The load created by moisture in the air, including from outside air infiltration and that from indoor sources such as occupants, plants, cooking, showering, etc.

Energy available from the movement of the wind across a landscape caused by the heating of the atmosphere, earth, and oceans by the sun.

Materials left over from making nuclear energy. Radioactive waste can living organisms if it is not stored safely.

The ratio of a boiler's or gasifier's maximum output to its minimum output.

The pressure equivalent of the velocity of a fluid.

The angle at which a solar collector or module is set to face the sun relative to a horizontal position. The tilt angle can be set or adjusted to maximize seasonal or annual energy collection.

A unit of electricity consumption of one Watt over the period of one hour.

A type of solar heating system that circulate warm water from storage through the collectors and exposed piping whenever freezing conditions occur; obviously a not very efficient system when operating in this mode.

The complete cycle of stages (evaporation and condensation) of refrigeration or of the refrigerant.

Power generation equipment or system capacity to meet peak power demands.

These fluids can be either water or steam trapped in fractured or porous rocks; they are found from several hundred feet to several miles below the Earth's surface. The temperatures vary from about 90 F to 680 F (32 C to 360 C) but roughly 2/3 range in te ...

A study of the transformation of energy from one form to another, and its practical application. (see Law(s) of Thermodynamics above).

Wood, used for fuel, that has been air dried so that it contains 15 to 20 percent moisture content (wet basis).

A building element that shades windows, walls, and doors from direct solar radiation and protects these elements from precipitation.

The conversion of heat into electricity by the use of thermocouples.

A term generally applied to individual solar collectors, and typically to solar photovoltaic collectors or modules.

This law states that no device can completely and continuously transform all of the energy supplied to it into useful energy.

SMES technology uses the superconducting characteristics of low-temperature materials to produce intense magnetic fields to store energy. SMES has been proposed as a storage option to support large-scale use of photovoltaics and wind as a means to smooth ...

Air that is taken from the outdoors.

A solar thermal system that has one tank for storing solar heated water to preheat the water in a conventional water heater.