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Accreditation:
Procedure by
which an authoritative body gives
formal recognition that a body is
impartial and technically competent
to carry out specific tasks such as
certification, tests, specific types
of tests etc.
Note:
Accreditation is awarded following
successful assessment and is
followed by appropriate
surveillance.
Acid
Rain: Also called "acid
precipitation" or "acid deposition,"
acid rain is precipitation
containing harmful amounts of nitric
and sulfuric acids formed primarily
by nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides
released into the atmosphere when
fossil fuels are burned. It can be
wet precipitation (rain, snow, or
fog) or dry precipitation (absorbed
gaseous and particulate matter,
aerosol particles, or dust). Acid
rain has a pH below 5.6. Normal rain
has a pH of about 5.6, which is
slightly acidic. (The pH value is a
measure of acidity or alkalinity,
ranging from 0 to 14. A pH
measurement of 7 is regarded as
neutral. Measurements below 7
indicate increased acidity, and
those above 7 indicate increased
alkalinity.)
Activation Energy:
Activation energy of a reaction is
the amount of energy needed to start
the reaction.
Active Heating System: A solar
water or space-heating system that
moves heated air or water using
pumps or fans.
Air-Conditioning
- Cooling and dehumidifying the
air in a building by a refrigeration
unit by a refrigeration unit powered
by electricity or natural gas. This
definition excludes fans, blowers,
or evaporative cooling systems
(swamp coolers) that are not
connected to a refrigeration unit.
Alternating
Current:
An electric current that reverses
its direction at regularly recurring
intervals, usually 50 or 60 times
per second.
Alternative Fuel
- A popular term for
"non-conventional" transportation
fuels made from natural gas
(propane, compressed natural gas,
methanol, etc.) or biomass materials
(ethanol, methanol).
Alternative-Fuel
Vehicle (AFV)
- A vehicle designed to operate
on an alternative fuel (e.g.,
compressed natural gas, methane
blend, electricity). The vehicle
could be either a vehicle designed
to operate exclusively on
alternative fuel or a vehicle
designed to operate on alternative
fuel and/or a traditional fuel.
Amorphous Silicon:
An alloy of silica and hydrogen,
with a disordered, non-crystalline
internal atomic arrangement, that
can be deposited in thin-layers (a
few micrometers in thickness) by a
number of deposition methods to
produce thin-film photovoltaic cells
on glass, metal, or plastic
substrates.
Ampere
- A unit of measure for an
electrical current; the amount of
current that flows in a circuit at
an electromotive force of one Volt
and at a resistance of one Ohm.
Abbreviated as amp.
Annualized Growth Rates:
Calculated as follows:(xn
/ x1) *1/n where x is the
value under consideration and n is
the number of periods and * means to
multiply.
Applicant:
Entity applying
for provisional certification
Aquifer: A subsurface rock unit from
which water can be produced.
Availability Factor: A
percentage representing the number
of hours a generating unit is
available to produce power
(regardless of the amount of power)
in a given period, compared to the
number of hours in the period.
Avoided Costs: The incremental
costs of energy and/or capacity,
except for the purchase from a
qualifying facility, a utility would
incur itself in the generation of
the energy or its purchase from
another source.
Baghouse: A woven or felted
fabric bag-like device that lets gas
through but removes suspended
particles.
Barrel: A unit of volume equal
to 42 U.S. gallons. One barrel
weights 306 pounds or 5.80 million
Btu of crude oil. Barrel is
abbreviated as bbl.
Base:The
structure below the generator of a
wind turbine that supports the
turbine, houses the meters and
wires, and keeps the turbine high
above the ground level to protect
the surrounding area and people from
the force of the blades.Also, to get
the turbine above the surrounding
buildings which could otherwise
block the wind.
Battery:
An energy storage device made up of
one or more electrolyte cells.
Biodiesel
- An alternative fuel that can
be made from any fat or vegetable
oil. It can be used in any diesel
engine with few or no modifications.
Although biodiesel does not contain
petroleum, it can be blended with
diesel at any level or used in its
pure form.
Biofuels
- Liquid fuels and blending
components produced from biomass
(plant) feedstocks, used primarily
for transportation.
Bioreactor
- A landfill where the waste
actively decomposes rather being
simply buried in a "dry tomb."
Boiler
- a tank in which water is
heated to produce either hot water
or steam that is circulated for the
purpose of heating and power.
Biomass -- Wood waste,
agricultural wastes, methane gases
from landfills, and crops grown
specifically for energy production.
Biota:
The flora and fauna of a region.
Black Liquor:
A byproduct of the paper production
process that can be used as a source
of energy.
Blades:
Usually flat ojbects connected
to a center shaft that converts the
push of the wind into a circular
motion in a wind turbine.
Bleached Board:
A wood product used for printed and
graphically enhanced card stock,
books, and packaging such as food
cartons, microwave trays, beverages,
candy, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals,
and consumer electronic items.
Pollutants, such as dioxins and
furans, can result from processes
that use chlorine in the manufacture
of bleached board.
Brake (WT):Device
capable of reducing the rotor speed
or stopping rotation
Brine: A highly saline solution.
A solution containing appreciable
amounts of sodium chloride and other
salts.
British Thermal
Unit (BTU):
A unit of energy; 1055 Joules is
equal to 1 BTU.
Busbar Cost: The cost per
kilowatthour to produce electricity,
including the cost of capital, debt
service, operation and maintenance,
and fuel. The power plant "bus" or
"busbar" is that point beyond the
generator but prior to the voltage
transformation point in the plant
switchyard.
Calorie: A unit for measuring
heat energy. This unit is equal to
4.184 joules. Often used instead of
joules when dealing with the energy
released from food.
Capacity:
The maximum power that a machine
such as an electrical generator or a
system such as a transmission line
can safely produce or handle.
Capacity Factor: The amount of
energy a facility generates in one
year divided by the total amount it
could generate if it ran at full
capacity:A capacity factor of one
implies that the system ran at full
capacity the entire year; a typical
wind farm will operate at 0.25
capacity factor, or 25%.
Capacity, Gross: The full-load
continuous rating of a generator,
prime mover, or other electric
equipment under specified conditions
as designated by the manufacturer.
It is usually indicated on a
nameplate attached to the
equipment.
Capital Cost: The cost of field
development and plant construction
and the equipment required for the
generation of electricity.
Carbon Dioxide: A colorless,
odorless noncombustible gas with the
formula CO2 that is present in the
atmosphere. It is formed by the
combustion of carbon and carbon
compounds (such as fossil fuels and
biomass) and by respiration, which
is a slow combustion in animals and
plants, and by the gradual oxidation
of organic matter in the soil.
Cast
Silicon: Crystalline silicon
obtained by pouring pure molten
silicon into a vertical mold and
adjusting the temperature gradient
along the mold volume during cooling
to obtain slow, vertically-advancing
crystallization of the silicon. The
polycrystalline ingot thus formed is
composed of large, relatively
parallel, interlocking crystals. The
cast ingots are sawed into wafers
for further fabrication into
photovoltaic cells. Cast-silicon
wafers and ribbon-silicon sheets
fabricated into cells are usually
referred to as polycrystalline
photovoltaic cells.
Certificate
holder:
Entity holding a
provisional certificate after the
certificate is issued.
Note: This
entity may not be the original
applicant but nevertheless is
responsible for maintenance of the
certificate
Certification
Body:
Body that
conducts provisional cerification of
conformity
Certification
system:
System that has
specific rules for procedure and
management to carry out
certification of conformity
Chain
Reaction: A self-sustaining
nuclear reaction which takes place
during fission. A fissionable
substance (i.e., uranium) absorbs a
neutron and divides, releasing
additional neutrons that are
absorbed by other fissionable
nuclei, releasing still more
neutrons.
Chemical Energy: Energy stored
in a substance and released during a
chemical reaction such as burning
wood, coal, or oil.
Circuit(s): A conductor or a
system of conductors through which
electric current flows.
Climate Change (Greenhouse Effect):
The increasing mean global surface
temperature of the Earth caused by
gases in the atmosphere (including
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous
oxide, ozone, and
chlorofluorocarbons. The greenhouse
effect allows solar radiation to
penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere but
absorbs the infrared radiation
returning to space.
Coal:
A fossil fuel formed by the
breakdown of vegetable material
trapped underground without access
to air.
Coal-Fired Power Plant: A power
plant that uses coal as the fuel to
generate electricity.
Cogeneration:
The production of electrical energy
and another form of useful energy
(such as heat or steam) through the
sequential use of energy.
Collector Field:
The area where many solar collectors
are situated in a solar power
plant.
Combustion: Chemical oxidation
accompanied by the generation of
light and heat.
Combined Cycle: An electric
generating technology in which
electricity is produced from
otherwise lost waste heat exiting
from one or more gas (combustion)
turbines. The exiting heat is routed
to a conventional boiler or to a
heat recovery steam generator for
utilization by a steam turbine in
the production of electricity. Such
designs increase the efficiency of
the electric generating unit.
Concentrator:
A reflective or refractive device
that focuses incident insolation
onto an area smaller than the
reflective or refractive surface,
resulting in increased insolation at
the point of focus.
Control system
(WT):
Subsystem that
receives information about the
condition of the WT and/or its
environment and adjusts the turbine
in order to maintain it within its
operating limits
Convection: Motion in a fluid or
plastic material due to some parts
being buoyant because of their
higher temperature. Convection is a
means of transferring heat through
mass flow rather than through simple
thermal conduction.
Convert: To change from one form
to another. In this curriculum,
usually wind energy into electrical
energy or solor energy into
electrical energy or from electrical
energy into light energy.
Cooperative:
A form of utility in which all
users own shares. Cooperatives are
common in rural areas that are
expensive to serve because of the
long distances between users.
Frequently, the government
contributes in various ways to rural
cooperatives to reduce costs to
individual owner/users.
Cull Wood:
Wood logs, chips, or wood products
that are burned.
Cut-in wind speed
(Vin) :
Lowest mean wind
speed at hub-height at which the WT
starts to produce power
Cut-out wind
speed (Vout):
Highest mean wind
speed at hub-height at which the WT
is designed to produce power
Cyclones:
Cyclonic storms
in sea gradually reduce in intensity
as they approach coastal regions.
The zone of influence generally
extends up to 60 kms in land.
Note : This
effect of reduction on land is
already reflected in basic wind
speeds as specified by IS 875
Deregulation:
The process of removing restrictive
regulations on previously regulated
companies.
Design limits:
Maximum or
minimum values used in a design
Diffuse Radiation: Scattered
radiation from the sun that comes
from all portions of the sky.
Dioxins: A classification of
chlorine-containing compounds that
are considered extremely toxic
carcinogenic agents. Toxic effects
include anorexia, hepatotoxicity,
chloracne, vascular lesions, and
gastric ulcers. Dioxins are
byproducts in the manufacture of
some chemicals. Causes of dioxin
production in combustion begin with
chlorine compounds in fuel,
inadequate supply of combustion air,
too low refractory temperatures, and
improper mixing of fuel and air.
Deforestation: The net removal
of trees from forested land.
Dormant failure
(also known as latent fault):
Failure of a
component or system which remains
undetected during normal operation
Diesel Engine:
Diesel engines are internal
combustion engines that burn diesel
oil rather than gasoline.
Diesel Fuel:
A fuel composed of distillates
obtained in petroleum refining
operation or blends of such
distillates with residual oil used
in motor vehicles. The boiling point
and specific gravity are higher for
diesel fuels than for gasoline.
Direct Current:
An electric current that flows in a
constant direction. The magnitude of
the current does not vary or has a
slight variation.
Drilling: The act of boring a
hole (1) to determine whether
minerals are present in commercially
recoverable quantities and (2) to
accomplish production of the
minerals (including drilling to
inject fluids). There are three
types of drilling : exploratory -
drilling to locate probable mineral
deposits or to establish the nature
of geological structures; such wells
may not be capable of production if
minerals are discovered;
developmental - drilling to
delineate the boundaries of a known
mineral deposit to enhance the
productive capacity of the producing
mineral property; and directional -
drilling that is deliberately made
to depart significantly from the
vertical.
Dynamo:
A device that changes mechanical
energy into electrical energy.
Electrical Energy:
The energy associated with electric
charges and their movements.
Electrical Light:
Light that has been produced by
electricity, the source is usually
batteries or over wires from a
generator.
Electricity: A flow of electrons
(very tiny particles) that is used
to power lights, motors, tools, and
many other devices. We get
electricity from batteries or over
wires from generators.
Electricity Generation: The
process of producing electric energy
or the amount of electric energy
produced by transforming other forms
of energy, commonly expressed in
kilowatthours (kWh) or megawatthours
(MWh).
Electric Motor:
A device that takes electrical
energy and converts it into
mechanical energy to turn a shaft.
Electric Power:
The amount of energy produced
per second. The power produced by an
electric current.
Electrical power
network:
Particular
installations, substations, lines or
cables for the transmission and
distribution of electricity
Electromagnetic:
Having to do with magnetism produced
by an electric current.
Electromagnetic
Energy:
Energy that travels in waves, such
as ultra-violet radiation. It can be
thought of as a combination of
electric and magnetic energy.
Electromagnetic Waves: Radiation
that consists of traveling waves of
electric and magnetic disturbances.
X-rays, light rays and radio waves
are among the many kinds of
electromagnetic waves.
Electron:-
A subatomic particle with a negative
electric charge. Electrons form part
of an atom and move around its
nucleus.
Electric Utility
Restructuring:
With some notable exceptions, the
electric power industry historically
has been composed primarily of
investor-owned utilities. These
utilities have been predominantly
vertically integrated monopolies
(combining electricity generation,
transmission, and distribution),
whose prices have been regulated by
State and Federal government
agencies. Restructuring the industry
entails the introduction of
competition into at least the
generation phase of electricity
production, with a corresponding
decrease in regulatory control.
Restructuring may also modify or
eliminate other traditional aspects
of investor-owned utilities,
including their exclusive franchise
to serve a given geographical area,
assured rates of return, and
vertical integration of the
production process.
Electrostatic Precipitator: A
number of vertical, parallel metal
plates utilizing the mutual
attraction of opposite electric
charges to remove dust or ash
particles or liquid droplets
suspended in a gas.
Emergency
shutdown (WT):
Rapid shutdown of
the WT triggered by a protection
system or by manual intervention
Emission:
The release or discharge of a
substance into the environment;
generally refers to the release of
gases or particulates into the air.
Emissions Trading: With an
emissions trading system, a
regulatory agency specifies an
overall level of pollution that will
be tolerated (a cap) and then uses
allowances to develop a market to
allocate the pollution among sources
of pollution under the cap.
Emissions permits or allowances
become the currency of the market,
as pollution sources are free to
buy, sell, or otherwise trade
permits based on their own marginal
costs of control and the price of
the permits. In no case can total
emissions exceed the cap.
Energy: The capacity for doing
work, either in motion (kinetic) or
stored up (potential). That which
can cause or causes motion.
Energy
Consumption:
The use of energy as a source of
heat or power or as a raw material
input to a manufacturing process.
Environmental
conditions:
Characteristics
of the environment (altitude,
temperature, humidity, etc.) which
may affect the WT behaviour
Ethyl
Tertiary Butyl Ether (ETBE): A
colorless, flammable, oxygenated
hydrocarbon ((CH3)3COC2H5)
blend stock formed by the catalytic
etherification of isobutylene with
ethanol.
Evaluation for
conformity:
Systematic
examination of the extent to which a
product, process or service fulfils
specified requirements
Evacuated Tube: In a solar
thermal collector, an absorber tube,
which is contained in an evacuated
glass cylinder, through which
collector fluids flows.
Exempt: Wholesale Generator
(EWG): A non-utility electricity
generator that is not a qualifying
facility under the Public Utility
Regulatory Policies Act of 1978.
External
conditions (WT):
Factors affecting
operation of a WT, including the
wind regime, the electrical network
conditions, and other climatic
factors (temperature, snow, ice,
etc.)
Extreme wind
speed:
Highest average
wind speed, averaged over t seconds,
that is likely to be experienced
within a specified time period of N
years (”recurrence period”: N years)
Note:
In this standard recurrence periods
of N = 50 years and N = 1 year and
averaging time intervals of t=3 sec.
and t=10 min are used. In popular
language, the less precise term
”survival wind speed” is often
used. In this standard, however,
the WT is designed using extreme
wind speeds for design load cases
Externalities: Benefits or
costs, generated as a byproduct of
an economic activity, that do not
accrue to the parties involved in
the activity. Environmental
externalities are benefits or costs
that manifest themselves through
changes in the physical or
biological environment.
Fail-safe:
Design property
of an item which prevents its
failures from resulting in critical
faults
Filament:
The fine metal wire in a light
bulb that glows when heated by an
electric current.
Final evaluation
report:
Report containing
the results of conformity
evaluations relating to Provisional
Type Certification. It is the basis
for the decision to issue the
Provisional Type Certificate
Fission:
The splitting apart of atoms. This
splitting releases large amounts of
energy and one or more neutrons.
Nuclear power plants split the
nuclei of uranium atoms in a process
called fission.
Flat-Plate Solar Connector: A
device designed to capture the suns
energy and produce low temperature
heat energy. They are commonly used
as collectors in solar heating
systems.
Flat
Plate Pumped: A
medium-temperature solar thermal
collector that typically consists of
a metal frame, glazing, absorbers
(usually metal), and insulation and
that uses a pump liquid as the
heat-transfer medium: predominant
use is in water heating
applications.
Flow:
To move or run smoothly with
unbroken continuity, as in the
manner characteristic of a fluid.
Flow
Control: The laws, regulations,
and economic incentives or
disincentives used by waste managers
to direct waste generated in a
specific geographic area to a
designated landfill, recycling, or
waste-to-energy facility.
Force:
Something which changes the state of
rest or motion of something.
Forest Residues: Unused wood in
the forest including logging
residues, cull trees, dead trees,
and annual mortality.
Fossil Fuels: Fuels (coal, oil,
natural gas, etc.) that result from
the compression of ancient plant and
animal life formed over millions of
years.
Fuel:
Any material that can be burned to
make energy.
Fuel Cycle:
The entire set of stages involved in
the utilization of fuel, including
extraction, transformation,
transportation, and combustion.
Fuel
Cells: One or more cells capable
of generating an electrical current
by converting the chemical energy of
a fuel directly into electrical
energy. Fuel cells differ from
conventional electrical cells in
that the active materials such as
fuel and oxygen are not contained
within the cell but are supplied
from outside.
Fuel Oil
: An oil that is used for
fuel and that usually ignites at a
higher temperature than kerosene.
Fuel
wood: Wood and wood products,
possibly including coppices, scrubs,
branches, etc., bought or gathered,
and used by direct combustion.
Furnace:
An enclosed structure in which heat
is produced for the purpose of
heating a house or a building.
Fusion: When the nuclei of atoms
are combined or "fused" together.
The sun combines the nuclei of
hydrogen atoms into helium atoms in
a process called fusion. Energy from
the nuclei of atoms, called "nuclear
energy" is released from fusion.
Fumarole:
A vent from which steam or gases
issue; a geyser or spring that emits
gases.
Furans: A class of organic
heterocyclic compounds regulated by
the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency because of their toxic
characteristics. Among other
sources, furans can be produced as a
byproduct in some pine tar
distillation processes. Some
derivatives of furans, such as
furfuryl alcohol, tetrahydrofurfuryl
alcohol, and tetrahydrofuran, are
commercially important. Furans can
be generated by the same combustion
problems described for dioxins.
Gallon: A measure of volume
equal to 4 quarts (231 cubic
inches). One barrel equals 42
gallons.
Gas:
(1) A non-solid, non-liquid (as
hydrogen or air) substance that has
no fixed shape and tends to expand
without limit. (2) A state of matter
in which the matter concerned
occupies the whole of its container
irrespective of its quantity.
Includes natural gas, coke-oven gas,
blast furnace gas, and refinery
gas.
Gasoline:
A complex mixture of relatively
volatile hydrocarbons with or
without small quantities of
additives, blended to form a fuel
suitable for use in spark-ignition
engines.
Gas To Liquids
(GTL):
A process that combines the carbon
and hydrogen elements in natural gas
molecules to make synthetic liquid
petroleum products, such as diesel
fuel.
Gas Turbine Plant:
A plant in which the prime mover is
a gas turbine. A gas turbine
consists typically of an axial-flow
air compressor and one or more
combustion chambers where liquid or
gaseous fuel is burned and the hot
gases are passed to the turbine and
where the hot gases expand drive the
generator and are then used to run
the compressor.
Generator:
A device that turns mechanical
energy into electrical energy. The
mechanical energy is sometimes
provided by an engine or turbine.
Generation (Electricity): The
process of producing electric energy
from other forms of energy; also,
the amount of electric energy
produced, expressed in watt hours
(Wh).
Generating
Capacity:
The amount of electrical power a
power plant can produce.
Geopressured: A type of
geothermal resource occurring in
deep basins in which the fluid is
under very high pressure.
Geothermal Energy:
As used at electric utilities, hot
water or steam extracted from
geothermal reservoirs in the Earth’s
crust that is supplied to steam
turbines at electric utilities that
drive generators to produce
electricity.
Geopressured Geothermal: Type of
geothermal resource occurring in
deep basins in which fluid is under
pressure.
Geothermal Plant:
A plant in which a turbine is driven
either from hot water or by natural
steam that derives its energy from
heat found in rocks or fluids at
various depths beneath the surface
of the earth. The fluids are
extracted by drilling and/or
pumping.
Geyser:
A special type of thermal spring
that periodically ejects water with
great force.
Giga:
One billion.
GIS:
Geographic Information System.
Global Warming:
An effect caused by the greenhouse
effect characterized by a slight,
continuous rise in the average
temperature throughout the earth.
This would cause extreme changes in
climate, polar ice melt, and
ecological havoc.
Gravity: The natural force of
attraction of the mass of a heavenly
body (as the earth) for bodies at or
near its surface.
Greenhouse Effect: The
increasing mean global surface
temperature of the Earth caused by
gases in the atmosphere (including
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous
oxide, ozone, and
chlorofluorocarbons). The greenhouse
effect allows solar radiation to
penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere but
absorbs the infrared radiation
returning to space.
Green Liquor:
The raw mill effluent that
results from the pulping and/or
bleaching process in pulp and paper
mills. Black liquor can be recovered
from green liquor by evaporation and
membrane processing.
Green
Pricing: In the case of
renewable electricity, green pricing
represents a market solution to the
various problems associated with
regulatory valuation of the
non-market benefits of renewables.
Green pricing programs allow
electricity customers to express
their willingness to pay for
renewable energy development through
direct payments on their monthly
utility bills.
Grid:
The layout of an electrical
distribution system.
Grid
Availability: Grid availability
in simple terms means the
availability of electrical
transmission system of a utility for
carrying the energy generated by a
turbine or a group of turbines.
It represents as a percentage factor
that needs to be applied to the
gross energy to account the loss of
energy associated with the down time
of the grid connection.
Groundwater:
Water occurring in the subsurface
zone where all spaces are filled
with water under pressure greater
than that of the atmosphere.
Gust:
Temporary change
in the wind speed
Note: A gust may be characterised
by its rise –time, its magnitude and
its duration.
Heat Exchanger:
Any device that transfers heat from
one fluid (liquid or gas) to another
or to the environment.
Heliostat:
Flat sun-tracking mirrors used
to reflect and concentrate the suns'
energy onto a central receiver
tower.
High-Temperature
Collector:
A solar thermal collector
designed to operate at a temperature
of 180 degrees Fahrenheit or
higher.
Horizontal axis
WT:
WT whose rotor
axis is substantially parallel to
the wind flow
Horsepower:
A unit for measuring the rate of
work (or power) equivalent to 33,000
foot-pounds per minute or 746
watts.
Hot
Dry Rock: Heat energy residing
in impermeable, crystalline rock.
Hydraulic fracturing may be used to
create permeability to enable
circulation of water and removal of
the heat.
Hub (WT):
Fixture for
attaching the blades or blade
assembly to the rotor shaft
Hub-height (WT):
Height of the
centre of the swept area of the WT
rotor above the terrain surface
Hydroelectric
Power Plant:
A power plant that uses moving water
to power a turbine generator to
produce electricity.
Hydraulic
Fracturing:
Fracturing of rock at depth with
fluid pressure. Hydraulic fracturing
at depth may be accomplished by
pumping water into a well at very
high pressures. Under natural
conditions, vapor pressure may rise
high enough to cause fracturing in a
process known as hydrothermal
brecciation.
Hydrogen: A colorless, odorless,
highly flammable gaseous element. It
is the lightest of all gases and the
most abundant element in the
universe, occurring chiefly in
combination with oxygen in water and
also in acids, bases, alcohols,
petroleum, and other hydrocarbons.
Hydropower:
Energy that comes from moving
water.
Independent Power
Producer (IPP): A wholesale
electricity producer (other than a
qualifying facility under the Public
Utility Regulatory Policies Act of
1978), that is unaffiliated with
franchised utilities in the area in
which the IPP is selling power and
that lacks significant marketing
power. Unlike traditional utilities,
IPPs do not possess transmission
facilities that are essential to
their customers and do not sell
power in any retail service
territory where they have a
franchise.
Induction:
The process of producing an
electrical or magnetic effect
through the influence of a nearby
magnet, electric current, or
electrically charged body.
Inertia:
A property of matter by which it
remains at rest or in uniform motion
in the same straight line unless
acted upon by some outside force.
Insolation:
Amount of solar energy reaching a
surface per unit of time.
Inspection:
Systematic examination of the
extent to which a product, process
or service fulfils specified
requirements by means of measuring,
observing, testing or gauging the
relevant characteristics
Installation:
Process that
encompasses on site fabrication,
assembly, erection and
commissioning
Internal Collector Storage (ICS):
A solar thermal collector in which
incident solar radiation is absorbed
by the storage medium.
Investor:
owned utility (IOU): A utility with
stock-based ownership.
Joule: A standard international
unit of energy; 1055 Joules is equal
to 1 BTU.
Kerosene:
A thick oil obtained from petroleum
and used as a fuel and solvent.
Kilowatt-hour (kWh): A unit of
energy equal to one kW applied for
one hour; running a one kW hair
dryer for one hour would dissipate
one kWh of electrical energy as
heat.
Kilowatt (kW): One thousand
watts of electricity (See Watt).
Kilowatthour (kWh): One thousand
watt hours.
Kinetic Energy:
Energy possessed by virtue of an
object's motion.
Kinetic Theory of
Gases:
The theory that physical properties
of a gas are due to the rapid motion
in a straight line of its molecules,
to their impacts against each other
and the walls of the container, and
to weak attraction forces between
the molecules.
Levelized Cost: The present
value of the total cost of building
and operating a generating plant
over its economic life, converted to
equal annual payments. Costs are
levelized in real dollars (i.e.,
adjusted to remove the impact of
inflation).
Light:
A form of radiation that is visible
to the human eye enabling sight. The
light source is called radiant and
is caused by one form of energy
converted into radiation or radiant
light,
Liquid Collector: A
medium-temperature solar thermal
collector, employed predominantly in
water heating, which uses pumped
liquid as the heat-transfer medium.
Liquefied
Petroleum Gas (LPG):
A group of hydrocarbon-based gases
derived from crude oil refining or
natural gas fractionation. They
include ethane, ethylene, propane,
propylene, normal butane, butylene,
isobutane, and isobutylene. For
convenience of transportation, these
gases are liquefied through
pressurization.
Load:
The power and energy requirements
of users on the electric power
system in a certain area or the
amount of power delivered to a
certain point.
Low-Temperature
Collectors:
Metallic or nonmetallic solar
thermal collectors that generally
operate at temperatures below 110
degrees Fahrenheit and use pumped
liquid or air as the heat transfer
medium. They usually contain no
glazing and no insulation, and they
are often made of plastic or rubber,
although some are made of metal.
Machine Availability: This
factor defines the expected average
turbine availability of the wind
farm over the life of the project.
It represents, as a percentage, the
facto which needs to be applied to
the gross energy to account for the
loss of energy associated with the
amount of time the turbines are
unavailable to produce electricity.
Magma:
Naturally occurring molten rock,
generated within the earth and
capable of intrusion and extrusion,
from which igneous rocks are thought
to have been derived through
solidification and related
processes. It may or may not contain
suspended solids (such as crystals
and rock fragments) and/or gas
phases.
Magnet:
Any piece of iron, steel, etc.,
that has the property of attracting
iron or steel.
Manufacture:
Process that
encompassess fabrication and
assembly in a workshop
Manufacturer:
Entity
manufacturing the WT or, where
relevant, main components of the WT.
Marginal Cost: The change in
cost associated with a unit change
in quantity supplied or produced.
Mass Burner:
A relatively large one-chamber
combustion system used to incinerate
municipal solid waste under
conditions of excess air; it is
built on site and consumes fuel
without prior processing or
sorting.
Maximum power
(WT):
Highest level of
net electrical power delivered by a
WT in normal operation.
Mean wind speed:
Statistical mean
of the instantaneous value of the
wind speed averaged over a given
time period which can vary from a
few seconds to many years.
Mechanical Energy:
The energy of motion used to perform
work.
Mechanical Power:
The power produced by motion.
Medium-Temperature Collectors:
Solar thermal collectors designed to
operate in the temperature range of
140 degrees to 180 degrees
Fahrenheit, but that can also
operate at a temperature as low as
110 degrees Fahrenheit. The
collector typically consists of a
metal frame, metal absorption panels
with integral flow channels
(attached tubing for liquid
collectors or integral ducting for
air collectors), and glazing and
insulation on the sides and back.
Megajoule (MJ): One million
Joules.
Megawatt (MW): One Million
Watts; a modern coal plant will have
a capacity of about 1,000 MW.
Mercaptan:
An organic chemical compound that
has a sulfur like odor that is added
to natural gas before distribution
to the consumer, to give it a
distinct, unpleasant odor (smells
like rotten eggs). This serves as a
safety device by allowing it to be
detected in the atmosphere, in cases
where leaks occur.
Merchant
Facilities:
High-risk, high-profit facilities
that operate, at least partially, at
the whims of the market, as opposed
to those facilities that are
constructed with close cooperation
of municipalities and have
significant amounts of waste supply
guaranteed.
Methane:
The most common gas formed in coal
mines; a major component of natural
gas.
Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE):
A color- less, flammable, liquid
oxygenated hydrocarbon ((CH3)3COCH3)
that contains 18.15 percent oxygen
and has a boiling point of 55.2
degrees Celsius. It is a fuel
oxygenate produced by reacting
methanol with isobutylene.
Miles Per Gallon
(MPG):
A measure of vehicle fuel
efficiency. MPG is computed as the
ratio of the total number of miles
traveled by a vehicle to the total
number of gallons consumed.
Mobile Home: A trailer that is
used as a permanent dwelling.
Modular Burner:
A relatively small two-chamber
combustion system used to incinerate
municipal solid waste without prior
processing or sorting; usually
fabricated at a factory and
delivered to the incineration site.
Molecule: Particles that
normally consist of two or more
atoms joined together. An example is
a water molecule that is made up of
two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen
atom.
Multifamily Dwellings: Apartment
building and condominiums.
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW):
Urban refuse collected for
landfilling and including paper,
organic matter, metals, plastic,
etc., but not certain agricultural
or industrial wastes.
Municipal
utility or Muni: A utility owned
by a city. Generally, surpluses in
revenues over expenditures are
contributed to the city budget.
Nacelle:
Housing which
contains the drive-train and other
elements on top of a horizontal axis
WT tower.
Natural Gas:
An odorless, colorless, tasteless,
non-toxic clean-burning fossil fuel.
It is usually found in fossil fuel
deposits and used as a fuel.
Natural Gas
Hydrates:
Solid, crystalline, wax-like
substances composed of water,
methane, and usually a small amount
of other gases, with the gases being
trapped in the interstices of a
water-ice lattice. They form beneath
permafrost and on the ocean floor
under conditions of moderately high
pressure and at temperatures near
the freezing point of water.
Natural Gas
Liquids (NGL):
Substances that can be processed as
liquids out of natural gas by
absorption or condensation.
Net Photovoltaic
Cell Shipment:
The difference between
photovoltaic cell shipments and
photovoltaic cell purchases.
Net Photovoltaic
Module Shipment:
The difference between photovoltaic
module shipments and photovoltaic
module purchases.
Normal shutdown
(WT):
Shutdown in which
all stages are under the control of
the control system
Nonrenewable: Fuels that cannot
be easily made or "renewed." We can
use up nonrenewable fuels. Oil,
natural gas, and coal are
nonrenewable fuels.
Non-utility
Generation:
Electric generation by end-users,
independent power producers, or
small power producers under the
Public Utility Regulatory Policies
Act, to supply electric power for
industrial, commercial, and military
operations, or sales to electric
utilities.
Nuclear Energy:
Energy that comes from splitting
atoms of radioactive materials, such
as uranium.
Ocean Thermal
Gradient:
Differences in the temperature
of layers of the ocean potentially
useful for running a heat engine
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.
Ozone:
Three-atom oxygen compound (O3)
found in two layers of the Earth’s
atmosphere. One layer of beneficial
ozone occurs at 7 to 18 miles above
the surface and shields the Earth
from ultraviolet light. Several
holes in this protective layer have
been documented by scientists. Ozone
also concentrates at the surface as
a result of reactions between
byproducts of fossil fuel combustion
and sunlight, having harmful health
effects.
Ohm:
The unit of resistance to the
flow of an electric current.
Oil:
The raw material that petroleum
products are made from. A black
liquid fossil fuel found deep in the
Earth. Gasoline and most plastics
are made from oil.
OPEC:
The Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries organized for
the purpose of negotiating with oil
companies on matters of oil
production, prices, and future
concession rights. Current members
(as of the date of writing this
definition) are Algeria, Indonesia,
Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab
Emirates, and Venezuela. See OPEC's
site at http://www.opec.org for more
information.
Operating limits:
Set of conditions
defined by the WT designer that
govern the activation of the control
and protection system.
Organic Waste:- Waste material
of animal or plant origin.
Outer Continental
Shelf:
Offshore Federal domain.
Parabolic Dish:
A high-temperature (above 180
degrees Fahrenheit) solar thermal
concentrator, generally bowl-shaped,
with two-axis tracking.
Parabolic Trough:
A high-temperature (above 180
degrees Fahrenheit) solar thermal
concentrator with the capacity for
tracking the sun using one axis of
rotation.
Particulates:
Visible air pollutants
consisting of particles appearing in
smoke or mist.
Passive Solar: A system in which
solar energy alone is used for the
transfer of thermal energy. Pumps,
blowers, or other heat transfer
devices that use energy other than
solar are not used.
Passive Systems:
Systems using the sun's energy
without mechanical systems.
Peak
Watt: A manufacturer’s unit
indicating the amount of power a
photovoltaic cell or module will
produce at standard test conditions
(normally 1,000 watts per square
meter at 25 degrees Celsius).
Peak Load Plant:
A plant usually housing old,
low-efficiency steam units, gas
turbines, diesels, or pumped-storage
hydroelectric equipment normally
used during the peak-load periods.
Photosynthesis:
The biochemical process that
utilizes radiant energy from
sunlight to synthesize carbohydrates
from carbon dioxide and water in the
presence of chlorophyll.
Photovoltaic Cell:
An electronic device consisting of
layers of semiconductor materials
fabricated to form a junction
(adjacent layers of materials with
different electronic
characteristics) and electrical
contacts and being capable of
converting incident light directly
into electricity (direct current).
Photovoltaic Conversion: Use of
semi-conductors or other devices
that convert solar radiation
(photons) directly to electricity.
Photovoltaic
Module:
An integrated assembly of
interconnected photovoltaic cells
designed to deliver a selected level
of working voltage and current at
its output terminals, packaged for
protection against environment
degradation, and suited for
incorporation in photovoltaic power
systems.
Pollution:
Any substances in water, soil, or
air that degrade the natural quality
of the environment, offend the
senses of sight, taste, and smell,
and/or cause a health hazard. The
usefulness of a natural resource is
usually impaired by the presence of
pollutants and contaminants.
Plasma
- A high-temperature, ionized
gas composed of electrons and
positive ions in such number that it
is electrically neutral.
Power:- The rate at which energy
is transferred. Electrical energy is
usually measured in watts. Also used
for a measurement of capacity.
Power
Curve: A graph showing power of
Wind Turbine Vs Wind Speed.
Power output:
Power delivered
by a device in a specific form and
for a specific purpose.
Note (WT): The
electric power delivered by a WT
Power
Plant - A facility where power,
especially electricity, is
generated.
Production Tax
Credit (PTC) -- Provides the
owner of a qualifying facility with
an annual tax credit based on the
amount of electricity that is
generated. By focusing on the
energy produced instead of capital
invested, this type of tax incentive
encourages projects that perform
adequately.
Protection system
(WT):
System which
ensures that a WT remains within the
design limits
Provisional Type
certificate:
Document issued
upon the successful completion of
provisional type certification
Provisional Type
certification:
Procedure by
which a Certification Body gives
written assurance that a WT type
conforms to specified requirements,
provisionally.
Provisional Type
testing:
Action of
carrying out provisional tests for a
given WT type according to specified
procedures
Private Activity Bond (PAB): A
bond in which more than 10 percent
of the proceeds are secured by the
interest in the property of a
private business or used in a
nonpublic business. A PAB can still
be tax-exempt if used (at least 95
percent) for qualified investments,
such as waste-to-energy facilities,
and provided that State allocation
caps are not exceeded.
Public Utility Regulatory Policies
Act of 1978 (PURPA): One part of the
National Energy Act, PURPA contains
measures designed to encourage the
conservation of energy, more
efficient use of resources, and
equitable rates. Principal among
these were suggested retail rate
reforms and new incentives for
production of electricity by
co-generators and users of renewable
resources.
Public Utility
Commission (PUC) or Public Services
Commission (PSC): A state
government agency responsible for
the regulation of public utilities
within a state or region. A state
legislature oversees the PUC by
reviewing changes to utility laws,
rules and regulations and approving
the PUC's budget. The commission
usually has five Commissioners
appointed by the governor or
legislature. The PUC focuses on
adequate, safe, universal utility
service at reasonable rates while
also trying to balance the interests
of consumers, environmentalists,
utilities, and stockholders.
Pulpwood: Round wood, whole-tree
chips, or wood residues.
Pyrolysis:
The thermal decomposition of
bio-mass at high temperature in the
absence of oxygen.
Quad
(Q): Unit of energy equivalent
to 1015 BTU.
Quadrillion Btu: Equivalent to
10 to the 15th power Btu.
Qualifying Facility (QF): A
co-generation or small power
production facility that meets
certain ownership, operating, and
efficiency criteria established by
the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) pursuant to the
Public Utility Regulatory Policies
Act of 1978 (PURPA). (See the Code
of Federal Regulations, Title 18,
Part 292.)
Radiation:
Any high-speed transmission of
energy in the form of particles or
electromagnetic waves.
Radioactive
Element:
An element whose atoms have unstable
nuclei that stabilizes itself by
giving off radiation.
Radioactive Waste: Materials
left over from making nuclear
energy. Radioactive waste can harm
people and the environment if it is
not stored safely.
Radioactivity:
The property possessed by some
elements, such as uranium, of giving
off alpha, beta, or gamma rays.
Receiver Panel
(Solar):
A panel that contains a battery of
solar cells.
Reformulated Gasoline (RFG):
Gasoline whose composition has been
changed (from that of gasolines sold
in 1990) to (1) include oxygenates,
(2) reduce the content of olefins,
aromatics, and volatile components,
and (3) reduce the content of heavy
hydrocarbons to meet performance
specifications for ozone-forming
tendency and for release of toxic
substances (benzene, formaldehyde,
acetaldehyde, 1,3-butadiene, and
polycyclic organic matter) into the
air from both evaporation and
tailpipe emissions.
Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF): Fuel
processed from municipal solid waste
that can be in shredded, fluff, or
densified pellet forms.
Renewable
energy: Energy derived from
resources that are regenerative or
for all practical purposes cannot be
depleted. Types of renewable energy
resources include moving water
(hydro, tidal, and wave power),
thermal gradients in ocean water,
biomass, geothermal energy, solar
energy, and wind energy. Municipal
solid waste (MSW) is also considered
by many to be a renewable energy
resource.
Renewable Energy Sources: Fuels
that can be easily made or
"renewed." We can never use up
renewable fuels. Types of renewable
fuels are solar, wind, and
hydropower energy.
Renewable Energy
Resource:
An energy resource that is
regenerative or virtually
inexhaustible. Typical examples are
wind, solar, geothermal, and water
power.
Restructuring:
The process of changing the
structure of the electric power
industry from one of guaranteed
monopoly over service territories to
one of open competition between
power suppliers for customers.
Retail Wheeling:
An arrangement in which a utility
transmits electricity from outside
its service territory to a retail
customer within its customer service
territory.
Rated power:
Quantity of power
assigned, generally by a
manufacturer, for a specified
operating condition of a component,
device or equipment
Note
(WT): Maximum continuous electrical
power output which a WT is designed
to achieve under normal operating
conditions.
Rated wind speed
(Vr):
Specified wind
speed at which a WT’s rated power is
achieved
Reference wind
speed (Vref):
Basic parameter
for wind speed used for defining WT
classes. Other design related
climatic parameters are derived from
the reference wind speed and other
basic WT class parameters
Note: A WT
designed for a WT class with a
reference wind speed Vref,
is designed to withstand climates
for which the extreme 10 min average
wind speed with a recurrence period
of 50 years at WT hub-height is
lower than or equal to Vref..
Resonance:
Phenomenon
appearing in an oscillating system,
in which the period of a forced
oscillation is very close to that of
free oscillation.
Ribbon Silicon:
Single-crystal silicon derived by
means of fabricating processes that
produce sheets or ribbons of single-
crystal silicon. These processes
include edge-defined film-fed
growth, dendritic web growth, and
ribbon-to-ribbon growth.
Rotor speed (WT):
Rotational speed
of a WT rotor about its axis
Roundwood:
Logs, bolts, and other round timber
generated from the harvesting of
trees.
Salinity Gradient:
A change in salinity between bodies
of water or layers within a body of
water.
Scrubber:
An emission control device that adds
alkaline reagents to react with and
neutralize acid gases.
Silicon:
A semiconductor material made from
silica, purified for photovoltaic
applications.
Single Crystal Silicon
(Czochralski): An extremely pure
form of crystalline silicon produced
by the Czochralski method of dipping
a single crystal seed into a pool of
molten silicon under high vacuum
conditions and slowly withdrawing a
solidifying single crystal boule rod
of silicon. The boule is sawed into
thin wafers and fabricated into
single-crystal photovoltaic cells.
Smog:
Air pollution associated with
oxidants.
Solar Cell:
An electric cell which changes
radiant energy from the sun into
electrical energy by the
photovoltaic process.
Solar
Dish: A device that receives
radiation collected by motorized
collectors which track the sun. The
collectors focus the radiation the
energy at a focal point of the
dish.
Solar Energy:
The radiant energy of the sun, which
can be converted into other forms of
energy, such as heat or
electricity.
Solar Ponds:
Ponds of stratified water that
collect and retain heat.
Solar
Power Tower: The conceptual
method of producing electrical
energy from solar rays. It involved
the focusing of a large number of
solar rays on a single source
(boiler), usually located on an
elevated tower, to produce high
temperatures. A fluid located in or
passed through the source changes
into steam and used in a turbine
generator to produce electrical
energy.
Solar
Thermal Collector: A device
designed to receive solar radiation
and convert it into thermal energy.
Normally, a solar thermal collector
includes a frame, glazing, and an
absorber, together with the
appropriate insulation. The heat
collected by the solar thermal
collector may be used immediately or
stored for later use.
Solar Thermal
Collector, Special:
An evacuated tube collector or a
concentrating (focusing) collector.
Special collectors operate in the
temperature (low concentration for
pool heating) to several hundred
degrees Fahrenheit (high
concentration for air conditioning
and specialized industrial
processes).
Steam:
Water in vapor form; used as the
working fluid in steam turbines and
heating systems.
Stoker Boiler:
A boiler in which fuel is burned on
a grate with the fuel supplied and
the ash removed continuously. Most
of the steam is used for process
heat, with the remainder being used
for electricity if desired.
Stranded
Investment:
Refers to the financial
impairment—not necessary plant
closure in the physical sense—when
the price of plant output falls to a
level at which the owner can no
longer earn a sufficient return on
investment.
Support structure
(WT):
Part of a WT
comprising the tower and foundation
Surveillance:
Continuing
monitoring and verification of the
status of procedures, products and
services, and analysis of records in
relation to referenced documents to
ensure specified requirements are
met
Survival wind
speed:
Popular name for
the maximum wind speed that a
construction is designed to
withstand.
Note: Design conditions instead
refer to extreme wind speed.
Swept area:
Projected area
perpendicular to the wind direction
that a rotor will describe during
one complete rotation.
Switch:
A device that allows the user to
start or stop the flow of
electricity or other movement by
pressing the device on or off..
TAPS – 2000:
Type Approval –
Provisional Scheme (TAPS) –2000 is a
scheme for provisional certification
and corresponding requirements of
provisional type
Testing and
measurements. TAPS will be in use
till the formation and issue of
final Type Approval Scheme (TAS) and
formal accreditation. In this
document, TAPS is written in place
of TAPS – 2000. The reader may treat
that TAPS is synonymous to TAPS -
2000.
Thermal Energy:
The total potential and kinetic
energy associated with the random
motions of the molecules of a
material.
Thermostat: A device that
adjusts the amount of heating and
cooling produced and/or distributed
by automatically responding to the
temperature in the environment.
Thermosiphon System: A solar
collector system for water heating
in which circulation of the
collection fluid through the storage
loop is provided solely by the
temperature and density difference
between the hot and cold fluids.
Tidal
Range: The vertical distance
between the high and low tide.
Tipping Fee:
Price charged to deliver municipal
solid waste to a landfill,
waste-to-energy facility, or
recycling facility.
Transformer:
A device which converts the
generator's low-voltage electricity
to higher-voltage levels for
transmission to the load center,
such as a city or factory.
Transmission
(Electric):
The movement or transfer of electric
energy over an interconnected group
of lines and associated equipment
between points of supply
and points at which it is
transformed for delivery to
consumers or is delivered to other
electric systems. Transmission is
considered to end when the energy is
transformed for distribution to the
consumer.
Transmission Line:
A set of conductors, insulators,
supporting structures, and
associated equipment used to move
large quantities of power at high
voltage, usually over long distances
between a generating or receiving
point and major substations or
delivery points.
Transmission
System (Electric):
An interconnected group of electric
transmission lines and associated
equipment for moving or transferring
electric energy in bulk between
points of supply and points at which
it is transformed for delivery over
the distribution system lines to
consumers or is delivered to other
electric systems.
Transportation
Sector (of the Economy):
The part of the economy having to do
with the how people and goods are
transported (moved) from place to
place.. The transportation sector is
made up of automobiles, airplanes,
trucks, and ships. trains, etc.
Transformer:
An electrical device that changes
the flow of electrons to match the
needs of the tool being used, or the
most efficient transmission (see
below).
Transmission System (Electric):
An interconnected group of electric
transmission lines and associated
equipment for moving or transferring
electric energy in bulk between
points of supply and points at which
it is transformed for delivery over
the distribution system lines to
consumers, or is delivered to other
electric systems.
Turbine:
A machine for generating rotary
mechanical power from the energy of
a moving force (such as water, hot
gas, wind, or steam). Turbines
convert the kinetic energy to
mechanical energy through the
principles of impulse and reaction,
or a mixture of the two.
Turbulence
intensity:
Ratio of the wind
speed standard deviation to the mean
wind speed, determined from the same
set of measured data samples of wind
speed, and taken over a specified
period of time.
Turbulence scale
parameter:
Wave length where
the non-dimensional, longitudinal
power spectral density is equal to
0.05.
Note: The wave
length is thus defined as A1
= Vhub/f0,
where f0S1 (f0)/s12
= 0,05
Ultimate limit
state:
Limit states
which generally correspond to
maximum load carrying capacity (ISO
2394).
Upwind:
In the direction
opposite to the main wind vector
Utility
Generation:
Generation by electric systems
engaged in selling electric energy
to the public.
Vapor-Dominated
Geothermal System:
A conceptual model of a hydrothermal
system where steam pervades the rock
and is the pressure-controlling
fluid phase.
Volcanic Energy:
Energy produced from volcanic
action.
Volt (V):
The volt is the International System
of Units (SI) measure of electric
potential or electromotive force. A
potential of one volt appears across
a resistance of one ohm when a
current of one ampere flows through
that resistance. Reduced to SI base
units, 1 V = 1 kg times m2 times s-3
times A-1 (kilogram meter squared
per second cubed per ampere).
Voltage:
The difference in electrical
potential between any two conductors
or between a conductor and ground.
It is a measure of the electric
energy per electron that electrons
can acquire and/or give up as they
move between the two conductors.
Voltaic
Electricity:
Electricity produced by chemical
action.
Waste Energy:
Municipal solid waste, landfill gas,
methane, digester gas, liquid
acetonitrile waste, tall oil, waste
alcohol, medical waste, paper
pellets, sludge waste, solid
byproducts, tires, agricultural
byproducts, closed loop biomass,
fish oil, and straw used as fuel.
Water Cycle:
Water constantly moves through a
vast global cycle, in which it
evaporates from lakes and oceans,
forms clouds, precipitates as rain
or snow, then flows back to the
ocean. The energy of this water
cycle, which is driven by the sun,
is tapped most efficiently with
hydropower.
Water Heater:
An automatically controlled,
thermally insulated vessel designed
for heating water and storing heated
water at temperatures less than 180
degrees Fahrenheit.
Water Turbine:
A turbine that uses water pressure
to rotate its blades. Primarily used
to power an electric generator.
Watt (Electric):
The electrical unit of power.
The rate of energy transfer
equivalent to 1 ampere of electric
current flowing under a pressure of
1 volt at unity power factor.
Watt
(Thermal): A unit of power in
the metric system, expressed in
terms of energy per second, equal to
the work done at a rate of 1 joule
per second.
Watthour (Wh):
The electrical energy unit of
measure equal to 1 watt of power
supplied to, or taken from, an
electric circuit steadily for 1
hour.
Wavelength
- The
distance, measured in the direction
of progression of a wave, from any
given point to the next point in the
same phase.
Wellhead
- The point at which the crude
(and/or natural gas) exits the
ground.
Wheeling: The use of the
transmission facilities of one
system to transmit power and energy
by agreement of, and for, another
system with a corresponding wheeling
charge, e.g., the transmission of
electricity for compensation over a
system that is received from one
system and delivered to another
system).
Wind:
Air in motion. From still (no wind)
to a breeze (slight wind) to a gale
(mighty wind). The term given to any
natural movement of air in the
atmosphere. A renewable source of
energy used to turn turbines to
generate electricity.
Wind Machine:
Devices powered by the wind that
produce mechanical or electrical
power.
Wind speed:
At a specified
point in space the wind speed is the
speed of motion of a minute amount
of air surrounding the specified
point.
Note: The
wind speed is also the magnitude of
the local wind velocity (vector).
Wind Tower:
Devices, some as tall as 120 feet,
which lift wind turbine blades high
above the ground to catch stronger
wind currents.
Wind Turbine:
A turbine, which converts the force
of the wind into Electricity
Wind Turbine
Generator System (s) – WT:
System which
converts kinetic energy in the wind
into electrical energy.
Wind velocity:
Vector pointing
in the direction of motion of a
minute amount of air surrounding the
point of consideration, the
magnitude of the vector being equal
to the speed of motion of this air
”parcel” (i.e. the local wind
speed).
Note: The
vector at any point is thus the time
derivative of the position vector of
the air ”parcel” moving through the
point.
Wood
Energy: Wood and wood products
used as fuel, including round wood
(cord wood), limb wood, wood chips,
bark, sawdust, forest residues,
charcoal, pulp waste, and spent
pulping liquor.
WT type:WT
of a common design, materials and
major components, subject to a
common manufacturing process and
uniquely described by specific
values or ranges of machine
parameters and design conditions
Yawing:
Rotation of the
rotor axis about a vertical axis
(for horizontal axis WT only)
Yaw misalignment:
Horizontal
deviation of the WT rotor axis from
the wind direction
Yellowcake:
A natural uranium concentrate that
takes its name from its color and
texture. Yellowcake typically
contains 70 to 90 percent U3O8
(uranium oxide) by weight. It is used
as feedstock for uranium fuel
enrichment and fuel pellet
fabrication.
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