Energy terms starting with T

142 terms

Tailpipe Emissions Emissions produced through fuel combustion during a vehicle's operation.
Take Under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, it means to pursue, shoot, shoot at, poison, wound, kill, capture, trap, collect, destroy, molest, or…
Taking A taking occurs when a government action violates the 5th Amendment property rights of a landowner by taking a piece of property without offering fair…
Tallow Animal fat that can be used to produce biodiesel.
Talus Rock debris accumulated at the base of the cliff or slope from which they have broken off.
Tankless Water Heater A water heater that heats water before it is directly distributed for end use as required; a demand water heater.
TAR A liquid product of thermal processing of carbonaceous materials.
Task Lighting Any light source designed specifically to direct light a task or work performed by a person or machine.
Tax Increment Financing A program designed to leverage private investment for economic development projects in a manner that enhances the benefits accrued to the public interest.
Taxonomy The science of categorization, or classification, of things based on a predetermined system.
Technical Response Service For assistance with technical questions about alternative fuels and advanced vehicles, email the Technical Response Service at technicalresponse@icfi.
Tectonic Refers to the rock-deforming processes and resulting structures that occur over large sections of the lithosphere.
Temperature Coefficient (of a solar photovoltaic cell) The amount that the voltage, current, and/or power output of a solar cell changes due to a change in the cell temperature.
Temperature Humidity Index An index that combines sensible temperature and air humidity to arrive at a number that closely responds to the effective temperature; used to relate…
Temperature Zones Individual rooms or zones in a building where temperature is controlled separately from other rooms or zones.
Temperature/Pressure Relief Valve A component of a water heating system that opens at a designated temperature or pressure to prevent a possible tank, radiator, or delivery pipe rupture.
Tempering Valve A valve used to mix heated water with cold in a heating system to provide a desired water temperature for end use.
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) A federal agency established in 1933 to develop the Tennessee river valley region of the southeastern U.S.
Tephra A general term for fragments of volcanic rock and lava, regardless of size, that are blasted into the air by explosions or carried upward by hot gases in…
Termite Shield A construction element that inhibits termites from entering building foundations and walls.
Terrace A step-like surface, bordering a valley floor or shoreline, that represents the former position of a floodplain, lake, or sea shore.
Terrain Topographic layout and features of a tract of land or ground.
Terrestrial Things of the land.
Tertiary period The earliest period of the Cenozoic era, beginning about 65 million years ago and ending 2.6 million years ago.
Tertiary volcanics (Tv) Volcanic rocks deposited during the Tertiary period (between 2.8 and 65 million years ago).
Texture The visual manifestations of light and shadow created by the variations in the surface of an object or landscape.
Texture contrasts Visual contrasts between different objects or landscapes resulting from different visual manifestations of the interplay of light and shadow created by…
Therm A unit of heat containing 100,000 British thermal units (Btu).
Thermal Balance Point The point or outdoor temperature where the heating capacity of a heat pump matches the heating requirements of a building.
Thermal Capacitance The ability of a material to absorb and store heat for use later.
Thermal cover Vegetative condition, generally with greater than 70% canopy closure and 40 feet in height, that can significantly ameliorate weather effects such as…
Thermal Efficiency A measure of the efficiency of converting a fuel to energy and useful work; useful work and energy output divided by higher heating value of input fuel…
Thermal Energy The energy developed through the use of heat energy.
Thermal Energy Storage The storage of heat energy during power provider off-peak times at night, for use during the next day without incurring daytime peak electric rates.
Thermal Envelope Houses An architectural design (also known as the double envelope house), sometimes called a "house-within-a-house," that employs a double envelope with a…
Thermal inertia The amount of heat energy that must be present in, preserved, or added to a system (in this case, a CSP facility) before it can function as designed.
Thermal Mass Materials that store heat.
Thermal Resistance (R-Value) This designates the resistance of a material to heat conduction. The greater the R-value the larger the number.
Thermal resource A facility that produces electricity by using a heat engine to power an electric generator.
Thermal Storage Walls (Masonry or Water) A thermal storage wall is a south-facing wall that is glazed on the outside. Solar heat strikes the glazing and is absorbed into the wall, which conducts…
Thermal water A water body (usually a spring or its outflow) that is produced by geothermally heated groundwater.
Thermochemical Heat and pressure-based chemical reactions that produce energy. Through gasification (heating biomass by partial oxidation to produce synthesis gas) and…
thermochemical conversion The use of heat to change substances chemically to produce energy products.
Thermochemical conversion process Chemical reactions employing heat to produce fuels.
Thermocouple A device consisting of two dissimilar conductors with their ends connected together.
Thermodynamic Cycle An idealized process in which a working fluid (water, air, ammonia, etc) successively changes its state (from a liquid to a gas and back to a liquid) for…
Thermodynamics A study of the transformation of energy from one form to another, and its practical application. (see Law(s) of Thermodynamics above).
Thermoelectric (power) water use Water used in generating electricity with steam-driven turbine generators. Power plants that burn coal and oil are examples of thermoelectric-power…
Thermoelectric Conversion The conversion of heat into electricity by the use of thermocouples.
Thermography (ther-MAH-gruh-fee) In medicine, a procedure in which a heat-sensing infrared camera is used to record the surface heat produced by different parts of the…
Thermophotovoltaic Cell A device where sunlight concentrated onto a absorber heats it to a high temperature, and the thermal radiation emitted by the absorber is used as the…
Thermopile A large number of thermocouples connected in series.
Thermosiphon The natural, convective movement of air or water due to differences in temperature.
Thermosiphon System This passive solar hot water system consists relies on warm water rising, a phenomenon known as natural convection, to circulate water through the…
Thermostat A device used to control temperatures; used to control the operation of heating and cooling devices by turning the device on or off when a specified…
Thin film A layer of semiconductor material, such as copper indium diselenide or gallium arsenide, a few microns or less in thickness, used to make solar…
Thorn forest A type of forest formation, mostly tropical and subtropical, intermediate between desert and steppe, dominated by small trees and shrubs.
Threatened species Any species that is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Threatened, endangered and sensitive species (TE&S) Formal classifications of species. Sensitive: Species for which population viability is a concern.
Three-phase Current Alternating current in which three separate pulses are present, identical in frequency and voltage, but separated 120 degrees in phase.
Tidal Power The power available from the rise and fall of ocean tides. A tidal power plant works on the principal of a dam or barrage that captures water in a basin…
Tilt Angle (of a Solar Collector or Module) The angle at which a solar collector or module is set to face the sun relative to a horizontal position.
Timber stand improvement Intermediate pruning, weeding, and thinning of a stand of timber prior to its reaching mature rotation age to improve growing conditions and control stand…
Timberland Forest land capable of producing 20 cubic feet of wood per acre per year.
Time-of-Use (TOU) Rates The pricing of electricity based on the estimated cost of electricity during a particular time block.
Time-of-use pricing A rate design imposing higher charges to customers during periods of the day when higher demand is experienced.
Timer A device that can be set to automatically turn appliances (lights) off and on at set times.
Timer (Water Heater) This device can automatically turn the heater off at night and on in the morning.
Tip Speed Ratio In reference to a wind energy conversion device's blades, the difference between the rotational speed of the tip of the blade and the actual velocity of…
Tipping fee A fee for disposal of waste.
Tolling agreement An agreement whereby a party moves fuel to a power generator and receives kilowatt hours (kWh) in return for pre-established fees.
Ton (of Air Conditioning) A unit of air cooling capacity; 12,000 Btu per hour.
Topography The shape of the Earth's surface; the relative position and elevations of natural and human-made features of an area.
Topping and back pressure turbines Turbines which operate at exhaust pressure considerably higher than atmospheric (noncondensing turbines).
Topping cycle A means to increase the thermal efficiency of a steam electric generating system by increasing temperatures and interposing a device, such as a gas…
Torque (Motor) The turning or twisting force generated by an electrical motor in order for it to operate.
Total dissolved solids (TDS) The dry weight of dissolved material, organic and inorganic, contained in water. The term is used to reflect salinity.
Total Harmonic Distortion The measure of closeness in shape between a waveform and it's fundamental component.
Total Heat The sum of the sensible and latent heat in a substance or fluid above a base point, usually 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Total Incident Radiation The total radiation incident on a specific surface area over a time interval.
Total Internal Reflection The trapping of light by refraction and reflection at critical angles inside a semiconductor device so that it cannot escape the device and must be…
total lignin The sum of the acid soluble lignin and acid insoluble lignin fractions.
total solids The amount of solids remaining after all volatile matter has been removed from a biomass sample by heating at 105°C to constant weight.
Total suspended particulates (TSP) The quantity of solid particles in a gas or exhaust stream. Any finely divided material (solid or liquid) that is airborne with a diameter smaller than a…
Toxic air pollutant (TAP) See Hazardous air pollutants
Toxic substances A chemical or mixture of chemicals that presents a high risk of injury to human health or to the environment.
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), passed in 1976, requires tests of chemicals that may harm human health or the environment; reviews of new…
toxicity (tok-SIH-sih-tee) The extent to which something is poisonous or harmful.
toxics As defined in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, toxics include benzene, 1,3 butadiene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and polycyclic organic matter.
Tracking array A PV panel array that follows the path of the sun to maximize the solar radiation incident on the PV surface.
Tracking Solar Array A solar energy array that follows the path of the sun to maximize the solar radiation incident on the PV surface.
Traditional cultural property A property that is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places because of its association with cultural practices or beliefs of a…
Traditional Neighborhoods Traditional neighborhood development emphasizes two broad goals: to reduce the destruction of habitat and natural resources, and to reduce dependency on…
Trailing Edge The part of a wind energy conversion device blade, or airfoil, that is the last to contact the wind.
Transaction costs Costs, such as commissions and spreads, incurred when buying or selling assets. Large bid-ask spreads are an indication of high transaction costs.
transesterification A chemical process which reacts an alcohol with the triglycerides contained in vegetable oils and animal fats to produce biodiesel and glycerin.
Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) A system that assigns development rights to parcels of land and gives landowners the option of using those rights to develop or to sell their land.
Transform fault See Fault, transform
Transformer An electromagnetic device that changes the voltage of alternating current electricity.
Transit Nodes Stops along a public transportation route where people board and disembark, often where one or more routes intersect with each other.