| A | B |
|---|
| nonrenewable | finite supply;primarily fossil and nuclear fuels |
| fossil fuels | coal, gas, oil |
| nuclear fuels | fuel derived from radioactive materials that give off energy |
| commercial energy sources | an energy source that is bought and sold |
| subsistence energy sources | energy sources gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs |
| turbine | a device with blades that can be turned by water, wind, steam or exhaust from combustion that turns a generator in an electricity producing plant |
| electrical grid | a network of interconnected transmission lines that joins 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 | in reference to an electricity generating plant, the max electrical output |
| cogeneration | the use of a single fuel to generate electricity and to produce heat |
| lignite | A soft, brownish-black form of coal having more carbon than peat but less carbon than bituminous coal. Lignite is easy to mine but does not burn as well as other forms of coal. It is a greater polluter than bituminous coal because it has a higher sulfur content. |
| sub-bituminous | a type of coal whose properties range from those of lignite to those of bituminous coal and are used primarily as fuel for steam-electric power generation |
| bituminous | a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than anthracite coal. |
| anthracite | A dense, shiny coal that has a high carbon content and little volatile matter and burns with a clean flame. Also called hard coal |
| crude oil | liquid pertroleum removed from the ground |
| natural gas | a gaseous mixture consisting mainly of methane trapped below ground; used extensively as a fuel |
| oil sands | slow-flowing, viscous deposits of bitumen mixed with sand, water and clay |
| bitumen | a degraded petroleum that forms when petroleum migrates to the surface and is modified by bacteria; also called tar or pitch |
| CTL | (coal to liquid) The process of converting solid coal into liquid fuel |
| energy intensity | the energy use per unit of gross domestic product |
| Hubbert curve | A bell shaped curve representing oil use and projecting both when world oil production will reach a maximum and when we will 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 atomic nucleus, which then splits into two or more parts, releasing additional neutrons and energy in the form of heat |
| fuel rod | a cyclindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor |
| control rod | a cylindrical device inserted between the fuel rods in a nuclear reactor to absorb excess neutrons and slow or stop fission reactions |
| fusion | when lighter nuclei are forced together to produce heavier nuclei, producing tremendous heat. (This is what powers our sun!) |
| petroleum | a fossil fuel that occurs in underground deposits, composed of a mixture of hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur |
