Glossary of Alternative Energy Terms
Renewable Energy
Bioenergy
Bioenergy technologies use renewable biomass resources to
produce an array of energy related products including
electricity, liquid, solid, and gaseous fuels, heat,
chemicals, and other materials.
Biomass
Any plant derived organic matter available on a renewable
basis, including dedicated energy crops and trees,
agricultural food and feed crops, agricultural crop wastes
and residues, wood wastes and residues, aquatic plants,
animal wastes, municipal wastes, and other waste
materials.
Biopower
Electricity generation using biomass.
Biofuels
A variety of fuels can be made from biomass resources,
including the liquid fuels ethanol, methanol, biodiesel,
Fischer-Tropsch diesel, and gaseous fuels such as hydrogen
and methane.
Fuel Cells
Fuel cells harness the chemical energy of hydrogen to
generate electricity without combustion or pollution.
Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy technologies use the heat of the earth
for direct-use applications, geothermal heat pumps, and
electrical power production.
Hydroelectric power plant
Structure in which the energy of fading or flowing water
spins a turbine generator to produce electricity.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is a clean and sustainable form of energy that
can be used in mobile and stationary applications.
Hydropower
Electrical energy produced by falling or flowing
water.
Photovoltaics
Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert sunlight directly into
electricity and are made of semiconductors such as
crystalline silicon or various thin-film materials.
Photovoltaics can provide tiny amounts of power for watches,
large amounts for the electric grid, and everything in
between.
Renewable energy
Energy obtained from sources that are essentially
inexhaustible, unlike, for example, the fossil fuels, of
which there is a finite supply. Renewable sources of energy
include wood, waste, geothermal, wind, photovoltaic, and
solar thermal energy.
Renewables
Shorthand for renewable energy or material sources.
Solar energy
Solar radiation exploited for hot water production and
electricity generation. Concentrating solar power
(CSP) technologies use reflective materials to concentrate
the sun's heat energy, which ultimately drives a
generator to produce electricity. These technologies include
dish/engine systems, parabolic troughs, and central power
towers. Low-temperature solar collectors also absorb
the sun's heat energy, but the heat is used directly for hot
water or space heating for residential, commercial, and
industrial facilities.
Tide/Wave/Ocean
Mechanical energy derived from tidal movement or wave
motion and exploited for electricity generation.
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