A building design that uses structural elements of a building to heat and cool a building, without the use of mechanical equipment, which requires careful consideration of the local climate and solar energy resource, building orientation, and landscape fe ...

The structural elements (walls, roof, floor, foundation) of a building that encloses conditioned space; the building shell.

Alternating current is carried by conductors and a ground to residential, commercial, or industrial consumers. The waveform of the phase power appears as a single continuous sine wave at the system frequency whose amplitude is the rated voltage of the pow ...

The ratio of the radiant energy (heat) leaving (being emitted by) a surface to that of a black body at the same temperature and with the same area; expressed as a number between 0 and 1.

The maximum instantaneous wind speed (or velocity) that occurs within a specific period of time or interval.

A solar energy conversion device that uses a trough covered with a highly reflective surface to focus sunlight onto a linear absorber containing a working fluid that can be used for medium temperature space or process heat or to operate a steam turbine fo ...

A wood or gas burning heating appliance that fits into the opening or protrudes on to the hearth of a conventional fireplace.

A type of window glass that contains special tints that cause the window to absorb as much as 45% of incoming solar energy, to reduce heat gain in an interior space. Part of the absorbed heat will continue to be passed through the window by conduction and ...

A company or individual that is not directly regulated as a utility. These entities produce power for their own use and/or sell it to regulated utilities.

This is an independent regulatory agency within the U.S. DOE that has jurisdiction over interstate electricity sales, wholesale electric rates, natural gas pricing, oil pipeline rates, and gas pipeline certification. It also licenses and inspects private, ...

The alignment of a building along a given axis to face a specific geographical direction. The alignment of a solar collector, in number of degrees east or west of true south.

A hydropower plant that is operated at maximum allowable capacity for part of the day and is either shut down for the remainder of the time or operated at minimal capacity level.

A refined petroleum product suitable for use as a fuel in internal combustion engines.

A motor in which a three phase (or any multiphase) alternating current (i.e. the working current) is supplied to iron-cored coils (or windings) within the stator. As a result, a rotating magnetic field is set up, which induces a magnetizing current in the ...

A heating system where heat is supplied (radiated) into a room by means of heated surfaces, such as electric resistance elements, hot water (hydronic) radiators, etc.

The wheeling of electric power in amounts and at prices that generally have been negotiated in longterm contracts between the generator and a distributor or very large consumer of power.

An electrochemical battery that uses lead and lead oxide for electrodes and sulfuric acid for the electrolyte.

A furnace/combustion chamber in which finely ground fuel is blown in spirals in the combustion chamber to maximize combustion efficiency.

A unit of pressure for a fluid, commonly used in water pumping and hydropower to express height a pump must lift water, or the distance water falls. Total head accounts for friction head losses, etc.

A description of how well people in a lighted space can see to do visual tasks and how visually comfortable they feel in that space.