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| Glossary of Energy Terms | |
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| There are 141 entries in the glossary. | ||
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| Term | Definition | |
| SOLAR HEAT GAIN | Heat added to a space due to transmitted and absorbed solar energy. | |
| SOLAR HEAT GAIN FACTOR | An estimate used in calculating cooling loads of the heat gain due to transmitted and absorbed solar energy through 1/8"-thick, clear glass at a specific latitude, time and orientation. | |
| SOLAR HEATING AND HOT WATER SYSTEMS | Solar heating or hot water systems provide two basic functions: (a) capturing the sun's radiant energy, converting it into heat energy, and storing this heat in insulated storage tank(s); and (b) delivering the stored energy as needed to either the domestic hot water or heating system. These components are called the collection and delivery subsystems. | |
| SOLAR IRRADIATION | The amount of radiation, both direct and diffuse, that can be received at any given location. | |
| SOLAR POWER | Electricity generated from solar radiation. | |
| SOLAR RADIATION | Electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun. | |
| SOLAR SATELLITE POWER | A proposed process of using satellites in geosynchronous orbit above the earth to capture solar energy with photovoltaic cells, convert it to microwave energy, beam the microwaves to earth where they would be received by large antennas, and changed from microwave into usable electricity. | |
| SOLAR THERMAL | The process of concentrating sunlight on a relatively small area to create the high temperatures needs to vaporize water or other fluids to drive a turbine for generation of electric power. | |
| SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANT | means a thermal powerplant in which 75 percent or more of the total energy output is from solar energy and the use of backup fuels, such as oil, natural gas, and coal, does not, in the aggregate, exceed 25 percent of the total energy input of the facility during any calendar year period. | |
| SOURCE ENERGY | All the energy used in delivering energy to a site, including power generation and transmission and distribution losses, to perform a specific function, such as space conditioning, lighting, or water heating. Approximately three watts (or 10.239 Btus) of energy is consumed to deliver one watt of usable electricity. | |
| STEAM ELECTRIC PLANT | A power station in which steam is used to turn the turbines that generate electricity. The heat used to make the steam may come from burning fossil fuel, using a controlled nuclear reaction, concentrating the sun's energy, tapping the earth's natural heat or capturing industrial waste heat. | |
| STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE | The strategic petroleum reserve consists of government owned and controlled crude oil stockpiles stored at various locations in the Gulf Coast region of the country. These reserves can be drawn down in response to sever oil supply disruptions. The target is to have a reserve of 750 million barrels of oil. Use of the reserve must be authorized by the President of the United States. | |
| SUPERCONDUCTOR | A synthetic material that has very low or no electrical resistance. Such experimental materials are being investigated in laboratories to see if they can be created at near room temperatures. If such a superconductor can be found, electrical transmission lines with no little or no resistance may be built, thus conserving energy usually lost in transmission. Superconductors could also have uses in computer chips, solid state devices and electrical motors or generators. | |
| SUSTAINED ORDERLY DEVELOPMENT | A condition in which a growing and stable market is identified by orders that are placed on a reliable schedule. The orders increase in magnitude as previous deliveries and engineering and field experience lead to further reductions in costs. The reliability of these orders can be projected many years into the future, on the basis of long-term contracts, to minimize market risks and investor exposure. (See also "Commercialization.") | |
| TAME | (TERTIARY AMYL METHYL ETHER) -- another oxygenate that can be used in reformulated gasoline. It is an ether based on reactive C5 olefins and methanol. | |
| TAX CREDITS | Credits established by the federal and state government to assist the development of the alternative energy industry. Beginning in 1976, California had a solar tax credit. From 1978 to 1985, both California and the federal government offered tax credits for alternative energy equipment. The state provided a 55 percent tax credit on solar, wind, geothermal and biomass for residential applications. However, the residential tax credits were reduced by applicable federal credits. State commercial tax credits for alternative energy systems in commercial and industrial sectors ranged from 10-15 percent. During this same time, the federal government offered a 40 percent tax credit on residential applications and a 10-15 percent credit on commercial and industrial applications. California in 1990 instituted a new 10 percent tax credit for commercial solar systems in excess of 30 watts of electricity per device. This credit expired December 31, 1993. | |
| 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. | |
| TRANSMITTING UTILITY | (TRANSCO) -- This is a regulated entity which owns, and may construct and maintain, wires used to transmit wholesale power. It may or may not handle the power dispatch and coordination functions. It is regulated to provide non-discriminatory connections,comparable service and cost recovery. According to EPAct, any electric utility, qualifying cogeneration facility, qualifying small power production facility, or Federal power marketing agency which owns or operates electric power transmission facilities which are used for the sale of electric energy at wholesale. (See also "Generation Dispatch & Control" and "PowerPool.") | |
| U-factor | A measure of how well heat is transferred by the entire window - the frame, sash and glass - either into or out of the building. U-value is the opposite of R-value. The lower the U-factor number, the better the window will keep heat inside a home on a cold day. | |
| UA | A measure of the amount of heat that would be transferred through a given surface or enclosure (such as a building envelope) with a one degree Fahrenheit temperature difference between the two sides. The UA is calculated by multiplying the U-Value by the area of the surface (or surfaces). | |
| UDC | Utility distribution company. An entity that owns a distribution system for the delivery of energy to and from the ISO-controlled grid, and that provides regulated, retail service to eligible end-use customers who are not yet eligible for direct access, or who choose not to arrange services through another retailer. | |
| ULEV | (ULTRA-LOW EMISSION VEHICLE) - a vehicle certified by the California Air Resources Board to have emissions from zero to 50,000 miles no higher than 0.040 grams/mile (g/mi) of non-methane organic gases, 1.7 g/mi of carbon monoxide, and 0.2 g/mi of nitrogen oxides. Emissions from 50,000 to 100,000 miles may be slightly higher. | |
| ULTRAHIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION | Transporting electricity over bulk-power lines at voltages greater than 800 kilovolts. | |
| UTILITY | A regulated entity which exhibits the characteristics of a natural monopoly. For the purposes of electric industry restructuring, "utility" refers to the regulated, vertically-integrated electric company. "Transmission utility" refers to the regulated owner/operator of the transmission system only. "Distribution utility" refers to the regulated owner/operator of the distribution system which serves retail customers. | |
| VAPOR BARRIER | A material with a permeance of one perm or less which provides resistance to the transmission of water vapor. [See California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Section 2-5302] | |
| VAV System | (Variable Air Volume System) -- A mechanical HVAC system capable of serving multiple zones which controls the temperature maintained in a zone by controlling the amount of heated or cooled air supplied to the zone. | |
| VENTILATION | The process of supplying or removing air by natural or mechanical means to or from any space. Such air may or may not have been conditioned or treated. | |
| VERIFICATION PHASE | The step of the California Energy Contingency Plan to determine the existence and scope of an energy shortage and report to Energy Commission executives, the Governor and the Legislature where required under the plan. | |
| VERTICAL INTEGRATION | An arrangement whereby the same company owns all the different aspects of making, selling, and delivering a product or service. In the electric industry, it refers to the historically common arrangement whereby a utility would own its own generating plants,transmission system, and distribution lines to provide all aspects of electric service. | |
| VISIBLE LIGHT TRANSMITTANCE | The ratio of visible light transmitted through a substance to the total visible light incident on its surface. | |
| VOLT | A unit of electromotive force. It is the amount of force required to drive a steady current of one ampere through a resistance of one ohm. Electrical systems of most homes and office have 120 volts. | |
| VOLTAGE OF A CIRCUIT | (Electric utility) -- The electric pressure of a circuit, measured in volts. Usually a nominal rating, based on the maximum normal effective difference of potential between any two conductors of the circuit. | |
| VOLUMETRIC WIRES CHARGE | A type of charge for using the transmission and/or distribution system that is based on the volume of electricity that is transmitted. | |
| WATT | A unit of measure of electric power at a point in time, as capacity or demand. One watt of power maintained over time is equal to one joule per second. Some Christmas tree lights use one watt. The Watt is named after Scottish inventor James Watt and is capitalized when shortened to w and used with other abbreviations, as in kWh. | |
| WATT-HOUR | One watt of power expended for one hour. One thousandth of a kilowatt-hour. | |
| WEATHERSTRIPPING | Specially designed strips, seals and gaskets installed around doors and windows to limit air leakage. | |
| WHOLESALE COMPETITION | A system whereby a distributor of power would have the option to buy its power from a variety of power producers, and the power producers would be able to compete to sell their power to a variety of distribution companies. | |
| WIND | Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into more useful forms, usually electricity using wind turbines. At the end of 2006, worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was 74,223 megawatts; although it currently produces less than 1% of world-wide electricity use, it accounts for approximately 18% of electricity use in Denmark, 9% in Spain, and 7% in Germany. Globally, wind power generation more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2006. Most modern wind power is generated in the form of electricity by converting the rotation of turbine blades into electrical current by means of an electrical generator. In windmills (a much older technology) wind energy is used to turn mechanical machinery to do physical work, like crushing grain or pumping water. Wind power is used in large scale wind farms for national electrical grids as well as in small individual turbines for providing electricity to rural residences or grid-isolated locations. Wind energy is ample, renewable, widely distributed, clean, and reduces toxic atmospheric and greenhouse gas emissions if used to replace fossil-fuel-derived electricity. The intermittency of wind seldom creates problems when using wind power at low to moderate penetration levels.[1] | |
| WIRES CHARGE | A broad term which refers to charges levied on power suppliers or their customers for the use of the transmission or distribution wires. | |
| XENON | A heavy gas used in specialized electric lamps. | |
| XYLOID COAL | Brown coal or lignite mostly derived from wood. | |
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