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nonrenewable

once these resources are used up, they cannot be replenished.

fossil fuels

derived from biological matter that became fossilized millions of years ago. coal, oil and natural gas are examples.

nuclear fuels

derived from radioactive materials that give off energy. we harness that energy by transferring heat.

commercial energy sources

sources that are bought and sold such as coal, oil, and natural gas.

subsistence energy sources

sources gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs.

EROEI (energy return on energy investment)

how much energy we get out of an energy source for every unit of energy expended on its production. (energy obtained from the fuel)/(energy invested to obtain the fuel).

energy carrier

something that can move and deliver energy in a convenient, usable form to end users.

turbine

a large device that resembles a fan or a get energy. usually turned by generated steam.

electrical grid

a network of interconnected transmission lines that are used to transport electricity. it connects power plants together and links them with end users of electricity.

combined cycle

A power plant that uses both exhaust gases and steam turbines to generate electricity.

capacity

maximum electrical output.

capacity factor

fraction of the time a plant is operating

cogeneration

the use of fuel to generate electricity and heat (AKA combined heat and power)

coal

a solid fuel formed primarily from the remains of trees, ferns, and other plant materials that were preserved 280 million to 360 million years ago. the four types of coal are lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous, and anthracite.

petroleum

another widely used fossil fuel, that is a fluid mixture of hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur that occurs in underground deposits.

flaring

burning off of the natural gas under controlled conditions in order to prevent an explosion

crude oil

liquid petroleum that is removed from the ground.

oil sands

slow-flowing, viscous deposits of bitumen mixed with sand, water, and clay.

bitumen

a degraded type of petroleum that forms when a petroleum deposit is not capped with nonporous rock (AKA tar or pitch).

CTL (coal-to-liquid)

the technology to convert solid coal into liquid fuel.

energy intensity

energy use per unit of gross domestic product.

hubbert curve

projects the point at which world oil production would reach a maximum and the point at which we would run out of oil.

peak oil

The point at which half the total known oil supply is used up.

fission

a nuclear reaction in which a neutron strikes a relatively large atmoic nucleus, which then splits into two or more parts.

fuel rods

A cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor.

control rods

cylindrical devices that can be inserted between the fuel rods to absorb excess neutrons, thus slowing or stopping the fission reaction.

radioactive waste

Nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to emit radioactivity.

high-level waste

waste in the form of fuel rods

low-level waste

waste in the form of contaminated protective clothing, tools, rags, and other items used in routine plant maintenance.

uranium mine tailings

the residue left after uranium ore is mined and enriched.

becquerel (Bq)

measure the rate of which a sample of radioactive material decays. 1 = the decay of 1 atom per second.

curie

another unit of measure for radiation. 1 = 37 billion decays per second.

nuclear fusion

occurs when lighter nuclei are forced together to produce heavier nuclei.