Question | Answer |
Fossil Fuel | Fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earth's crust with high carbon and hydrogen content |
Coal | A carbonaceous rock formed from buried plants in ancient forests or swamps |
Peat | Partially carbonized vegetable matter saturated with water; can be used as a fuel when dried |
Brown Coal | Lignite; The first type of coal formed and has the least amount of energy |
Sub-bituminous Coal and Bituminous Coal | Dark black coal that are most important for energy production for direct heating and electricty |
Anthracite Coal | Dark gray; have a high energy content |
Petroleum | A dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons |
Maturation | The burial and chemical transformation process that leads to formation of petroleum |
Strip Mining | The mining of ore or coal from an open mine |
Acid Mine Drainage | Any pollutional discharge emanating from a mining operation |
Energy Efficiency | The amount of energy consumed per unit of productive output |
Synfuels | Hydrocarbon resources other than oil, natural gas, and coal; also called unconventional hydrocarbons. |
Tar Sands | Deposits of dense, thick, asphaltlike oil that cannot be pumped easily |
Kerogen | Wax like compound that may be formed if organic material is buried; also called oil shales |
Gas Hydrates | Deposits of methane that are frozen into ice in permafrost and in seafloor sediments |
Fluidized Bed Combustion | Coal is burned more efficiently at a lower temperature than in a conventional power plant. |
Coal liquification | Turning solid coal into liquid fuel similar to oil |
Green Power | Electricity that is generated by a nonpolluting technology |
Fission | Inducing a heavy atom to split into lighter atoms |
Nuclear Reactor | A device in which nuclear chain reactions are initiated, controlled, and sustained at a steady rate |
Fuel Rods | A long, slender tube that holds the fuel pellets |
Nuclear Waste | Highly radioactive by-products of nuclear fission |
Half-life | The amount of time it takes for the level of radioactivity in a material to be decayed by half. |
Fusion | Two atomic nuclei come together to produce energy |
Passive Solar Heating | Direct solar energy used for applications such as home and water heating |
Active Solar Heating | Solar energy is collected, usually by solar panels on a rooftop, and the heat is stored and distributed by fans or pumps. |
Photovoltaic Cells | Thin wafers or films that are treated chemically so they absorb solar energy, emitting a stream of electrons in response. |
Electrolysis | Splitting water into its component parts |
Fuel Cells | An electrochemical energy conversion device that produces electricity from external supplies of fuel. |
Anode | The negatively charged pole of a fuel cell |
Cathode | The positively charged pole of a fuel cell |
Wind turbines | A machine that captures the energy of the wind and transfers the motion to a generator shaft |
Wind Farm | A group of wind turbines in the same location used for production of electric power |
Biomass Energy | Energy derived from Earth's plant life |
Biogas | Methane gas released from animal waste that is used for energy |
Ethanol | A form of alcohol made from fermented sugars found in corn and other crops that is added to conventional gasoline |
Biodiesel | A form of fuel that is made from vegetable oil |
Hydroelectric Power | Energy generated from a stream of water flowing downhill...gravitational energy. |