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Energy Terms | |
| Glossary of Energy Terms | |
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| There are 10 entries in the glossary. | ||
| Pages: 1 | ||
| Term | Definition | |
| BARREL | In the petroleum industry, a barrel is 42 U.S. gallons. One barrel of oil has an energy content of 6 million British thermal units. It takes one barrel of oil to make enough gasoline to drive an average car from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back (at 18 miles per gallon over the 700-mile round trip). | |
| BASE RATE | That portion of the total electric or gas rate covering the general costs of doing business unrelated to fuel expenses. | |
| BI-FUEL VEHICLE | A vehicle with two separate fuel systems designed to run on either fuel, using only one fuel at a time. These systems are advantageous for drivers who do not always have access to an alternative fuel refueling station. Bi-fuel systems are usually used in light-duty vehicles. One of the two fuels is typically an alternative fuel. | |
| BIENNIAL REPORT | The report formerly issued by the California Energy Commission to the Governor and the Legislature every odd-numbered year assessing California's energy industry. The Biennial Report is supported by four policy documents that are issued every even-numbered year: the Electricity Report, the Fuels Report, the Conservation (or Efficiency) Report and the Energy Development Report. The Biennial Report was replaced by the Integrated Energy Policy Report. | |
| BIOCONVERSION | Processes that use plants or micro-organisms to change one form of energy into another. For example, an experimental process uses algae to convert solar energy into gas that could be used for fuel. | |
| BIODIESEL | a biodegradable transportation fuel for use in diesel engines that is produced through the transesterfication of organically- derived oils or fats. It may be used either as a replacement for or as a component of diesel fuel. | |
| BIOFUELS | Fuel produced from renewable resources, especially plant biomass, vegetable oils, and treated municipal and industrial wastes. Biofuels are considered neutral with respect to the emission of carbon dioxide because the carbon dioxide given off by burning them is balanced by the carbon dioxide absorbed by the plants that are grown to produce them. The use of biofuels as an additive to petroleum-based fuels can also result in cleaner burning with less emission of carbon monoxide and particulates. ◇ Ethanol produced by fermenting the sugars in biomass materials such as corn and agricultural residues is known as bioethanol. Bioethanol is used in internal-combustion engines either in pure form or more often as a gasoline additive. ◇ Biodiesel is made by processing vegetable oils and other fats and is also used either in pure form or as an additive to petroleum-based diesel fuel. ◇ Biogas is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide produced by the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter such as sewage and municipal wastes by bacteria. It is used especially in the generation of hot water and electricity. | |
| 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. | |
| BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS | California Code of Regulations (California Code of Regulations), Title 24, Part 2, Chapter 2-53; regulating the energy efficiency of buildings constructed in California. | |
| BUTANE | A hydrocarbon gas found in the earth along with natural gas and oil. Butane turns into a liquid when put under pressure. It is sold as bottled gas. It is used to run heaters, stoves and motors, and to help make petrochemicals. | |
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