Energy terms starting with S

358 terms

saccharide A simple sugar or a more complex compound that can be hydrolyzed to simple sugar units.
saccharification A conversion process using acids, bases, or enzymes in which long-chain carbohydrates are broken down into their component fermentable sugars.
Sacred landscapes Natural places recognized by a cultural group as having spiritual or religious significance.
Sacred site Any specific, discrete, narrowly delineated location on federal land that is identified by an Indian tribe, or Indian individual determined to be an…
Sacrificial Anode A metal rod placed in a water heater tank to protect the tank from corrosion. Anodes of aluminum, magnesium, or zinc are the more frequently metals.
Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA) Act authorizing development of maximum contaminant levels for drinking water applicable to public water systems (i.e.
Safe harbor The ability of management to discuss in good faith a company's prospects and financial projections with analysts and investors without fearing litigation.
Safe yield The amount of groundwater that can be withdrawn from a groundwater basin over a period of time without exceeding the long-term recharge of the basin or…
Safety Disconnect An electronic (automatic or manual) switch that disconnects one circuit from another circuit.
Salinity A measure of the amount of salt and other mineral substances dissolved in water.
Salt flat Low-lying ground where salts collect in the soil because of the evaporation of standing water.
Salt Gradient Solar Ponds Consist of three main layers. The top layer is near ambient and has low salt content.
Salvage logging The harvest of dead, dying, damaged or weak trees after a forest fire to prevent the spread of disease or insects and to reduce the risk of high intensity…
Sand A rock or mineral fragment of any composition that has a diameter ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 mm. Sand has a gritty feel.
Sand boil A sand boil is sand and water that come out onto the ground surface during an earthquake as a result of liquefaction at shallow depth.
Sand dune An elongated mound (hill or ridge) of sand accumulated and sorted by the action of wind or water.
Sand dune obligate species Plant or animal species found only in sand dune habitats.
Sanitary waste Nonhazardous, nonradioactive liquid and solid waste generated by normal housekeeping activities.
Sanitary wastewater Wastewater (includes toilet, sink, shower, and kitchen flows) generated by normal housekeeping activities.
Saturated steam Steam at the temperature that corresponds to its boiling temperature at the same pressure.
Savanna A flat grassland of tropical and subtropical regions usually having distinct periods of dry and wet weather.
Sawlog A log meeting minimum commercial requirements of diameter, length, and defect. The usual commercial requirements are a minimum of 8´ long with an inside…
Sawtimber Live trees of commercial species containing at least one 12´ sawlog or two noncontiguous 8´ logs.
Scaled sale A type of timber sale contract that specifies measuring or scaling of the included timber after removal.
Scarify Loosening topsoil or breaking up the forest floor to improve conditions for seed germination or tree planting.
Scarp See Escarpment
Scenic integrity The degree of "intactness" of a landscape, which is related to the existing amount of visual disturbance present.
Scenic quality A measure of the intrinsic beauty of landform, water form, or vegetation in the landscape, as well as any visible human additions or alterations to the…
Scenic resources The visible physical features on a landscape (e.g., land, water, vegetation, animals, structures, and other features).
Scenic value The importance of a landscape based on human perception of the intrinsic beauty of landform, water form, and vegetation in the landscape, as well as any…
Schist A metamorphic rock formed from many types of rocks. Minerals in the rocks include micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, and garnets.
Scoping A first step in the NEPA process and in the river planning process. Scoping is a means of identifying issues and concerns, their significance, and the…
Scoria Congealed lava, usually of mafic composition and red or black in color, with a large number of vesicles formed by gases coming out of solution.
Scraper A stone tool that is modified for the specific task of scraping; for example, to scrape the meat from hides, to remove fat from the underside of a skin…
Scree Small, loose, rock debris covering a slope; a slope of loose rock debris at the base of a steep incline or cliff.
screen analysis Method for measuring a proportion of variously sized particles in solid fuels. The sample is passed through a series of screens of known size openings.
Scribing The cutting of a grid pattern of grooves in a semiconductor material, generally for the purpose of making interconnections.
Scrubber A device to clean combustible gas or stack gas by the spraying of water.
Scrubland An area of land that is uncultivated and covered with sparse stunted vegetation.
Sealed Combustion Heating System A heating system that uses only outside air for combustion and vents combustion gases directly to the outdoors.
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) A measure of seasonal or annual efficiency of a central air conditioner or air conditioning heat pump.
Seasonal Performance Factor (SPF) Ratio of useful energy output of a device to the energy input, averaged over an entire heating season.
Seasoned Wood Wood, used for fuel, that has been air dried so that it contains 15 to 20 percent moisture content (wet basis).
Second growth A second generation of timber of merchantable age.
Second Law Efficiency The ratio of the minimum amount of work or energy required to perform a task to the amount actually used.
Second Law of Thermodynamics This law states that no device can completely and continuously transform all of the energy supplied to it into useful energy.
Secondary containment A safeguarding method for the prevention of unauthorized releases of toxic or hazardous gases into uncontrolled work areas.
Secondary succession The progression of plant communities following disturbances such as fire, windthrow and timber harvesting. See Succession.
Sedentism A term used to describe the process of settling down to live in groups for periods of time.
Sedge A grasslike plant with a triangular stem often growing in wet areas.
Sedimentary rock Rock formed at or near the Earth's surface from the consolidation of loose sediment that has accumulated in layers through deposition by water, wind, or…
Sedimentation A process in which material carried in suspension by water flows into streams and rivers, increasing turbidity and eventually settling to the bottom.
Seebeck Effect The generation of an electric current, when two conductors of different metals are joined at their ends to form a circuit, with the two junctions kept at…
Seepage The act or process involving the slow movement of water or other fluid through a porous material such as soil or rock.
Seeps Wet areas, normally not flowing, arising from an underground water source. Any place where liquid has oozed from the ground to the surface.
Seismic Pertaining to any earth vibration, especially that of an earthquake.
Seismic swarm See Swarm
Seismicity Refers to the geographic and historical distribution of earthquakes.
Selectable Load Any device, such as lights, televisions, and power tools, which is plugged into your central power source and used only intermittently.
Selection cutting The periodic removal at short intervals of the oldest and largest trees in the stand, individually or in small groups.
Selective Absorber A solar absorber surface that has high absorbence at wavelengths corresponding to that of the solar spectrum and low emittance in the infrared range.
Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a means of converting nitrogen oxides (NOx) into nitrogen (N2) and water (H20).
Selective Surface Coating A material with high absorbence and low emittance properties applied to or on solar absorber surfaces.
Semi-arid Moderately dry region or climate where moisture is normally greater than under arid conditions but still definitely limits the production of vegetation.
Semiconductor Any material that has a limited capacity for conducting an electric current. Certain semiconductors, including silicon, gallium arsenide, copper indium…
Sending District An overlay zoning district established by the Town Meeting/Town Council upon recommendation from the Planning Board as an area in which use or development…
Sendout (Natural Gas) Volume of natural gas that is re-gasified and delivered into the downstream natural gas grid from an LNG terminal.
Senior water rights Water rights that have been established first (measured by the date of appropriation) to the limit of their respective right, frequently to the exclusion…
Sensible Cooling Effect The difference between the total cooling effect and the dehumidifying effect.
Sensible Cooling Load The interior heat gain due to heat conduction, convection, and radiation from the exterior into the interior, and from occupants and appliances.
Sensible Heat The heat absorbed or released when a substance undergoes a change in temperature.
Sensible Heat Storage A heat storage system that uses a heat storage medium, and where the additional or removal of heat results in a change in temperature.
Sensitive species See Threatened, endangered, and sensitive species.
Sensitivity level (analysis) Measures (e.g., high, medium, and low) of public concern for the maintenance of scenic quality.
Seral stages The series of relatively transitory plant communities that develop during ecological succession from bare ground to the climax stage.
series A configuration of an electrical circuit in which the positive lead is connected to the negative lead of another energy producing, conducting, or…
Series Connection A way of joining photovoltaic cells by connecting positive leads to negative leads; such a configuration increases the voltage.
Series Resistance Parasitic resistance to current flow in a cell due to mechanisms such as resistance from the bulk of the semiconductor material, metallic contacts, and…
Setback Thermostat A thermostat that can be set to automatically lower temperatures in an unoccupied house and raise them again before the occupant returns.
Sewage The waste water from domestic, commercial and industrial sources carried by sewers.
Shading Coefficient A measure of window glazing performance that is the ratio of the total solar heat gain through a specific window to the total solar heat gain through a…
Shadow zone The region where direct sound does not penetrate because of upward diffraction due to vertical temperature and/or wind gradients.
Shaft horsepower A measure of the actual mechanical energy per unit time delivered to a turning shaft. 1 shaft horsepower = 1 electric horsepower = 550 ft-lb/second.
Shale (outcrop) A fine-grained sedimentary rock characterized by parallel layering.
Shear strength Internal resistance to stress (or movement) that comes from friction and cohesion of the sediment.
Sheathing A construction element used to cover the exterior of wall framing and roof trusses.
Sherds Broken pieces of earthenware/pottery.
Short Circuit An electric current taking a shorter or different path than intended.
Short Circuit Current The current flowing freely through an external circuit that has no load or resistance; the maximum current possible.
Short position If you sell stock short and have not yet repurchased shares to replace the ones you borrowed, you are said to have a short position in that stock.
Short rotation energy plantation Plantings established and managed under short-rotation intensive culture practices.
Short rotation intensive culture Intensive management and harvesting at 2 to 10 year intervals of cycles of specially selected fast- growing hardwood species for the purpose of producing…
Short Ton 2000 pounds. A ton, as commonly used in the U.S. and Canada.
Shrink-swell potential The extent to which soil shrinks or swells with changes in soil moisture content.
Shrub A plant with persistent woody stems and relatively low growth form; usually produces several basal shoots as opposed to a single bole; differs from a tree…
Shrub-steppe Habitat primarily composed of various shrubs and grasses.
Shrubsteppe obligate A species that is dependent on shrubsteppe habitats to provide food and/or habitat necessary for its survival.
Shunt Load An electrical load used to safely use excess generated power when not needed for its primary uses.
Shutter An interior or exterior movable panel that operates on hinges or slides into place, used to protect windows or provide privacy.
Siding A construction element applied to the outermost surface of an exterior wall.