Energy terms starting with F

183 terms

Facultative ponds Ponds having an aerobic zone on the top and an anaerobic zone on the bottom.
Facultative wetland vegetation species A species that can occur both in wetlands and uplands.
Fair Market Value Fair market value is the price you would have to pay to buy a particular asset or service on the open market.
Fall Line Direction that water flows down a hill.
Fan An electrically or mechanically driven device that is used to pull air through the radiator or oil cooler.
Fan apron A sloping alluvial fan surface made of sediment deposited by streams at the mouth of a canyon between a mountain and the adjacent alluvial valley floor.
Fan Coil A heat exchanger coil in which a fluid such as water is circulated and a fan blows air over the coil to distribute heat or cool air to the different rooms.
Fan piedmont A sloping alluvial fan surface made of sediment deposited by streams at the mouth of a canyon between a mountain and the adjacent alluvial valley floor.
Fan remnant An erosional remnant (or fossil) of a once active and more extensive alluvial fan.
Fan terrace See Alluvial fan terrace
Fan Velocity Pressure The pressure corresponding to the outlet velocity of a fan; the kinetic energy per unit volume of flowing air.
Farad A unit of electrical capacitance; the capacitance of a capacitor between the plates of which there appears a difference of 1 Volt when it is charged by…
Fast pyrolysis Thermal conversion of biomass by rapid heating to between 450ø to 600øC in the absence of oxygen.
Fast-track Projects on public land for which the environmental review and public participation process is underway and the application could be approved by December…
fatty acid A major component of fats that is used by the body for energy and tissue development.
Fault "Fault" means adultery, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, abandonment or reckless spending.
Fault block A rock mass that is bounded by normal faults. Fault blocks on either side of the fault are elevated or depressed, relative to each other.
Fault plane The plane that best approximates the fracture surface of a fault.
Fault trace The expression of a fault on the ground surface.
Fault, left-lateral A strike-slip fault on which displacement of the block opposite the observer is to the left. See also Strike-slip fault
Fault, normal A fault occurring usually as a result of extensional forces, such as when a hanging wall drops down relative to the footwall forming a graben or half…
Fault, potentially active Generally denotes that a fault has shown evidence of surface displacement during Quaternary time.
Fault, right-lateral A strike-slip fault on which displacement of the block opposite the observer is to the right. See also Strike-slip fault
Fault, transform A strike-slip fault forming the boundary between tectonic plates (e.g., the San Andreas Fault system is a transform fault zone that marks the boundary…
Fault, zoned Under the Alquist-Priolo Act, zoned faults include those that are "sufficiently active," showing evidence of surface displacement within the past 11,000…
Fauna The community of animals in a specific region or habitat.
Feather In a wind energy conversion system, to pitch the turbine blades so as to reduce their lift capacity as a method of shutting down the turbine during high…
Feature A large, complex artifact, or part of a site, such as a hearth, cairn, housepit, rock alignment, or activity area.
Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Office An office in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that implements energy legislation and presidential directives.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) This is an independent regulatory agency within the U.S. DOE that has jurisdiction over interstate electricity sales, wholesale electric rates, natural…
Federal land Land owned by the United States, without reference to how the land was acquired or which Federal agency administers the land, including mineral and coal…
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) Act requiring the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations to manage public lands and the property located on those lands for the long term.
Federal Power Marketing Administrations (PMA) These are separate and distinct organizational agencies within the U.S. DOE that market power at federal multipurpose water projects at lowest possible…
Federal Register A daily publication which contains federal administrative rules and regulations.
Federal Tax Incentives The federal government offers financial and tax incentives to individuals and business that install renewable energy systems at their homes or offices.
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (CWA) A federal regulatory law administered by the states. The act created the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System.
Feeder A power line for supplying electricity within a specified area.
Feedstock A raw material that can be converted to one or more products.
Feedstocks Any material converted to another form of fuel or energy product. An example is using cornstarch to produce ethanol.
Fell To cut down a tree. Cutting down trees and sawing them to manageable lengths is referred to as "felling and bucking" or "falling and bucking."
Feller-buncher A self-propelled machine that cuts trees with giant shears near ground level and then stacks the trees into piles to await skidding.
Fenestration The arrangement, proportioning and design of windows in a building.
Fermentation The anaerobic breakdown of complex organic substances, especially carbohydrates, by micro-organisms, yielding energy.
Fiberglass Insulation A type of insulation, composed of small diameter pink, yellow, or white glass fibers, formed into blankets or batts, or used in loose-fill and blown-in…
Filament A prominence viewed against the solar disk. Also solar irradiance, solar filament.
Fill Man-made deposits of soil and rock and/or waste material.
Fill Factor The ratio of a photovoltaic cell's actual power to its power if both current and voltage were at their maxima.
Filter (air) A device that removes contaminants, by mechanical filtration, from the fresh air stream before the air enters the living space.
Fin A thin sheet of material (metal) of a heat exchanger that conducts heat to a fluid.
Financial liquidity An entity’s ability to obtain funds to meet its cash flow obligations, with consideration for the speed with which such funds can be obtained.
Financial markets Markets where financially settled products (instruments) are traded (bought and sold).
Financial transaction A transaction that involves only the exchange of money, with no physical delivery.
Financial transmission right A contract that entitles the holder to receive or pay compensation for transmission charges that arise when grid congestions cases price differences due…
Financially settled Consummated exclusively by an exchange of funds, without the potential of exchange – or actual exchange – of commodities or other things of value.
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) A document describing the reasons why the impacts of a proposed federal action are not significant.
Fine The monetary penalty assessed against a defendant.
Finish The visual characteristics including color, texture and reflectivity of all exterior materials.
Fire Classification Classifications of fires developed by the National Fire Protection Association.
Fire emissions Emissions caused by wildfires, prescribed fires, agricultural fires, and structural fires.
Fire-cracked rock Burned rocks, typically fractured during intense heating in a fire hearth or remnants of rocks associated with cooking.
Fire-Rating The ability of a building construction assembly (partition, wall, floor, etc.) to resist the passage of fire. The rating is expressed in hours.
Fire-tolerant species Species of plants that can withstand certain frequency and intensity of fire.
Fireplace A wood or gas burning appliance that is primarily used to provide ambiance to a room.
Fireplace Insert A wood or gas burning heating appliance that fits into the opening or protrudes on to the hearth of a conventional fireplace.
Firewall A set of related programs that protect the resources of a private network from users from other networks.
Firing Rate The amount of BTUs/hour or kWs produced by a heating system from the burning of a fuel.
Firm power (firm energy) Power which is guaranteed by the supplier to be available at all times during a period covered by a commitment.
Firm transportation Energy network service assuring market participants of a specified quality and quantity of service under normal operating conditions.
First Contingency Reliability Criteria The requirement that an electric system be planned and operated so that it can safely withstand the loss of the largest single system element (i.e.
First in time, first in right See Prior Appropriation Doctrine
First Law of Thermodynamics States that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only changed from one form to another.
Fiscal Impact Analysis The analysis of the estimated taxes that a development project would generate in comparison to the cost of providing municipal services demanded by that…
Fiscal Year (FY) The U.S. Government's 12-month financial year, from October to September, of the following calender year; e.g.: FY 1998 extends from Oct. 1, 1997 to Sept.
Fischer-Tropsch Fuels Liquid hydrocarbon fuels produced by a process that combines carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
Fissure, earth or ground Surface fractures resulting from subsidence, often due to the withdrawal of groundwater and compaction of an aquifer.
fixed bed A bed of closely spaced particles through which gases move up or down for purposes of gasification or combustion.
fixed carbon The carbon remaining after heating in a prescribed manner to decompose thermally unstable components and to distill volatiles.
Fixed price transactions Buying or selling a commodity at a fixed price. For example, fixed physical gas prices are used to form indices at some locations; and fixed basis prices…
Flake A thin, flattened piece or chip of stone, intentionally removed from the core rock by chipping with either a stone or bone hammer.
Flame Spread Classification A measure of the surface burning characteristics of a material.
Flame Spread Rating A measure of the relative flame spread, and smoke development, from a material being tested.
Flash Flood A sudden flood event through a valley, canyon, or wash, following a short duration, high-intensity rainfall.
Flash Point The minimum temperature at which a liquid gives off vapor within a test vessel in sufficient concentration to form an ignitable mixture with air near the…
Flash-Steam Geothermal Plants When the temperature of the hydrothermal liquids is over 350 F (177 C), flash-steam technology is generally employed.
Flashing Strips of sheet metal bent to fit the angle between any two roof surfaces or between the roof and any projection, such as a chimney.
Flashpoint The minimum temperature at which sufficient vapor is released by a liquid or solid (fuel) to form a flammable vapor-air mixture at atmospheric pressure.
Flat Plate Solar Photovoltaic Module An arrangement of photovoltaic cells or material mounted on a rigid flat surface with the cells exposed freely to incoming sunlight.
Flat Plate Solar Thermal/Heating Collectors Large, flat boxes with glass covers and dark-colored metal plates inside that absorb and transfer solar energy to a heat transfer fluid.
Flat Roof A slightly sloped roof, usually with a tar and gravel cover. Most commercial buildings use this kind of roof.
Flat-Black Paint Nonglossy paint with a relatively high absorptance.
Flat-plate PV A type of photovoltaic solar energy technology that uses a flat plate onto which are installed solar cells.
Flat-plate reflector (heliostat) One of many components of a CSP power tower facility consisting of a large nearly-flat mirror, mounted on a support structure that tracks the sun's…
Flats Level or nearly level areas of land marked by little or no relief.
Flats wetland A level landform composed of unconsolidated sediments, usually mud or sand. Flats are unvegetated or support sparse plant communities, often composed of…
Flexible-fuel vehicle A vehicle with a single fuel tank designed to run on varying blends of unleaded gasoline with either ethanol or methanol.
Float-Zone Process In reference to solar photovoltaic cell manufacture, a method of growing a large-size, high-quality crystal whereby coils heat a polycrystalline ingot…
Floating price transactions Buying or selling a commodity at a price that is not fixed and will be set by mutual agreement, usually based a published price index.
Floating Storage Use of LNG tanker ships for LNG storage, rather than simply for transportation, to take advantage of temporal and geographic LNG price differences.
Flood Hazard Area Total stream and adjacent area periodically covered by overflow from the stream channel containing 1) the floodway which is the channel itself and…
Flood irrigation Water is pumped or brought to the fields and is allowed to flow along the ground among the crops.