Energy — page 13 of 33

Energy terms

1201. Fine The monetary penalty assessed against a defendant.
1202. Finish The visual characteristics including color, texture and reflectivity of all exterior materials.
1203. Fire Classification Classifications of fires developed by the National Fire Protection Association.
1204. Fire emissions Emissions caused by wildfires, prescribed fires, agricultural fires, and structural fires.
1205. Fire-cracked rock Burned rocks, typically fractured during intense heating in a fire hearth or remnants of rocks associated with cooking.
1206. 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.
1207. Fire-tolerant species Species of plants that can withstand certain frequency and intensity of fire.
1208. Fireplace A wood or gas burning appliance that is primarily used to provide ambiance to a room.
1209. Fireplace Insert A wood or gas burning heating appliance that fits into the opening or protrudes on to the hearth of a conventional fireplace.
1210. Firewall A set of related programs that protect the resources of a private network from users from other networks.
1211. Firing Rate The amount of BTUs/hour or kWs produced by a heating system from the burning of a fuel.
1212. Firm power (firm energy) Power which is guaranteed by the supplier to be available at all times during a period covered by a commitment.
1213. Firm transportation Energy network service assuring market participants of a specified quality and quantity of service under normal operating conditions.
1214. 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.
1215. First in time, first in right See Prior Appropriation Doctrine
1216. First Law of Thermodynamics States that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only changed from one form to another.
1217. 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…
1218. Fiscal Year (FY) (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.
1219. Fischer-Tropsch Fuels Liquid hydrocarbon fuels produced by a process that combines carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
1220. Fissure, earth or ground Surface fractures resulting from subsidence, often due to the withdrawal of groundwater and compaction of an aquifer.
1221. fixed bed A bed of closely spaced particles through which gases move up or down for purposes of gasification or combustion.
1222. fixed carbon The carbon remaining after heating in a prescribed manner to decompose thermally unstable components and to distill volatiles.
1223. 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…
1224. Flake A thin, flattened piece or chip of stone, intentionally removed from the core rock by chipping with either a stone or bone hammer.
1225. Flame Spread Classification A measure of the surface burning characteristics of a material.
1226. Flame Spread Rating A measure of the relative flame spread, and smoke development, from a material being tested.
1227. Flash Flood A sudden flood event through a valley, canyon, or wash, following a short duration, high-intensity rainfall.
1228. 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…
1229. Flash-Steam Geothermal Plants When the temperature of the hydrothermal liquids is over 350 F (177 C), flash-steam technology is generally employed.
1230. 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.
1231. 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.
1232. 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.
1233. 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.
1234. Flat Roof A slightly sloped roof, usually with a tar and gravel cover. Most commercial buildings use this kind of roof.
1235. Flat-Black Paint Nonglossy paint with a relatively high absorptance.
1236. Flat-plate PV A type of photovoltaic solar energy technology that uses a flat plate onto which are installed solar cells.
1237. 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…
1238. Flats Level or nearly level areas of land marked by little or no relief.
1239. Flats wetland A level landform composed of unconsolidated sediments, usually mud or sand. Flats are unvegetated or support sparse plant communities, often composed of…
1240. Flexible-fuel vehicle A vehicle with a single fuel tank designed to run on varying blends of unleaded gasoline with either ethanol or methanol.
1241. 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…
1242. 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.
1243. 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.
1244. 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…
1245. Flood irrigation Water is pumped or brought to the fields and is allowed to flow along the ground among the crops.
1246. Flood Plain A strip of relatively flat and normally dry land alongside a stream, river, or lake that is covered by water during a flood.
1247. Floodplain Any land area susceptible to being inundated by floodwaters from any source.
1248. Floor Action "on the floor" is that which occurs as part of a formal session of the full Senate.
1249. Floor Area Ratio (FAR) (FAR) A measure of development intensity. FAR is the ratio of the amount of floor area of a building to the amount of area of its site.
1250. Floor Space The interior area of a building, calculated in square feet or meters.
1251. Flora Plants, especially those of a specific region, considered as a group.
1252. Flow Condition In reference to solar thermal collectors, the condition where the heat transfer fluid is flowing through the collector loop under normal operating…
1253. Flow Improvers A chemical used in fuel to reduce friction and increase performance.
1254. Flow rate The amount of water that moves through an area (usually pipe) in a given period of time.
1255. Flow Restrictor A water and energy conserving device that limits the amount of water that a faucet or shower head can deliver.
1256. FLPMA Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976.
1257. Flue The structure (in a residential heating appliance, industrial furnace, or power plant) into which combustion gases flow and are contained until they are…
1258. Flue Gas The gas resulting from the combustion of a fuel that is emitted to the flue.
1259. Fluffing The practice of installing blow-in, loose-fill insulation at a lower density than is recommended to meet a specified R-Value.
1260. fluidized bed A gasifier or combustor design in which feedstock particles are kept in suspension by a bed of solids kept in motion by a rising column of gas.
1261. Fluidized Bed Combustion (FBC) (FBC) A type of furnace or reactor in which fuel particles are combusted while suspended in a stream of hot gas.
1262. Fluidized-bed boiler A large, refractory-lined vessel with an air distribution member or plate in the bottom, a hot gas outlet in or near the top, and some provisions for…
1263. Fluorescent Light The conversion of electric power to visible light by using an electric charge to excite gaseous atoms in a glass tube.
1264. Fluvial Pertaining to a river. Fluvial sediments are deposited by rivers.
1265. Fly ash The fine particulate matter entrained in the flue gases of a combustion power plant.
1266. Flyway A seasonal route followed by birds migrating to and from their breeding areas.
1267. Flywheel Effect The damping of interior temperature fluctuations by massive construction.
1268. Foam (Insulation) A high R-value insulation product usually made from urethane that can be injected into wall cavities, or sprayed onto roofs or floors, where it expands…
1269. Foam Board A plastic foam insulation product, pressed or extruded into board-like forms, used as sheathing and insulation for interior basement or crawl space walls…
1270. Foam Core Panels A type of structural, insulated product with foam insulation contained between two facings of drywall, or structural wood composition boards such as…
1271. Foot Candle A unit of illuminance; equal to one lumen per square foot.
1272. Foot Pound The amount of work done in raising one pound one foot.
1273. Footprint The land or water area covered by a project. This includes direct physical coverage (i.e.
1274. Forage Small baitfish, crayfish and other creatures that bass or other predator fish eat.
1275. Foraging habitat See Spotted owl habitat.
1276. Forbs Herbaceous (nonwoody), broad-leaved flowering plants; non-graminoid (grasses, sedges, and rushes) herbaceous plants. See also Graminoid herbaceous
1277. Force The push or pull that alters the motion of a moving body or moves a stationary body; the unit of force is the dyne or poundal; force is equal to mass time…
1278. Forced Air System or Furnace A type of heating system in which heated air is blown by a fan through air channels or ducts to rooms.
1279. Forced Ventilation A type of building ventilation system that uses fans or blowers to provide fresh air to rooms when the forces of air pressure and gravity are not enough…
1280. Forest health A condition of ecosystem sustainability and attainment of management objectives for a given forest area.
1281. Forest Plan The document that sets goals, objectives, desired future condition, standards and guidelines, and overall programmatic direction for a National Forest.
1282. Forest residues Material not harvested or removed from logging sites in commercial hardwood and softwood stands as well as material resulting from forest management…
1283. Forested areas or land Any land that is capable of producing or has produced forest growth or, if lacking forest growth, has evidence of a former forest and is not now in other…
1284. forestry residues Includes tops, limbs, and other woody material not removed in forest harvesting operations in commercial hardwood and softwood stands, as well as woody…
1285. form The mass or shape of an object or objects that appears unified, such as a vegetative opening in a forest, a cliff formation, or a water tank.
1286. Formaldehyde (for-MAL-duh-hide) A chemical used in manufacturing and chemical industries, and as a preservative by anatomists, embalmers, and pathologists.
1287. Forward price curve The set of prices of contracts for delivery of a good over a span of time in the future.
1288. Forwarder A self-propelled vehicle to transport harvested material from the stump area to the landing.
1289. Fossil Remains of ancient life forms, their imprints or behavioral traces (e.g., tracks, burrows, or residues) and the rocks in which they are preserved.
1290. Fossil fuel Solid, liquid or gaseous fuels formed in the ground after millions of years by chemical and physical changes in plant and animal residues under high…
1291. Fossil Fuels Fuels formed in the ground from the remains of dead plants and animals. It takes millions of years to form fossil fuels.
1292. Foundation The supportive structure of a building.
1293. Fractional Horse Power Motor An electric motor rated at less than one horse power (hp).
1294. Fragmentation Process by which habitats are increasingly subdivided into smaller units, resulting in their increased insularity as well as losses of total habitat area.
1295. Fragmentation of habitat The breaking up of a single habitat area into two or more smaller habitat patches that are separated from each other.
1296. Frame (Window) The outer casing of a window that sits in a designated opening of a structure and holds the window panes in place.
1297. Framing The structural materials and elements used to construct a wall.
1298. Francis Turbine A type of hydropower turbine that contains a runner that has water passages through it formed by curved vanes or blades.
1299. Freon A registered trademark for a cholorfluorocarbon (CFC) gas that is highly stable and that has been historically used as a refrigerant.
1300. Frequency The number of cycles through which an alternating current passes per second; in the U.S.