Energy terms starting with A

236 terms

  1. Atlatl A wood or bone shaft implement, held in one hand, and used to throw a spear. The tool functions as a lever, giving greater thrust and distance.
  2. Atmosphere The gaseous envelope surrounding the Earth, which consists almost entirely of nitrogen (78.1% volume mixing ratio) and oxygen (20.
  3. Atmospheric absorption Attenuation of sound during its passage through air, during which its sound energy is gradually converted into heat by a number of molecular processes in…
  4. Atmospheric Pressure The pressure of the air at sea level; one standard atmosphere at zero degrees centigrade is equal to 14.695 pounds per square inch (1.
  5. Atrium An interior court to which rooms open.
  6. Attainment An area considered to have air quality as good as or better than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for a given pollutant.
  7. Attainment area A geographic region where the concentration of a specific air pollutant does not exceed federal standards.
  8. Attenuation A mechanism for controlling gene expression in prokaryotes that involves premature termination of transcription.
  9. Attic The usually unfinished space above a ceiling and below a roof.
  10. Attic Fan A fan mounted on an attic wall used to exhaust warm attic air to the outside.
  11. Attic Vent A passive or mechanical device used to ventilate an attic space, primarily to reduce heat buildup and moisture condensation.
  12. Audit (Energy) The process of determining energy consumption, by various techniques, of a building or facility.
  13. Auger A rotating, screw-type device that moves material through a cylinder. In alcohol production, it is used to transfer grains from storage to the grinding…
  14. Augmentation Plan A court-approved plan that allows a junior water user to divert water out of priority so long as adequate replacement is made to the affected stream…
  15. Augmentation water Water used for the replacement of out of priority depletions.
  16. Autoignition Temperature The lowest temperature at which a flammable gas vapor will ignite spontaneously, without a source of ignition, after several minutes of exposure to…
  17. Automated mitigation procedure A procedure under which the bids of individual suppliers are capped under certain predetermined conditions.
  18. Automatic (or Remote) Meter Reading System A system that records the consumption of electricity, gas, water, etc, and sends the data to a central data accumulation device.
  19. Automatic Damper A device that cuts off the flow of hot or cold air to or from a room as controlled by a thermostat.
  20. Automatic generation control The automatic regulation of the power output of electric generators within a prescribed range in response to a change in system frequency, or tie-line…
  21. Auxiliary Energy or System Energy required to operate mechanical components of an energy system, or a source of energy or energy supply system to back-up another.
  22. Availability A reflection of the form and location of nutritional elements and their suitability for absorption.
  23. Available Heat The amount of heat energy that may be converted into useful energy from a fuel.
  24. Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) A measurement representing the total number of vehicles passing a given location, based upon 24-hour counts taken over an entire year.
  25. Average Cost The total cost of production divided by the total quantity produced.
  26. Average Demand The demand on, or the power output of, an electrical system or any of its parts over an interval of time, as determined by the total number of…
  27. Average megawatt (MWa, aMW) One megawatt of capacity produced continuously over a period of one year. 1 aMW = 1 MW x 8760 hours/year = 8,760 MWh = 8,760,000 kWh.
  28. Average Wind Speed (or Velocity) The mean wind speed over a specified period of time.
  29. Avoided Cost The incremental cost to an electric power producer to generate or purchase a unit of electricity or capacity or both.
  30. Avoided costs An investment guideline describing the value of a conservation or generation resource investment by the cost of more expensive resources that a utility…
  31. AWG The abbreviation for American Wire Gauge; the standard for gauging the size of wires (electrical conductors).
  32. Awning A metal frame clad with fabric attached over a window, door, porch opening or storefront to provide protection from the weather.
  33. Axial Fans Fans in which the direction of the flow of the air from inlet to outlet remains unchanged; includes propeller, tubaxial, and vaneaxial type fans.
  34. Axial Flow Compressor A type of air compressor in which air is compressed in a series of stages as it flows axially through a decreasing tubular area.
  35. Axial Flow Turbine A turbine in which the flow of a steam or gas is essentially parallel to the rotor axis.
  36. Azimuth (Solar) The angle between true south and the point on the horizon directly below the sun.