The process of converting municipal solid waste to energy and/or recovering materials for recycling.

Ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH)

A utility owned by stockholders or other investors; sometimes referred to as a private utility, in contrast to a public utility that is owned by a government agency or cooperative.

A building with more than 50 percent of its floorspace used for commercial activities, which include stores, offices, schools, churches, libraries, museums, health care facilities, warehouses, and government buildings except those on military bases.

The component of a solar energy heating system that collects solar radiation, and that contains components to absorb solar radiation and transfer the heat to a heat transfer fluid (air or liquid).

A type of house that has massive amounts of insulation, airtight construction, and controlled ventilation without sacrificing comfort, health, or aesthetics.

An unregulated subsidiary of an electric utility that is allowed to generate and sell wholesale power as an independent energy producer, and is exempt from the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935.

This type of heat pump is known as an air-to air system.

A type of inverter that produces square wave output.; consists of a DC source, four switches, and the load. The switches are power semiconductors that can carry a large current and withstand a high voltage rating. The switches are turned on and off at a c ...

A device or material with a high resistance to electricity flow.

The unoccupied, and usually unfinished and unconditioned space between the floor, foundation walls, and the slab or ground of a building.

Air that is returned to a heating or cooling appliance from a heated or cooled space.

The local climate of specific place or habitat, as influenced by landscape features.

The highest wind speed at which a wind turbine stops producing power.

An electronic device that allows current to flow in one direction only.

A type of lamp that produces light from sodium gas contained in a bulb operating at a partial pressure of 0.13 to 1.3 Pascal. The yellow light and large size make them applicable to lighting streets and parking lots.

A component of a heat pump that reverses the refrigerant's direction of flow, allowing the heat pump to switch from cooling to heating or heating to cooling.

A gasifier in which the feedstock (fuel) is suspended by the movement of gas to move it through the gasifier.

Solar Two is a retrofit of the Solar One project (see above). It is demonstrating the technical feasibility and power potential of a solar power tower using advanced molten-salt technology to store energy. Solar Two retains several of the main components ...

A battery that uses lithium in the negative electrode and a metal sulfide in the positive electrode, and the electrolyte is molten salt; can store large amounts of energy per unit weight.