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Unit A - Module 1
Module 1- Unit A Vocabulary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| alternating current (AC) | an electric current that reverses its direction at regularly recurring intervals |
| balancing authority | a regional organization responsible for planning for and maintaining the balance of electricity resources and electricity demand |
| blackout | power loss affecting many consumers over a large geographical area for a significant period of time |
| cogeneration | process in which electricity and heat are produced at the same time from the same fuel or energy source |
| conductor | a material along which electrons easily flow; the opposite of a conductor is an insulator |
| current | a flow of electrons along a path, such as a conductive wire |
| direct current (DC) | current that moves in only one direction; DC results from a constant polarity power source |
| economies of scale | when cost of production falls because output has increased |
| effluent | substance released into a body of water |
| electrical power grid | interconnected electric generation, transmission, and distribution systems over broad geographic areas - Eastern, Western, and Texas |
| electron | negatively charged particle outside the nucleus of an atom |
| electrostatic precipitator | a device for removing small particles from a gas, such as air, by passing the gas first through an electrically charged screen that gives a charge to the particles, then between two charged plates where the particles are attracted to one surface |
| emissions | substances released into the environment; usually used to refer to substances discharged into the air |
| greenhouse gas | gases that trap heat in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and hydro-fluorocarbons |
| holding company | a company which owns or holds stock in other companies, which it then manages and operates |
| hydroelectric power | power generated by using moving water to power a turbine generator to produce electricity |
| load | device or customer that receives power from the electric system |
| load diversity | when the peak demands of a variety of electric customers occur at different times |
| natural monopoly | when small companies can't compete with large; results from large companies being able to operate more efficiently (economy of scale) and offer services more cheaply, or when a huge capital investment for equipment is required to get into the market |
| obligation to serve | the obligation of a utility to provide electric service to any customer who seeks that service, and is willing to pay the rates set for that service |
| peak load | time of highest demand for and use of electricity |
| polarity | the orientation of the positive and negative poles of a power source |
| pollution | the introduction of harmful contaminants into the environment |
| public utility | maintains the infrastructure for providing a public service such as gas, electric, water, and waste-disposal service |
| reliability | the power system is able to meet the electricity needs of customers even when equipment fails or other factors reduce the amount of available electricity; consists of adequacy and security of the electricity supply to customers |
| smart grid | an electrical charge that cannot move, created when two objects have been in contact and then are separated - leaving them with either too many or too few electrons (an electric charge) |
| stepped down | conversion of high voltage electricity to lower voltage through the use of transformers at power substations |
| stepped up | conversion of low voltage electricity to higher voltage through the use of transformers; a substation receives electric power from a nearby generating facility and uses a large power transformer to increase the voltage for transmission |
| transformer | a device that changes the voltage of an electric current |
| wet scrubbers | installed on smokestacks to remove sulfur dioxides and some particulates by allowing exhaust gases to pass through a fine water spray that contains lime, a compound which absorbs most of the sulfur |
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Trac-7
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