A term used to describe short and long-term affects on the Earth's climate as a result of human activities such as fossil fuel combustion and vegetation clearing and burning.

Water heated for residential washing, bathing, etc.

The process of modifying a building's structure.

Energy derived from resources that are regenerative or for all practical purposes can not be depleted. Types of renewable energy resources include moving water (hydro, tidal and wave power), thermal gradients in ocean water, biomass, geothermal energy, so ...

A type of anaerobic digester that has a mechanical mixing system and where temperature and volume are controlled to maximize the anaerobic digestion process for biological waste treatment, methane production, and odor control.

A device used to maintain a specified humidity in a conditioned space.

The outer casing of a window that sits in a designated opening of a structure and holds the window panes in place.

The amount of fuel necessary to generate one kilowatt-hour of electricity.

An electrochemical device that converts chemical energy directly into electricity.

A measure of a fuel's (liquid) ease of self-ignition.

A self-contained toilet that use the process of aerobic decomposition (composting) to break down feces into humus and odorless gases.

A hydropower facility that stores water in a reservoir during high-inflow periods to augment water during low-inflow periods. Storage projects allow the flow releases and power production to be more flexible and dependable. Many hydropower project operati ...

The losses that result from inherent resistance in electrical conductors and transformation inefficiencies in distribution transformers in a transmission and distribution network.

Fuels formed in the ground from the remains of dead plants and animals. It takes millions of years to form fossil fuels. Oil, natural gas, and coal are fossil fuels.

An open-loop solar heating system in which the heat transfer fluid from the collector loop and the piping drain into a drain whenever freezing conditions occur.

The average amount of solar radiation that reaches the earth's upper atmosphere on a surface perpendicular to the sun's rays; equal to 1353 Watts per square meter or 492 Btu per square foot.

A type of heating system in which the heat transfer fluid circulates from the heating component to a heat exchanger that is immersed in a heat storage media, passing its heat to the storage media without physically contacting it.

A closed-loop solar heating system in which the heat transfer fluid in the collector loop drains into a tank or reservoir whenever the booster pump stops to protect the collector loop from freezing.

Electric power plant or utility capacity on line and running at low power in excess of actual load.

A device used to regulate motor speed, or, in a wind energy conversion system, to control the rotational speed of the rotor.