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DSE Energy Glossary
| Xenon | A heavy gas used in specialized electric lamps. |
| X-Ray | A type of electromagnetic radiation having low energy levels. |
| Xyloid Coal | Brown coal or lignite mostly derived from wood. |
| Yaw | Rotation parallel to the ground. Generators Yaw to face the wind as the wind changes direction. |
| Yaw Axis | Vertical axis through the center of the generators gravity. |
| Yaw Bearing | The bearing that sits under the generator to allow the generator to rotate and follow the wind direction. |
| Zenith Angle | The angle between directly overhead and a line through the sun. The elevation angle of the sun above the horizon is 90° minus the zenith angle. |
| Zephyr | A gentle breeze. Also the West Wind in Greek mythology. (“Favonius” in Latin.) |
| Zonda | A warm, dry wind that blows westerly off the Andes of South America and across the plains of Argentina. |
DSE Energy Glossary
| Wafer | A thin sheet of crystalline semiconductor material either made by mechanically sawing it from a single-crystal boule or multicrystalline ingot or block, or made directly by casting. The wafer is "raw material" for the solar cell. |
| Water Heater | An appliance for supplying hot water for purposes other than space heating or pool heating. |
| Water Phases | the change of water from one state to another. The change from ice to liquid is melting; the reverse process is freezing. The change from liquid to gas is evaporation and the product is water vapor; the change from water vapor to liquid is called condensation. Evaporation and condensation are both important functions in geothermal phenomena and in geothermal technology. |
| Waterspout | A tornado occurring over water. Sometimes it is a lesser whirlwind over water, comparable in intensity to a dust devil over land. |
| Watsco | The Western Association for Transmission System Coordination. |
| Watt | A unit for measuring electric power, eg. 1 horse power = 746 watts. One Kilowatt = 1000 watts. One Megawatt = 1,000,000 watts. |
| Watt (W) | the measure of the amount of current flowing through a wire at a given time. |
| Watt (W) | The unit of electrical power commonly used to define the electricity consumption of an appliance. The power developed when a current of one ampere flows through a potential difference of one volt; 1/746 of a horsepower. 1 Watt = 1 Joule/s. |
| Watt Hour (Wh) | A unit of energy equal to one Watt of power being used for one hour. |
| Watt Hours | A unit of energy equivalent to the power of one watt operating for one hour. |
| Watt Peak (Technical Definition) | The Watt Power output of a Solar module is the number of Watts Output when it is illuminated under standard conditions of 1000 Watts/meter2 intensity, 25°C ambient temperature and a spectrum that relates to sunlight that has passed through the atmosphere (AM or Air Mass 1.5). |
| Watt Peak (User Friendly Definition) | Is the Direct Current Watts output of a Solar Module as measured under an Industry standardized Light Test before the Solar Module leaves the Manufacturers facility. |
| Watt-Hour | A unit of measurement quantifying an amount of energy used or generated. A load that consumes 1 watt for 10 hours uses 10 watt-hours. |
| Watt-Hour (Wh) | A unit of electricity consumption of one watt over the period of one hour. |
| Waveform | The shape of a wave or pattern representing a vibration. The shape characterizing an AC current or voltage output. |
| Weatherstripping | Specially designed strips, seals and gaskets installed around doors and windows to limit air leakage. |
| Wet Shelf Life | The period of time that a charged battery, when filled with electrolyte, can remain unused before dropping below a specified level of performance. |
| Wet-Bulb Temperature | The temperature at which water, by evaporating into air, can bring the air to saturation at the same temperature. Wet-bulb temperature is measured by a wet-bulb psychrometer. |
| Wheeling | The transmission of electricity by an entity that does not own or directly use the power it is transmitting. Wholesale wheeling is used to indicate bulk transactions in the wholesale market, whereas retail wheeling allows power producers direct access to retail customers. This term is often used colloquially as meaning transmission. |
| Whole House Fan | A system capable of cooling a house by exhausting a large volume of warm air when the outside air is cool. |
| Wholesale Competition | A system whereby a distributor of power would have the option to buy its power from a variety of power producers, and the power producers would be able to compete to sell their power to a variety of distribution companies. |
| Wholesale Power Market | The purchase and sale of electricity from generators to resellers (who sell to retail customers) along with the ancillary services needed to maintain reliability and power quality at the transmission level. |
| Williwaw | Violent gusts of cold air that blow off the mountainous coasts into the oceans in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska and the Straits of Magellan, near the south end of South America. |
| Willy-Willy | The name for a hurricane that occurs in the seas north of Australia. |
| Wind | Moving air. |
| Wind Energy | Also see "Wind Power" Energy available from the movement of the wind across a landscape. The wind’s movement is caused by the sun, which heats the atmosphere, the earth, and the oceans, forcing air to rise and fall in cycles. |
| Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) | An apparatus for converting wind energy to mechanical energy, making it available for powering machinery and operating electrical generators. |
| Wind Farm | A piece of land on which wind turbines are sited for the purpose of electricity generation. |
| Wind Generator | A system that captures the force of the wind to provide rotational motion and transfers that power to an alternator or generator. |
| Wind Power | Also see "Wind Energy." Energy available from the movement of the wind across a landscape. The wind’s movement is caused by the sun’s heat, the earth, and the oceans, forcing air to rise and fall in cycles. |
| Wind Power Plant | A group of wind turbines interconnected to a common utility system. |
| Wind Resource Assessment | The process of characterizing the wind resource and its energy potential for a specific site or geographical area. |
| Wind Rose | A diagram that indicates the average percentage of time that the wind blows from different directions, on a monthly or annual basis. |
| Wind Speed | The rate of flow of wind when it blows undisturbed by obstacles. |
| Wind Speed Frequency Curve | A curve that indicates the number of hours per year that specific wind speeds occur. |
| Wind Speed Profile | A profile of how the wind speed changes at different heights above the surface of the ground or water. |
| Wind Turbine | A machine that captures the energy of the wind and transfers the motion to a generator shaft. |
| Wind Turbine Rated Capacity | The amount of power a wind turbine can produce at its rated wind speed. |
| Wind Turbines | use the wind’s energy to generate electricity. |
| Wind Velocity | The wind speed and direction in an undisturbed flow. |
| Windmill | A wind energy conversion system that is used to grind grain. However, the word windmill is commonly used to refer to all types of wind energy conversion systems. |
| Window | A wide band gap material chosen for its transparency to light. Generally used as the top layer of a photovoltaic device, the window allows almost all of the light to reach the semiconductor layers beneath. |
| Windpower Profile | The change in the power available in the wind due to changes in the wind speed or velocity. |
| Wire Types | See Article 300 of National Electric Code for more information. |
| Wires Charge | A broad term which refers to charges levied on power suppliers or their customers for the use of the transmission or distribution wires. |
| Work Function | The energy difference between the Fermi level and vacuum zero. The minimum amount of energy it takes to remove an electron from a substance into the vacuum. |
| WRTA | The Western Regional Transmission Association, an RTG. |
| WSSCC | The Western System Coordinating Council. A voluntary industry association created to enhance reliability among western utilities. |
| WSSP | The Western Systems Power Pool. A FERC approved industry institution that provides a forum for short-term trades in electric energy, capacity, exchanges and transmission services. The pool consists of approximately 50 members and serves 22 states, a Canadian province and 60 million people. The WSSP is headquarter in Phoenix, Arizona. |
DSE Energy Glossary
| VAC | Voltage Alternating Current |
| Vacuum Evaporation | The deposition of thin films of semiconductor material by the evaporation of elemental sources in a vacuum. |
| Vacuum Zero | The energy of an electron at rest in empty space; used as a reference level in energy band diagrams. |
| Valence Band | The highest energy band in a semiconductor that can be filled with electrons. |
| Valence Level Energy/Valence State | Energy content of an electron in orbit about an atomic nucleus. Also called bound state. |
| Vane | A large piece of material used behind the generator to hold the blades in the direction of the wind. |
| Vapor Barrier | A material with a permeance of one perm or less which provides resistance to the transmission of water vapor. |
| Vaporize | to change into the gas form anything which is normally a liquid or a solid; the term is most commonly is used in reference to water (which vaporizes to steam). |
| Variable-Speed Wind Turbines | Turbines in which the rotor speed increases and decreases with changing wind speeds. Sophisticated power control systems are required on variable speed tubines to insure that their power maintains a constant frequency compatible with the grid. |
| Varistor | A non-ohmic or voltage-dependent variable resistor. Normally used as over-voltage limiters to protect sensitive equipment from power spikes or lightning strikes by shunting the energy to ground. |
| VAV System (Variable Air Volume System) | A mechanical HVAC system capable of serving multiple zones which controls the temperature maintained in a zone by controlling the amount of heated or cooled air supplied to the zone. |
| Vdc | Voltage Direct Current |
| Vented Cell | A battery designed with a vent mechanism to expel gases generated during charging. |
| Ventilation | The process of supplying or removing air by natural or mechanical means to or from any space. Such air may or may not have been conditioned or treated. |
| Vertical Integration | An arrangement whereby the same company owns all the different aspects of making, selling, and delivering a product or service. In the electric industry, it refers to the historically common arrangement whereby a utility would own its own generating plants,transmission system, and distribution lines to provide all aspects of electric service. |
| Vertical Multijunction (Vmj) Cell | A compound cell made of different semiconductor materials in layers, one above the other. Sunlight entering the top passes through successive cell barriers, each of which converts a separate portion of the spectrum into electricity, thus achieving greater total conversion efficiency of the incident light. Also called a multiple junction cell. See multijunction device and split-spectrum cell. |
| Visible Light Transmittance | The ratio of visible light transmitted through a substance to the total visible light incident on its surface. |
| VMP | The voltage at which a PV device is operating at maximum power. |
| VOC | Open Circuit Voltage. |
| Volcano | an opening in the Earth’s crust from which lava, steam, and/or ashes erupt (or flow), either continuously or at intervals. |
| Volt | A unit for measuring the force used to produce an electric current; the push or force that moves electric current through a conductor. |
| Volt (V) | A unit of electrical force equal to that amount of electromotive force that will cause a steady current of one ampere to flow through a resistance of one ohm. |
| Voltage | A measure of the force or "push" given the electrons in an electrical circuit; a measure of electrical potential. Analogy-pressure in a water pipe. AKA Potential. |
| Voltage At Maximum Power (VMP) | The voltage at which maximum power is available from a photovoltaic module. |
| Voltage Drop | Loss of voltage (electrical pressure) caused by the resistance in wire and electrical devices. Proper wire sizing will minimize voltage drop, particularly over long distances. Voltage drop is determined by four factors wire size, current (amps), voltage, and length of wire. Water analogy friction loss in pipe. |
| Voltage Of A Circuit (Electric Utility) | The electric pressure of a circuit, measured in volts. Usually a nominal rating, based on the maximum normal effective difference of potential between any two conductors of the circuit. |
| Voltage Protection | A sensing circuit on an Inverter that will disconnect the unit from the battery if input voltage limits are exceeded. |
| Voltage Regulation | This indicates the variability in the output voltage. Some loads will not tolerate voltage variations greater than a few percent. |
| Voltage Regulator | A device that controls the operating voltage of a photovoltaic array. |
| Voltage, Nominal | A way of naming a range of voltage to a standard. Example: A “12 volt nominal” system may operate in the range of 10 to 20 Volts. We call it “12 volts” for simplicity. |
| Voltage, Open Circuit | See OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE |
| Voltage, Peak Power Point (VPP) | The voltage at which a photovoltaic module or array generates at the highest power (watts). A “12 volt nominal” PV module will typically have a peak power voltage of around 17 volts. A PV array-direct solar pump should reach this voltage in full sun conditions. In a higher voltage array, it will be a multiple of this voltage. |
| Voltmeter | A device for measuring the voltage difference between any two points in an electrical circuit. |
| Volumetric Wires Charge | A type of charge for using the transmission and/or distribution system that is based on the volume of electricity that is transmitted. |
DSE Energy Glossary
| UA | A measure of the amount of heat that would be transferred through a given surface or enclosure (such as a building envelope) with a one degree Fahrenheit temperature difference between the two sides. The UA is calculated by multiplying the U-Value by the area of the surface (or surfaces). |
| UDC | Utility distribution company. An entity that owns a distribution system for the delivery of energy to and from the ISO-controlled grid, and that provides regulated, retail service to eligible end-use customers who are not yet eligible for direct access, or who choose not to arrange services through another retailer. |
| Ultrahigh Voltage Transmission | Transporting electricity over bulk-power lines at voltages greater than 800 kilovolts. |
| Ultraviolet | Electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of 4 to 400 nanometers. |
| Unbundling | Disaggregating electric utility service into its basic components and offering each component separately for sale with separate rates for each component. For example, generation, transmission and distribution could be unbundled and offered as discrete services. |
| Unconditioned Space | A space that is neither directly nor indirectly conditioned space, which can be isolated from conditioned space by partitions and/or closeable doors. |
| Underground Feeder (Uf) | May be used for photovoltaic array wiring if sunlight resistant coating is specified; can be used for interconnecting balance-of-system components but not recommended for use within battery enclosures. |
| Underground Service Entrance (Use) | May be used within battery enclosures and for interconnecting balance-of-systems. |
| Uninterruptible Power Supply | A power supply capable of providing continuous no-stop power, usually by utilizing batteries. |
| Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) | A power supply capable of providing continuous uninterruptible service; normally containing batteries to provide energy storage. |
| Universal Service | Electric service sufficient for basic needs (an evolving bundle of basic services) available to virtually all members of the population regardless of income. |
| Unleaded Gasoline | Gasoline that has had tetraethyl lead removed in conformance with federal and state regulations. |
| Upgrade (Electric Utility) | Replacement or addition of electrical equipment resulting in increased generation or transmission capability. |
| Uprate (Electric Utility) | An increase in the rating or stated measure of generation or transfer capability. |
| Upstream | A term used in the petroleum industry referring to the exploration and production side of the business. This includes pipelines but production before reaching the refinery. |
| Upwind | In relation to a wind turbine, toward the wind. An upwind turbine has its blades on the upwind side of the tower. |
| Upwind Generator | A wind generator which its propellers faces into the wind (vane behind) |
| Uranium | A radioactive element, found in ores, of which atoms can be split to create energy. |
| Uranium Enrichment | The process of increasing the percentage of pure uranium above the levels found in naturally occurring uranium ore, so that it may be used as fuel. |
| Utility | A regulated entity which exhibits the characteristics of a natural monopoly. For the purposes of electric industry restructuring, "utility" refers to the regulated, vertically-integrated electric company. "Transmission utility" refers to the regulated owner/operator of the transmission system only. "Distribution utility" refers to the regulated owner/operator of the distribution system which serves retail customers. |
| Utility Grid | Also see "Power Grid." A common term referring to an electricity transmission and distribution system. |
| Utility-Interactive Inverter | An inverter that can function only when tied to the utility grid, and uses the prevailing line-voltage frequency on the utility line as a control parameter to ensure that the photovoltaic system’s output is fully synchronized with the utility power. |
| Utility-Intertie (Ui) System | See GRID-TIE SYSTEM. |
| U-Value Or U-Factor | A measure of how well heat is transferred by the entire window |
DSE Energy Glossary
| Tail | The part of a wind generator that makes the rotor face into the wind. Often the tail is also involved in governing the machine, by folding down or sideways to swing the rotor out of the wind. |
| Tail Boom Or Vane Boom | The strut that holds the (vane) to the generator frame. |
| Tail/Vane Deflection | A spring loaded vane that folds in a horizontal plane to turn the machine out of the wind as it increases velocity. |
| Tailrace | The pipe, flume, or channel in a hydroelectric system that carries the water from the turbine runner back to the stream or river. |
| Take-Out Point | The metering points at which a metered entity takes delivery of energy. |
| Taking | Reducing the value of someone’s property through government action without just compensation. |
| Tame (Tertiary Amyl Methyl Ether) | another oxygenate that can be used in reformulated gasoline. It is an ether based on reactive C5 olefins and methanol. |
| Tar Sands | Sedimentary rocks containing heavy oil that cannot be extracted by conventional petroleum recovery methods. |
| Tare Loss | Loss caused by a charge controller. One minus tare loss, expressed as a percentage, is equal to the controller efficiency. |
| Tariff | A document, approved by the responsible regulatory agency,listing the terms and conditions, including a schedule of prices, under which utility services will be provided. |
| Task Lighting (Task-Oriented Lighting) | Lighting designed specifically to illuminate one or more task locations, and generally confined to those locations. |
| Tax Credits | Credits established by the federal and state government to assist the development of the alternative energy industry. |
| Tebbad | The “fever wind” of Turkestan. |
| Temperature | Degree of hotness or coldness measured on one of several arbitrary scales based on some observable phenomenon (such as the expansion). |
| Temperature Compensation | A circuit that adjusts the charge controller activation points depending on battery temperature. This feature is recommended if the battery temperature is expected to vary more than ±5°C from ambient temperature. |
| Temperature Factors | Are used to decrease battery capacity at cold temperatures, to decrease PV module voltage at high temperatures and to increase the resistance of wire at high temperatures. |
| Therapeutic | the treatment of disease or other disorder; something that may benefit health. (Geothermal) hot springs are often thought of as therapeutic. |
| Therm | One hundred thousand (100,000) British thermal units (1 therm = 100,000 Btu). |
| Thermal | Of, using, producing, or caused by heat. |
| Thermal (Energy) Storage | A technology that lowers the amount of electricity needed for comfort conditioning during utility peak load periods. A buildings thermal energy storage system might, for example, use off-peak power to make ice or to chill water at night, later using the ice or chilled water in a power saving process for cooling during the day. See THERMAL MASS. |
| Thermal Break | A material of low thermal conductivity placed in such a way as to reduce the flow of heat between two materials of high thermal conductivity. |
| Thermal Break (Thermal Barrier) | An element of low heat conductivity placed in such a way as to reduce or prevent the flow of heat. Some metal framed windows are designed with thermal breaks to improve their overall thermal performance. |
| Thermal Electric | Electric energy derived from heat energy, usually by heating a working fluid, which drives a turbogenerator. |
| Thermal Energy | The energy derived from heat. |
| Thermal Mass | A material that has the ability to absorb, store, and release heat energy. The more heat energy that is required to change the temperature of high-density materials (concrete, bricks, tiles), the more thermal mass the materials have. |
| Thermal Power Plant | any stationary or floating electrical generating facility using any source of thermal energy, with a generating capacity of 50 megawatts or more, and any facilities appurtenant thereto. Exploratory, development, and production wells, resource transmission lines, and other related facilities used in connection with a geothermal exploratory project or a geothermal field development project are not appurtenant facilities for the purposes of this division. Thermal powerplant does not include any wind, hydroelectric, or solar photovoltaic electrical generating facility. |
| Thermal Storage Walls | A thermal storage wall that is glazed on the outside . Solar heat strikes the glazing and is absorbed into the wall and slowly heats the room behind the wall. |
| Thermally Enhanced Oil Recovery (Teor) | Injection of steam to increase the amount of petroleum that may be recovered from a well. |
| Thermodynamics | A study of the transformation of energy into other manifested forms and of their practical applications. The three laws of thermodynamics are: 1) Law of Conservation of Energy-energy may be transformed in an isolated system, but its total is constant. 2) Heat cannot be changed directly into work at constant temperature by a cyclic process. 3) Heat capacity and entropy of every crystalline solid becomes zero at absolute zero (0 degrees Kelvin). |
| Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) Device | A device in which solar energy is concentrated on to a radiator which reaches a high temperature and emits the energy in a different part of the spectrum, better matched to the bandgap of the matched solar cell. This approach should enable high cell efficiencies to be obtained. |
| Thermophotovoltaic Cell (Tpv) | A device where sunlight concentrated onto a absorber heats it to a high temperature, and the thermal radiation emitted by the absorber is used as the energy source for a photovoltaic cell that is designed to maximize conversion efficiency at the wavelength of the thermal radiation. |
| Thermostat | An automatic control device designed to be responsive to temperature and typically used to maintain set temperatures by cycling the HVAC system. |
| Thermostat, Setback | A device, containing a clock mechanism, which can automatically change the inside temperature maintained by the HVAC system according to a preset schedule. The heating or cooling requirements can be reduced when a building is unoccupied or when occupants are asleep. |
| Thermosyphon | Passive solar hot water systems that rely on the natural convection of liquids to collect energy. Designed with the tank above the collection surface. |
| Thick Cells | Conventional solar cells in most types of PV modules, such as crystalline silicon cells, which are typically from 200-400 micrometers thick. In contrast, thin-film cells are several microns thick. |
| Thick-Crystalline Materials | Semiconductor material, typically measuring from 200-400 micromterers thick, that is cut from boules, ingots or ribbons. |
| Thin Film | A layer of semiconductor material, such as copper indium diselenide, cadmium telluride, gallium arsenide, or amorphous silicon, a few microns or less in thickness, used to make photovoltaic cells. |
| Thin Film Photovoltaic Module | A photovoltaic module constructed with sequential layers of thin film semiconductor materials. See amorphous silicon. |
| Thin Film PV Module | A solar PV module constructed with sequential layers of thin film semiconductor materials usually only micrometers thick. Currently, thin film technologies account for around 12% of all solar modules sold around the world. This share is expected to increase, since thin film technologies represent a potential route to lower costs. |
| Tidal Power | Energy obtained by using the motion of the tides to run water turbines that drive electric generators. |
| Tilt Angle | A fixed angle measured from the horizontal to which a solar array is tilted. The tilt angle is chosen to maximize the array output. Depending upon latitude, season, and time of day, the optimum angle will vary. |
| Tilt-Up Tower | A nonclimbable wind generator tower that tilts up and down to allow installation and servicing of the turbine on the ground. Normally these employ a gin pole—a horizontal lever arm that helps raise and lower the tower. |
| Time-Of-Use (Tou) Rates | The pricing of electricity based on the estimated cost of electricity during a particular time block. Time-of-use rates are usually divided into three or four time blocks per twenty-four hour period (on-peak, mid-peak, off-peak and sometimes super off-peak) and by seasons of the year (summer and winter). Real-time pricing differs from TOU rates in that it is based on actual (as opposed to forecasted) prices which may fluctuate many times a day and are weather-sensitive, rather than varying with a fixed schedule. |
| Time-Of-Use Meter | A measuring device that records the times during which a customer uses various amounts of electricity. This type of meter is used for customers who pay time-of-use rates. |
| Time-Of-Use Rates | Electricity prices that vary depending on the time periods in which the energy is consumed. In a time-of- use rate structure, higher prices are charged during utility peak-load times. Such rates can provide an incentive for consumers to curb power use during peak times. |
| Tin Oxide | A wide band-gap semiconductor similar to indium oxide; used in heterojunction solar cells or to make a transparent conductive film, called NESA glass when deposited on glass. |
| Ton Of Cooling | A useful cooling effect equal to 12,000 Btu hours. |
| Top-Of-Pole Mount | See POLE MOUNT. |
| Total AC Load Demand | The sum of the AC loads; its value is important to select the correct Inverter. |
| Total Harmonic Distortion | The measure of closeness in shape between a waveform and it’s fundamental component. |
| Total Internal Reflection | The trapping of light by refraction and reflection at critical angles inside a semiconductor device so that it cannot escape the device and must be eventually absorbed by the semiconductor. |
| Tracker | A mounting rack for a PV array that automatically tilts to follow the daily path of the sun through the sky. A “tracking array” will produce more energy through the course of the day than a “fixed array” (nontracking), particularly during the long days of summer. Some trackers are single-axis while others are dual-axis. |
| Tracking Array | A photovoltaic (PV) array that follows the path of the sun to maximize the solar radiation incident on the PV surface. The two most common orientations are (1) one axis where the array tracks the sun east to west and (2) two-axis tracking where the array points directly at the sun at all times. Tracking arrays use both the direct and diffuse sunlight. Two-axis tracking arrays capture the maximum possible daily energy. |
| Trade Wind | The consistent system of prevailing winds occupying most of the tropics. They constitute the major component of the general circulation of the atmosphere. Trade winds blow northeasterly in the Northern Hemisphere and southeasterly in the Southern Hemisphere. The trades, as they are sometimes called, are the most persistent wind system on earth. |
| Trading Day | The 24-hour period beginning at midnight and ending at the following midnight. |
| Trailing Edge | The blade edge that faces away from the direction of rotation. |
| Transfer (Electric Utility) | To move electric energy from one utility system to another over transmission lines. |
| Transformer | A device that raises or lowers the voltage or force of AC electricity. |
| Transistor | A semiconductor device that is used as a switch in a circuit. |
| Transition Costs | See Embedded Costs Exceeding Market Prices. |
| Transmission | Transporting bulk power over long distances. |
| Transmission Lines | The wires for getting high voltage electricity from one place to another. |
| Transmission Owner | An entity that owns transmission facilities or has firm contractual right to use transmission facilities. |
| Transmission-Dependent Utility | A utility that relies on its neighboring utilities to transmit to it the power it buys from its suppliers. A utility without its own generation sources, dependent on another utility’s transmission system to get its purchased power supplies. |
| Transmittance | The time rate of heat flow per unit area under steady conditions from the air (or other fluid) on the warm side of a barrier to the air (or fluid) on the cool side, per unit temperature difference between the two sides. |
| Transmitting Utility (Transco) | This is a regulated entity which owns, and may construct and maintain, wires used to transmit wholesale power. It may or may not handle the power dispatch and coordination functions. It is regulated to provide non-discriminatory connections,comparable service and cost recovery. According to EPAct, any electric utility, qualifying cogeneration facility, qualifying small power production facility, or Federal power marketing agency which owns or operates electric power transmission facilities which are used for the sale of electric energy at wholesale. (See also "Generation Dispatch & Control" and "PowerPool.") |
| Transpired Solar Collectors | use solar energy to preheat ventilation air. |
| Trash Rack | A large strainer at the input to a hydro system. Used to remove debris from the water before it enters the pipe. |
| Tray Cable (Tc) | may be used for interconnecting balance-of-systems. |
| Trickle Charge | A charge at a low rate, balancing through self-discharge losses, to maintain a cell or battery in a fully charged condition. |
| Tsr | Tip Speed Ratio. The ratio of how much faster the blade tips are moving compared to the speed of the wind. |
| Tunneling | Quantum mechanical concept whereby an electron is found on the opposite side of an insulating barrier without having passed through or around the barrier. |
| Turbine | a machine with blades that are rotated by the forceful movement of liquid or gas, such as air, steam or water or a combination. |
| Turbine Generator | A device that uses steam, heated gases, water flow or wind to cause spinning motion that activates electromagnetic forces and generates electricity. |
| Turbine-Generator | A machine in which the energy of a moving fluid, such as water or steam, is converted to mechanical power that drives an electric generator. |
| Turbulence | A swirling motion of the atmosphere that interrupts the flow of wind. |
| Turbulent | Violently agitated or disturbed. |
| Turgo | In hydroelectric systems, a type of impact hydro runner optimized for lower heads and higher volumes than a Pelton runner. |
| Two-Axis Tracking | A photovoltaic array tracking system capable of rotating independently about two axes (e.g., vertical and horizontal). |
| Typhoon | The name for a hurricane that occurs in the Pacific Ocean, west of the International Dateline (180 degrees longitude). |
Links to Renewable (Alternative) Statistic & Data
| Acid Rain: Emissions from Energy Consumption for Electricity Production and Useful Thermal Output at Combined-Heat-and-Power Plants, 1992 through 2003 |
| Air Conditioning Trends 1978-97: Trends in Residential Air-Conditioning Usage from 1978 to 1997 |
| Air Pollution Abatement Equipment: Number and Capacity of Fossil-Fueled Steam-Electric Generators with Environmental Equipment, 1992 through 2003 / (added 09/2005) |
| Alcohol Fuels: Energy Consumption by Source, 1949-2003 |
| Annual Energy Review: Annual Energy Review – long-term historical statistics all in one place |
| Anthracite Production: Coal Production and Number of Mines by State and Coal Rank, 2003 |
| Appliance Reports: new link — Appliance Reports are brief statistical reports in which long-term U.S. trends in market share of air-conditioning units and about two-dozen appliances are compared with trends in each U.S. Census Division. The Appliance Reports are the only source of long-term regional data on appliance market share. |
| Appliances And Types Of Main Heating Fuel: Households With Selected Appliances and Types of Main Heating Fuel, Selected Years, 1978-2001 |
| Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Oil Reserves: Analysis of Oil and Gas Production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge / (added 09/2005) |
| Arctic National Wildlife Refuge : (map) / (added 09/2005) |
| Average Open Market Sales Price Of Coal-By Mine Type : Average Open Market Sales Price of Coal by State and Mine Type, 2003, 2002 / (added 09/2005) |
| Average Open Market Sales Price Of Coal-By Mining Method : Average Open Market Sales Price of Coal by State and Underground Mining Method, 2003 |
| CIESIN: |
| Database On Wind Characteristics: |
| Energy Consumption: data for manufacturing, residential households and transportation, commercial buildings, alternative fuel, and energy efficiency. |
| Global Statistics: |
| International Data Base: |
| Measurement And Instrumentation Data Center (MIDC): |
| National Climatic Data Center Wind Speed Data: new link — Knowing where a high wind resource may exist is valuable to a wind energy project developer or potential wind energy user because it allows them to choose a general area of estimated high wind for more detailed examination. NREL identifies and gathers data for wind resource maps of the United States and foreign countries. These maps help developers or users find areas worthy of detailed wind resource monitoring. |
| NREL/MIDC Solar Position Calculators: |
| The Weather At Keele: new link — Real time data from Keele University’s Automatic Weather Station. Contains temperature, rainfall, solar energy, and satellite images. |
| United Nations Scholars Workstation: |
| US Energy Information Administration : Statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Energy provides policy independent data, forecasts, and analyses. |