| A | B |
|---|
| biomass | The total mass of all living matter in a specific area |
| renewable energy | An energy source that is either naturally replenished on a human time scale |
| energy conservation | the implementation of methods to use less energy, achieved through change in individual habits or governmental policy/incentiv |
| tiered rate | A billing system used by some electric companies in which customers pay higher rates as their use goes up |
| energy efficiency | Using less energy to perform the same task – that is, eliminating energy waste. |
| peak demand | The greatest quantity of energy used at any one time |
| passive solar energy | Use of trees, window placement, thermal mass, insulation, roof color, etc. to control heating and cooling. |
| thermal mass | A property of a building material that allows it to maintain heat or cold |
| carbon neutral | An activity that does not change atmospheric CO2 concentrations |
| biofuels | Liquid fuels created from processed or refined biomass like corn, animal waste, sewage, wood, etc. CONS: still puts CO2 in the air, may lead to deforestation for crop growth. |
| ethanol | Alcohol made by converting starches and sugars from plant material into alcohol and CO2 |
| biodiesel | A diesel substitute produced by extracting and chemically altering oil from plants |
| hydroelectricity | electricity generated by the kinetic energy of moving water collected in a reservoir and falling through pipes to turn a generator. |
| run-of-the-river | Hydroelectricity generation in which water is diverted from a river to a generator and back to the river using the elevation change of the landscape. |
| tidal energy | Energy that comes from the movement of water driven by the gravitational pull of the Moon. Requires large differences between high and low tide |
| siltation | The accumulation of sediments, primarily silt, on the bottom of a reservoir |
| photovoltaic solar cells | A device which captures energy from the Sun as light (rather than heat) and converts it directly into electricity; Solar cells have two types of silica (P/N) that aid in created the flow of electrons through a circuit when struck by photons. |
| geothermal energy | Geothermal energy is the heat that comes from the sub-surface of the earth. It is contained in the rocks and fluids beneath the earth's crust |
| wind energy | Energy generated from the kinetic energy of moving air |
| wind turbine | A machine that converts kinetic wind energy into electricity by spinning the blades of the turbine attached to a generator. |
