Chapter 8

the use of devices, such as solar panels, to collect, focus, transport, or store solar energy

the cleanest-burning coal; almost pure carbon

the unit used to describe the volume of fossil fuels

the second- purest form of coal

the form petroleum takes when its in the ground

the capacity to do work

a nuclear reaction in which an atomic nucleus, especially a heavy nucleus such as an isotope of uranium, splits into fragments, usually two fragments of comparable mass, releasing from 100 million to several hundred million electron volts of energy

a hydrocarbon deposit, such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas, derived from living matter of a previous geologic time and used for fuel

says that energy can neither be created or destroyed it can cal only be transformed or transferred

a waste product produced by the burning of coal

the amount of time it takes for half of a radioactive sample to dissapear

aka peak oil an influential theory that concerns the long-term rate of conventional oil (and other fossil fuel) extraction and depletion. it predicts that future world oil production will soon reach a peak and then rapidly decline

power generated using oil

the energy of motion

the least pure coal

the process of fusing two nuclei

the rocks and earth that are removed when strip mining for a commercially valuable mineral resource

the use of building materials, building placement, and design to passively collect solar energy that can be used to keep a building warm or cool

aka hubbert peak an influential theory that concerns the long-term rate of conventional oil (and other fossil fuel) extraction and depletion. it predicts that future world oil production will soon reach a peak and then rapidly decline

oil, a hydrocarbon that forms as sediments are buried and pressurized

PV Cell a semiconductor device that converts the energy of sunlight into electric energy

an estimate of the amount of fossil fuel that can be obtained from reserve

energy at rest, or stored energy

sunlight