass from effluent liquor. Generally, two or more tanks are used and
operated in a fill and draw mode. Since separation is accomplished by gravity, a more dilute waste
is treated by a sequencing batch reactor. See CONTACT DIGESTER.
- Service Area
- The territory a utility system is required or has the right to supply
electric service to ultimate customers.
- Siloxane
- Any of a class of organic or inorganic chemical compounds of silicon, oxygen, and usually
carbon and hydrogen, based on the structural unit R2SiO, where R is an alkyl group, usually methyl.
- Sludge
- Biosolids separated from liquids during processing. May contain up to 97% water by
volume. See BIOSOLIDS.
- Solar Cell
- A photovoltaic cell that can convert light directly into electricity. A typical
solar cell uses semiconductors made from silicon. See PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS.
- Stirling Engine
- An external combustion engine that converts heat into useable mechanical
energy (shaftwork) by the heating (expanding) and cooling (contracting) of a captive gas such
as helium or hydrogen.
- Substation
- A facility used for switching and/or changing or regulating the voltage of
electricity. Service equipment, line transformer installations, or minor distribution or
transmission equipment are not classified as substations.
- Sunspace
- A passive solar heating feature whereby a glass panel is built on the south side of a
building. As sunlight passes through glass or other glazing, it warms the sunspace. Proper
ventilation allows the heat to circulate into the building.
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- Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)
- Each TAC in the Pier Commonwealth/Biogas PV Mini-Grid Renewable Resources RD&D program will
provide project specific guidance and recommendations and will be composed of individuals with specific
technical expertise associated with the project the TACs were created to support.
- Thermal Mass
- A material used to store heat, thereby slowing the temperature variation
within a space. Typical thermal mass materials include concrete, brick, masonry, tile and mortar,
water, and rock or other materials with high heat capacity.
- Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
- The total amount in milligrams of solid material dissolved in one
liter of water (mg/l).
- Transmission
- Movement of bulk energy sources (electricity) from the generation facility
(power plant) to a distribution facility.
- Transmission and Distribution (T&D) System
- An interconnected group of electric
transmission lines and associated equipment for the movement or transfer or electric energy
in bulk between points of supply and points at which it is transformed for delivery to the
ultimate customers.
- Transmission Lines
- Lines which transmit high-voltage electricity from the transformer to
the electric distribution system.
- Transportation Sector
- Private and public vehicles that move people and commodities. Included are automobiles,
trucks, buses, motorcycles, railroads, and railways (including streetcars), aircraft, ships,
barges, and natural gas pipelines.
- Trombe Wall
- A very thick, south-facing wall, which is painted black and made of a
material that absorbs a lot of heat. A pane of glass or plastic glazing, installed a few inches
in front of the wall, helps hold in the heat. The wall heats up slowly during the day. Then as
it cools gradually during the night, it gives off its heat inside the building.
- Turbine
- A device for converting the flow of a fluid (air, steam, water, or hot gases) into
mechanical motion.
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- Utility Distribution Companies (UDCs)
- The entities which will continue to provide
regulated services for the distribution of electricity to customers and serve customers who do
not choose direct access. Regardless of where a consumer chooses to purchase power, the
customer's current utility, also known as the utility distribution company (UDC) will deliver
the power to consumer's home, business or farm.
The local utility, or UDC, will also be responsible for the reliability and maintenance of the
power lines and poles that connect your home or business to the statewide transmission grid. In
the event of a power outage, consumers will contact their local utility (UDC).
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- Volatile Solids
- Those solids in water or other liquids that are lost on ignition of the
dry solids at 550 degrees centigrade.
- Volt
- A unit of electrical pressure. It measures the force or push of electricity.
Volts represent pressure, correspondent to the pressure of water in a pipe. A volt is the unit
of electromotive force or electric pressure analogous to water pressure in pounds per square
inch. It is the electromotive force which, if steadily applied to a circuit having a resistance
of one ohm, will produce a current one ampere.
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- Waste Gas Burner
- A device that safely combusts biogas.
- Watt (W)
- A standard unit of measure (SI System) for the rate at which energy is consumed by
equipment or the rate at which energy moves from one location to another. It is also the
standard unit of measure for electrical power. The term 'kW' stands for "kilowatt" or 1,000
watts. The term 'MW' stands for "Megawatt" or 1,000,000 watts.
- Watt-Hour (Wh)
- A standard unit of measure (SI system) for the amount of energy that is consumed
by equipment, the amount of embodied energy, or the amount of energy moved from one location to
another. It is also the standard unit of measure for electrical use. The term 'kWh' stands for
"kilowatt-hour" or 1,000 watt-hours. The term 'MWh' stands for "Megawatt-hours" or 1,000,000
watt-hours. One watt-hour is equal to 3.413 Btu.
- Working Fluid
- A fluid used to absorb and transfer heat energy.
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Sources:
- Burke, Dennis A.,"Dairy Waste Anaerobic Digestion Handbook: Options for Recovering Beneficial
Products from Dairy Manure", Environmental Energy Company, June 2001.
http://www.makingenergy.com/Dairy%20Waste%20Handbook.pdf
- California Energy Commission, Glossary of Energy Terms,
http://www.energy.ca.gov/glossary/index.html
- California Public Utilities Commission, Glossary,
http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/static/industry/electric/electric+markets/historical+information/glossary.htm
- Energy Central, Electric Power Industry Glossary,
http://www.energycentral.com/sections/directories/glossary/
- Florida Solar Energy Center Glossary,
http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/pvt/Resources/glossary.htm
- Harris, Paul. "Whessoe Varec Product Catalogue 1996",
http://www.roseworthy.adelaide.edu.au/~pharris/biogas/glossary.html
- National Energy Policy Development Group, May 2001, "National Energy Policy: Report of the National Energy Policy Development Group",
http://www.whitehouse.gov/energy/Glossary.pdf
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Clean Energy Basics,
http://www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/
- Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Glossary of Terms,
http://www.rappelec.com/retailaccess/glossaryofterms.htm
- U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Renewable Energy Annual 2000 Glossary,
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/rea_data/gl.html
- U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Eficiency and Renewable Energy,
http://www.eren.doe.gov
- U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science,
http://www.er.doe.gov/
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
http://www.epa.gov
- World-wide Information System for Renewable Energy (WIRE), Glossary,
http://wire0.ises.org/wire/glossary.nsf