Energy — page 18 of 33

Energy terms

1701. Knob A small hilltop that is round in shape.
1702. Known Geothermal Area (KGA) (KGA) A region identified by the U.S. Geological Survey as containing geothermal resources.
1703. Knutson-Vandenberg Act (KV) (KV) Federal law that allows the U.S. Forest Service to collect money from a timber sale for resource enhancement, protection, and improvement work in the…
1704. kraft process Chemical pulping process in which lignin is dissolved by a solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide.
1705. L_dn The day-night average sound level. It is the average A-weighted sound level over a 24-hour period that gives additional weight to noise that occurs during…
1706. L_eq Equivalent/continuous sound level. Leq is the steady sound level that would contain the same total sound energy as the time-varying sound over a given…
1707. Laccolith An igneous intrusion that has been forced between two layered rock units. The top of the intrusion is arched upwards and the bottom of the intrusion is…
1708. Lacustrine wetland Wetlands that are generally larger than 20 acres and having less than 30% cover of vegetation such as trees, shrubs, or persistent emergent plants.
1709. Lag gravel Residual deposit of coarse material that has had the finer fraction removed by a transporting agent, usually wind or water.
1710. Lagoon In wastewater treatment or livestock facilities, a shallow pond used to store wastewater where sunlight and biological activity decompose the waste.
1711. Lahar A mudflow composed of water and volcanic ash. Lahars can be triggered by the flash melting of the snow cap of a volcanic mountain or from heavy rain.
1712. LAMP A light source composed of a metal base, a glass tube filled with an inert gas or a vapor, and base pins to attach to a fixture.
1713. Land area Includes dry land and land temporarily or partially covered by water, such as marshlands, swamps, and river flood plains; streams, sloughs, estuaries, and…
1714. Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) (LCDC) In Oregon, a commission appointed to determine land use policy.
1715. Land cover The physical coverage of land, usually expressed in terms of vegetation cover or lack of it.
1716. Land disturbance Discrete event or process that alters soil and/or kills or damages vegetation. From an ecological and hierarchical perspective, disturbance is a change in…
1717. Land disturbance in natural drainage systems Any movement (e.g., grading or excavation) of soil or sediment in a natural drainageway.
1718. Land subsidence The sinking or settling of land to a lower level in response to various natural and man-caused factors.
1719. Land Trusts Nonprofit organizations interested in the protection of natural resources and historic areas.
1720. Land Use The manner in which a parcel of land is used or occupied.
1721. Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) (LUBA) In Oregon, a seven-member board appointed to adjudicate land use disputes.
1722. Land Use Plan A set of decisions that establish management direction for land within an administrative area, as prescribed under the planning provisions of FLPMA; an…
1723. Land withdrawal Withdrawals are governed by regulations issued under FLPMA, contained in 43 CFR Part 2300.
1724. Landfill Gas Methane gas that forms in landfills from the decay of organic materials. The gas can be collected and used for power generation.
1725. Landform Any feature of the Earth's surface having a distinct shape and origin. Landforms include major features (such as continents, ocean basins, plains…
1726. Landing A cleared working area on or near a timber harvest site at which processing steps are carried out.
1727. Landmark Type of reference point external to the observer. Usually a simply defined physical object.
1728. Landscape A region consisting of interacting ecosystems determined by geology, soils, climate, biota, and human influences.
1729. Landscape character The arrangement of a particular landscape as formed by the variety and intensity of the landscape features and the four basic elements of form, line…
1730. Landscaping Features and vegetation on the outside of or surrounding a building for aesthetics and energy conservation.
1731. Langley A unit or measure of solar radiation; 1 calorie per square centimeter or 3.69 Btu per square foot.
1732. Large woody debris Dead woody material greater than 20" in diameter on the ground or in a stream or river. It may consist of logs, trees, or parts of trees.
1733. Late Archaic The period 3,000 to 1,500 years B.P.
1734. Late seral species Shade tolerant species, primarily vine maple shrubs and western red cedar and western hemlock trees.
1735. Late seral treatment A treatment in which late seral species will be established after thinning.
1736. Late-successional forest Forest seral stages which include mature and old- growth age classes.
1737. Late-successional reserve An area of forest where the management objective is to protect and enhance conditions of late successional and old-growth forest ecosystems.
1738. Latent Cooling Load The load created by moisture in the air, including from outside air infiltration and that from indoor sources such as occupants, plants, cooking…
1739. Latent Heat The change in heat content that occurs with a change in phase and without change in temperature.
1740. Latent Heat of Vaporization The quantity of heat produced to change a unit weight of a liquid to vapor with no change in temperature.
1741. Latite An igneous, volcanic (extrusive) rock.
1742. Lattice The regular periodic arrangement of atoms or molecules in a crystal of semiconductor material.
1743. Lava Magma that reaches the Earth's surface and issues from volcanoes.
1744. Lava flow An outpouring of lava onto the land surface from a vent or fissure. Also, a solidified tongue-like or sheetlike body formed by outpouring lava.
1745. Lava tubes Natural conduits through which lava moves beneath the surface of a lava flow during a volcanic eruption.
1746. Law of the River A complex body of laws, court decrees, contracts, agreements, regulations and an international treaty used to govern allocation and management of Colorado…
1747. Law(s) of Thermodynamics The first law states that energy can not be created or destroyed; the second law states that when a free exchange of heat occurs between two materials…
1748. Laydown area An area that has been cleared for the temporary storage of equipment and supplies.
1749. Leachates Liquids percolated through waste piles. Leachate can include various minerals, organic matter, or other contaminants and can contaminate surface water or…
1750. Lead A gray-white metal that is listed as a criteria air pollutant. Health effects from exposure to lead include brain and kidney damage and learning…
1751. Lead Acid Battery An electrochemical battery that uses lead and lead oxide for electrodes and sulfuric acid for the electrolyte.
1752. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.
1753. Leading Edge In reference to a wind energy conversion system, the area of a turbine blade surface that first comes into contact with the wind.
1754. Leaking Electricity Related to stand-by power, leaking electricity is the power needed for electrical equipment to remain ready for use while in a dormant mode or operation.
1755. Leapfrog Development Development that occurs beyond the limits of existing development and creates areas of vacant land between areas of developed land.
1756. Leasable minerals Federal minerals such as coal, oil shale, oil, gas, phosphate, potash, sodium, tar sands, geothermal resources, potassium, asphaltic materials, and all…
1757. Lease A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent).
1758. Least cost planning (integrated resource planning) A method of power planning that recognizes load uncertainty, embodies an emphasis on risk management, and reviews all…
1759. LEED "Plus" Created by the Massachusetts Sustainable Design Roundtable to address shortcomings with standard LEED certification these standards apply to construction…
1760. Left-lateral fault See Fault, left-lateral
1761. Legacy Chargers Legacy electric charging systems such as inductive paddles. Learn more about types of chargers.
1762. Lek A communal mating area within which males of certain species hold small territories, which they use solely for courtship and copulation.
1763. Lentic environment An aquatic ecosystem in which the water is still and not rapidly moving, such as is found in ponds and swamps.
1764. Lethe A measure of air purity that is equal to one complete air change (in an interior space).
1765. Level of Service (LOS) (LOS) A qualitative measure describing operational conditions within a traffic stream in terms of speed and travel time, freedom to maneuver, traffic…
1766. Levelized Life Cycle Cost A total life cycle cost divided into equal amounts.
1767. LH2O The heat (Btu) needed to vaporize and superheat one pound of water.
1768. License a contract in which the owner of the patent grants another person or company permission to make, use, or sell the patented invention.
1769. Life Cycle Cost The sum of all the costs both recurring and nonrecurring, related to a product, structure, system, or service during its life span or specified time…
1770. Life-cycle costing A method of comparing costs of equipment or buildings based on original costs plus all operating and maintenance costs over the useful life of the…
1771. Lift The force that pulls a wind turbine blade, as opposed to drag.
1772. Light fixture An electrical device used to create artificial light and/or illumination.
1773. Light pollution Any adverse effect of human-made lighting, such as excessive illumination of night-skies by artificial light.
1774. Light Quality A description of how well people in a lighted space can see to do visual tasks and how visually comfortable they feel in that space.
1775. Light spillage An undesirable condition in which light is cast where it is not wanted. (Also referred to as light trespass.)
1776. Light Trapping The trapping of light inside a semiconductor material by refracting and reflecting the light at critical angles; trapped light will travel further in the…
1777. Light trespass See Light spillage
1778. Light-emitting diode (LED) (LED) This very energy efficient lighting technology uses 80 to 90% less energy than conventional lights.
1779. Light-Induced Defects Defects, such as dangling bonds, induced in an amorphous silicon semiconductor upon initial exposure to light.
1780. lignin A group of high-molecular-weight amorphous polymers of phenylpropanoid compounds, giving strength to certain tissues. A major component of wood.
1781. lignin pseudo-molecule for modeling The lignin ratio of methoxy groups to phenylpropanoid groups (MeO:C9) is used to calculate an ultimate analysis for the lignin pseudo-molecule.
1782. lignin ratio of MeO to C9 Lignin empirical formulae are based on ratios of methoxy groups to phenylpropanoid groups (MeO:C9).
1783. lignocellulose The combination of lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose that forms the structural framework of plant cell walls.
1784. Limestone A sedimentary rock made mostly of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate). Limestone is usually formed from shells of once-living organisms or other…
1785. line See Groove
1786. Line Loss (or Drop) Electrical energy lost due to inherent inefficiencies in an electrical transmission and distribution system under specific conditions.
1787. Lineament A straight topographic feature of regional extent that is thought to represent crustal structure.
1788. Liner A relatively impermeable barrier designed to keep leachate inside a landfill. Liner materials include plastic and dense clay.
1789. Liquefaction Enzymatic digestion (often by alpha-amylase) of gelatinized starch to form lower molecular weight polysaccharides.
1790. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) Natural gas that has been condensed to a liquid by cooling the gas.
1791. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) (LNG) Reducing the temperature of natural gas to -259 degrees Fahrenheit at atmospheric pressure will convert the gas into a liquid, with a volume about 1/600…
1792. Liquid hydrocarbon One of a very large group of chemical compounds composed only of carbon and hydrogen. The largest source of hydrocarbons is petroleum.
1793. Liquid-Based Solar Heating System A solar heating system that uses a liquid as the heat transfer fluid.
1794. Liquid-To-Air Heat Exchanger A heat exchanger that transfers the heat contained in a liquid heat transfer fluid to air.
1795. Liquid-To-Liquid Heat Exchanger A heat exchanger that transfers heat contained in a liquid heat transfer fluid to another liquid.
1796. Lithic Relating to stone or rock.
1797. Lithic debitage Debris produced during stone (lithic) tool manufacture.
1798. Lithic scatter A distribution of cultural items that consists primarily of lithic (stone) material.
1799. Lithium-Sulfur Battery A battery that uses lithium in the negative electrode and a metal sulfide in the positive electrode, and the electrolyte is molten salt; can store large…
1800. Live bottom A material storage bin or truck with a floor which incorporates a device for removing or unloading the material contained in the bin.