Chapter 4
Terms
An Enduring Energy Future
Ten (10) key terms
• Biodiesel
Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced
from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but
it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel
blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or
no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and
essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.
In the textbook, it is said that “…. Gussing was self-sufficient,
producing biodiesel from local rapeseed and used cook oil, as well as heat
and power from the sun…”
Biomass energy or "bioenergy"
• The energy from plants and plant-derived materials—since
people began burning wood to cook food and keep warm.
Wood is still the largest biomass energy resource today, but
other sources of biomass can also be used.
In the textbook it is said that “….he used the biomass-steam
gasification to plant that sold surplus electricity to the national
grid.
Renewable energy
• Energy generated from natural resources as sunlight wind rain,
tides, and geothermal heat which are naturally replenished
Textbook : “ A growing number of towns are rapidly transitioning
to low-carbon renewable energy” that means the carbon that
can be naturally replenished.
Conventional fuels
• They include: fossil fuel(petroleum,(oil) coal propane and
natural gas)and nuclear materials such as uranium.
The two kinds of conventional fuels in use today are gasoline and
diesel. The textbook refers as them, because the tenfold rise in
the price of this fuels have devastated many economies.
The International Energy Agency (IEA)
• Is an intergovernmental organization which acts as energy policy advisor to
28 member countries in their effort to ensure reliable, affordable and clean
energy for their citizens. Founded during the oil crisis of 1973-74, the IEA’s
initial role was to co-ordinate measures in times of oil supply emergencies.
Textbook : “…. They recently projected that the share of primary world energy
from renewable will remain at 13% between 2005 and 2030.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC)
• Is a scientific intergovernmental body[ tasked to evaluate the risk of climate
change caused by human activity. The panel was established in 1988 by
two organizations of the United Nations.
Textbook : “… they projected that, with a CO2-equivalent price of up to
$50 per ton, renewable could generate 30-35% of electricity by
2030.
Renewable technologies:
They are used to produce electricity and
meet heating and cooling needs. Available
now and ready for rapid scale-up.
Experiencing growth also.
More …
• Megawatts
A unit of power, equal to one million watts. Aka. Electricity
• Hybrid
Anything derived from heterogeneous sources, or composed of elements of
different or incongruous kinds: a hybrid of the academic and business
worlds.
Also known in the book as a “hybrid network” that connects different
renewable energy sources together to create a new kind of system that
would replace the outdated central power plants that we are used to.
Monopolistic
•
A company or group having exclusive control over a commercial activity.
•
A person with a monopoly.
•
In every country, large scale domestic sources of renewable energy can be found, they
have a monopolistic system.
•
Africa has the most large scale sources of renewable energy today, they are a
monopolistic system in renewable energy.
•
United States, China, India, Australia, and Middle east have enormous solar resources.
•
China’s wind resources alone can generate far more energy than they even use.
•
In the United States, wind energy in just a few states could meet the total electricity
demand of the whole country.
Holy Grail
• Any greatly desired and sought-after objective; ultimate ideal
or reward.
• The value of storage goes beyond renewable, enabling better
management of peak demand, providing a more stable grid and
better power quality, reducing the need for new transmission
lines.
• Better storage is the Holy Grail of renewable energy.
Insulate
• To cover or protect something with a material that stops electricity, sound,
heat etc from getting in or out. (insulate something from/against
something)
Textbook : “ But it is possible to reduce the demand in existing building by
insulating them properly, controlling unwanted air infiltration and
improving performance for space and water heating,lighting,ventilation
and air conditioning.
Subsidies:
•
A direct pecuniary aid furnished by a government to a private industrial
undertaking, a charity organization, or the like.
•
A sum paid, often in accordance with a treaty, by one government to another to
secure some service in return.
•
A grant or contribution of money.
• The term is used in the book because the author is talking about improving
energy markets. He is saying that elimination of subsidies for conventional
fuels and technologies is the first and most important step government
should take.