Energy Unit Preview

precipitation with a low pH; usually caused by man-made emissions that react with water molecules in the atmosphere

a solar water or space-heating system that moves heated air or water using pumps or fans

an alternative fuel that can be made from any fat, grease, or vegetable oil; can be used in any diesel engine with few or no modications; although biodiesel does not contain petroleum, it can be blended with diesel at any level or used in its pure form

liquid fuels and blending components produced from biomass (plant) feedstock, used primarily for transportation

a gas produced by the breakdown of organic matter

a fossil fuel formed by the breakdown of plant material millions to hundreds of millions of years ago; four types exist, but energy production focuses on sub-bituminous and bituminous because of available amounts

structure used at thermal power plants to remove heat from the plant and extract it into the surrounding atmosphere

installations at dams that allow fish to travel upstream, over the dam, to spawn

fuels (coal, oil, natural gas, etc.) that result from the compression of ancient plant and animal life formed over hundreds of millions of years

a device that turns mechanical or motion energy into electrical energy; the motion energy is sometimes provided by an engine or turbine

natural gas that has been converted to a liquid by cooling it to temperatures below -260°C; when cooled to become LNG, natural gas’ volume is reduced 600 times

a colorless, flammable, odorless hydrocarbon gas (CH4), which is the major component of natural gas; it is also an important source of hydrogen in various industrial processes; methane is a greenhouse gas

an odorless, colorless, tasteless, non-toxic, clean-burning fossil fuel; usually found in fossil fuel deposits and used as a fuel

a greenhouse gas and pollutant produced during combustion

fuels that cannot be easily made or replenished; we can use up nonrenewable fuels; oil, natural gas, and coal are examples of nonrenewable fuels

a black, liquid fossil fuel found deep in the Earth; the raw material that petroleum products are made from; gasoline and most plastics are made from oil

soil, rock, and earth materials that are removed in order to mine for materials at the surface of the Earth

also known as trioxygen, this unstable gas is created when chemicals from human activities in the atmosphere react with sunlight; an ozone layer, however, in the atmosphere protects plants and animals from ultraviolet light (UV) exposure

fuels that can be easily made or replenished; we can never use up renewable fuels; types of renewable fuels are hydropower (water), solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass

natural resources that are technically and economically recoverable

air pollution control device that power plants use to remove particulate matter and gases from their emissions

takes place within a few hundred feet of the surface; earth above or around the coal (overburden) is removed to expose the coal bed, which is then mined with surface excavation equipment

a device with blades, which is turned by a force, such as that of wind, water, or high pressure steam; the mechanical (motion) energy of the spinning turbine is converted into electricity by a generator

coal mining that takes place several hundred feet below the surface of the Earth; workers and coal enter and exit through a vertical shaft