Energy terms starting with W

81 terms

Wafer A thin sheet of semiconductor (photovoltaic material) made by cutting it from a single crystal or ingot.
Wake effect Enhanced plume dispersion due to mechanical turbulence and zones of turbulent eddies, primarily downwind of a building, which results in increased…
Wall A vertical structural element that holds up a roof, encloses part or all of a room, or stands by itself to hold back soil.
Wall Orientation The geographical direction that the primary or largest exterior wall of a building faces.
Wash A normally dry stream bed that occasionally fills with water.
Waste management Procedures, physical attributes, and support services that collectively provide for the identification, containerization, storage, transport, treatment…
Waste minimization Actions, policies, or procedures that collectively serve to reduce the amount of wastes generated as a result of operation of an activity or facility.
Waste streams Unused solid or liquid by- products of a process.
Wastewater Water that typically contains less than 1% concentration of organic hazardous waste materials.
Water code A type of legislation that is specific to the management of water resources.
Water Jacket A heat exchanger element enclosed in a boiler. Water is circulated with a pump through the jacket where it picks up heat from the combustion chamber after…
Water quality A term used to describe the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water, usually with respect to its suitability for a particular purpose.
Water right A legal entitlement of an individual or entity to extract water from a water source (surface water or groundwater) and to use it for a beneficial use (e.g.
Water Source Heat Pump A type of (geothermal) heat pump that uses well (ground) or surface water as a heat source.
Water Table The upper level of ground water; the level below which soil and rock are saturated with water.
Water Turbine A turbine that uses water pressure to rotate its blades; the primary types are the Pelton wheel, for high heads (pressure); the Francis turbine, for low…
Water Wall An interior wall made of water filled containers for absorbing and storing solar energy.
Water Wheel A wheel that is designed to use the weight and/or force of moving water to turn it, primarily to operate machinery or grind grain.
Water-cooled vibrating grate A boiler grate made up of a tuyere grate surface mounted on a grid of water tubes interconnected with the boiler circulation system for positive cooling.
Watermaster In Oregon, an official of the Water Resources Department who allocates available surface or groundwater in the state.
Watershed All land area from which run-off water may enter a pond or lake.
Watt The rate of energy transfer equivalent to one ampere under an electrical pressure of one volt. One watt equals 1/746 horsepower, or one joule per second.
Watt (W) The unit of electrical power equal to 1 ampere under a pressure of one volt. A Watt is equal to 1/746 horsepower.
Watt-hour A unit of electricity consumption of one Watt over the period of one hour.
Watthour (Wh) The electrical energy unit of measure equal to 1 watt of power supplied to, or taken from, an electric circuit steadily for one hour.
Wattmeter A device for measuring power consumption.
Wave Form The shape of the phase power at a certain frequency and amplitude.
Wave Power The concept of capturing and converting the energy available in the motion of ocean waves to energy.
Wavelength The distance between one peak or crest of a wave (of light, heat, or other energy) and the next corresponding peak or crest.
Weatherization Caulking and weatherstripping to reduce air infiltration and exfiltration into/out of a building.
Weatherstripping A material used to seal gaps around windows and exterior doors.
Weed An undesirable plant.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Also known as Texas Sweet Light, is a type of crude oil used as a benchmark in oil pricing and the underlying commodity of New York Mercantile Exchange's…
Wet closed-cycle cooling system See Closed-loop cooling system
Wet cooling system See Closed-cycle cooling system
wet scrubber An air pollution control device used to remove pollutants by bringing a gas stream into contact with a liquid.
Wetlands Area having specific hydric soil and water table characteristics supporting or capable of supporting wetlands vegetation.
Wheeling The process of transmitting electricity over one or more separately owned electric transmission and distribution systems.
Whole House Fan A mechanical/electrical device used to pull air out of an interior space; usually located in the highest location of a building, in the ceiling, and…
whole tree chips Wood chips produced by chipping whole trees, usually in the forest. Thus the chips contain both bark and wood.
Whole-tree harvesting A harvesting method in which the whole tree (above the stump) is removed.
Wholesale electricity markets The purchase and sale of electricity from generators to resellers (who sell to retail customers) along with the ancillary services needed to maintain…
Wholesale Wheeling The wheeling of electric power in amounts and at prices that generally have been negotiated in long term contracts between the power provider and a…
Wickiup Temporary dwelling framed of arched poles covered by brush, bark, rushes, or mats.
Wild and Scenic Rivers (WSR) Act Primary river conservation law enacted in 1968. The Act was specifically intended by Congress to balance the existing policy of building dams on rivers…
Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 Act passed by Congress in 1971 giving BLM the responsibility to protect, manage, and control wild horses.
Wild horses and burros Unbranded and unclaimed horses or burros roaming free on public lands in the western United States and protected by the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro…
Wilderness All lands included in the National Wilderness Preservation System by public law, generally defined as undeveloped federal land retaining its primeval…
Wilderness characteristics Wilderness characteristics include (1) Naturalness: the area generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint…
Wildfire Any nonstructural fire that occurs in the wildland.
Wildlife corridor Linear spaces that connect various areas of an animal's habitat (i.e., links between feeding, watering, resting, breeding, or seasonal habitats).
willstatter lignin Lignin obtained from the lignocellulosic complex after it has been extracted with hydrochloric acid.
Wind Energy Energy available from the movement of the wind across a landscape caused by the heating of the atmosphere, earth, and oceans by the sun.
Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) or Device An apparatus for converting the energy available in the wind to mechanical energy that can be used to power machinery (grain mills, water pumps) and to…
Wind Farm A collection of wind turbines in the same location (on or off-shore) utilized to generate wind powered electricity.
Wind Generator A WECS designed to produce electricity.
Wind Power Harnessing the wind to generate electricity. Wind turbines produce electricity when wind turns blades that are connected to a shaft that drives a…
Wind Power Plant A group of wind turbines interconnected to a common power provider system through a system of transformers, distribution lines, and (usually) one…
Wind Resource Assessment The process of characterizing the wind resource, and its energy potential, for a specific site or geographical area.
Wind Rose A diagram that indicates the average percentage of time that the wind blows from different directions, on a monthly or annual basis.
Wind Speed The rate of flow of the wind undisturbed by obstacles.
Wind Speed Duration Curve A graph that indicates the distribution of wind speeds as a function of the cumulative number of hours that the wind speed exceeds a given wind speed in a…
Wind Speed Frequency Curve A curve that indicates the number of hours per year that specific wind speeds occur.
Wind Speed Profile A profile of how the wind speed changes with height above the surface of the ground or water.
Wind Turbine A term used for a wind energy conversion device that produces electricity; typically having one, two, or three blades.
Wind Turbine Rated Capacity The amount of power a wind turbine can produce at its rated wind speed, e.g., 100 kW at 20 mph.
Wind Velocity The wind speed and direction in an undisturbed flow.
Windmill A WECS that is used to grind grain, and that typically has a high-solidity rotor; commonly used to refer to all types of WECS.
Window A generic term for a glazed opening that allows daylight to enter into a building and can be opened for ventilation.
Windpower Curve A graph representing the relationship between the power available from the wind and the wind speed.
Windpower Profile The change in the power available in the wind due to changes in the wind speed or velocity profile; the windpower profile is proportional to the cube of…
Wingwall A building structural element that is built onto a building's exterior along the inner edges of all the windows, and extending from the ground to the…
Winnowing Selective sorting or removal of fine particles by wind or water.
Winter heating season The November 1 through March 31 period, during which most natural gas use for space heating takes place.
Wire (Electrical) A generic term for an electrical conductor.
Withdrawal A withdrawal is money you take out of your banking, brokerage firm, or other accounts.
wood A solid lignocellulosic material naturally produced in trees and some shrubs, made of up to 40%-50% cellulose, 20%-30% hemicellulose, and 20% -30% lignin.
Wood Stove A wood-burning appliance for space and/or water heating and/or cooking.
Working Fluid A fluid used to absorb and transfer heat energy.
wort The liquid remaining from a brewing mash preparation following the filtration of fermentable beer.
Wound Rotor Motors A type of motor that has a rotor with electrical windings connected through slip rings to the external power circuit.