Environmental Science Ch. 16 Flashcards
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| 1964973730 | active solar technology | the use of mechanical devices to heat water and buildings or to power electrical devices to generate electricity | 0 | |
| 1964973731 | biomass energy | the energy contained in firewood and other plant matter | 1 | |
| 1964973732 | biofuels | liquid fuel derived from biomass that can be used in diesel and internal combustion engines | 2 | |
| 1964973733 | biodiesel | a biofuel derived from plant oils and animal fats that can be burned in diesel engines | 3 | |
| 1964973734 | cellulosic ethanol | ethanol that is produced from agricultural residues, wood, grasses, or other cellulose-rich feedstocks | 4 | |
| 1964973735 | compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) | lights in which an electric current causes a gas to glow; emit 3-5 times more light that incandescent fixtures | 5 | |
| 1964973736 | concentrating solar power (CSP) systems | a method of generating electricity from sunlight that relies on mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays on a tower or a series of pipes that hold water or another fluid. The concentrated sunlight heats the fluid to boiling. The produced steam is then used to spin a turbine and generate electricity | 6 | |
| 1964973737 | conservation supply curve | graph used to compare the amount of energy saved by each action to the cost of that energy | 7 | |
| 1964973738 | cost of saved energy (CSE) | a measure that compares the costs and benefits of energy alternatives by dividing the cost of an energy investment by the energy savings resulting from that investment | 8 | |
| 1964973739 | economic energy intensity | a measure of overall energy use efficiency by a country or group of countries that considers the amount of energy used per dollar of economic output | 9 | |
| 1964973740 | geothermal energy | heat energy that is generated and stored in Earth itself | 10 | |
| 1964973741 | ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs) | method of using Earth's heat for energy by taking advantage of the fact that the upper 10 ft of Earth's crust maintains a nearly constant temperature regardless of the time of year | 11 | |
| 1964973742 | hydroelectric power | electricity generated by using the kinetic energy of moving water to turn a turbine | 12 | |
| 1964973743 | hydropower | the energy of water moving under the force of gravity | 13 | |
| 1964973744 | incandescent lights | lights in which an electric current causes a thin metal filament to glow | 14 | |
| 1964973745 | impoundment hydroelectricity plant | electricity generated by impounded water, such as water behind a dam, flowing downhill through a turbine | 15 | |
| 1964973746 | light-emitting diodes (LEDs) | lights in which an electric current passes through silicone-rich materials; more efficient and long-lasting than CFLs and incandescent lightbulbs | 16 | |
| 1964973747 | ocean thermal energy conversion | a technique that exploits the sharp differences in temperature between surface water and deeper water to generate electricity | 17 | |
| 1964973748 | photovoltaic (PV) technology | a method of generating solar power that converts light into energy through the photovoltaic effect, in which light energy causes certain materials to emit electrons | 18 | |
| 1964973749 | passive solar technology | the use of the energy of sunlight without relying on electrical or mechanical devices | 19 | |
| 1964973750 | renewable portfolio standard (RPS) | a government mandate that a certain percentage of energy use come from renewable energy resources | 20 | |
| 1964973751 | run-of-river hydroelectric plant | a hydropower facility that uses the force of river water diverted into a series of pipes to spin a turbine to generate electricity | 21 | |
| 1964973752 | solar photovoltaic farms | in areas with high solar potential, thousands of PV panels are arranged to generate electricity on a large scale | 22 | |
| 1964973753 | tidal barrage | a dam across the narrow outlet of a tidal basin that uses the ebb and flow of tidal waters to power turbines and dynamos to generate electricity | 23 | |
| 1964973754 | tidal fence | an array of underwater turnstiles or revolving doors set across a narrow channel. As water moves through the channel, its energy is used to generate electricity | 24 | |
| 1964973755 | tidal power | the kinetic energy of ocean tides used to generate electricity | 25 | |
| 1964973756 | tidal turbines | turbines operating underwater that are spun by the movement of tides and currents | 26 |