Energy — page 9 of 33

Energy terms

801. Demand Charge A charge for the maximum rate at which energy is used during peak hours of a billing period.
802. Demand elasticity The degree to which demand changes relative to a change in price.
803. Demand Power see Peak Power
804. Demand responsiveness/demand response A change in demand for a good or service in response to a change in price for the good or service.
805. Demand(ed) Factor The ratio of the maximum demand on an electricity generating and distribution system to the total connected load on the system; usually expressed as a…
806. Demand-side management Specific actions taken by utility companies, their regulators, and other entities to induce, influence, or compel consumers to reduce their energy…
807. Demand-Side Management (DSM) (DSM) The process of managing the consumption of energy, generally to optimize available and planned generation resources.
808. Demographic Related to the vital statistics of human populations (size, density, growth, distribution, etc.) and the effect of these on social and economic conditions.
809. denaturant A substance that makes ethanol unfit for consumption.
810. Denatured Ethanol that has had a substance added to make it unfit for human consumption.
811. Dendrite Extension of a nerve cell, typically branched and relatively short, that receives stimuli from other nerve cells.
812. Dendritic Web Technique A method for making sheets of polycrystalline silicon in which silicon dendrites are slowly withdrawn from a melt of silicon whereupon a web of silicon…
813. Densification A mechanical process to compress biomass (usually wood waste) into pellets, briquettes, cubes, or densified logs.
814. Density The average number of people, families, or housing units on one unit of land. Density is also expressed as dwelling units per acre.
815. Density bonus Allows developers to build in specified areas densities that are higher than normally allowed.
816. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (USDA) A federal government agency involved in rural development, marketing and regulatory programs, food safety, research, education and economics, food…
817. Department of Energy (DOE) (DOE) In 1989, the Department of Energy (DOE) created the Office of Environmental Management (EM) to mitigate the risks and hazards posed by the legacy of…
818. Dependable Capacity The load-carrying ability of an electric power plant during a specific time interval and period when related to the characteristics of the load to…
819. Depletion Net loss of water through consumption, export, and other uses to a given area, river system, or basin.
820. Deposit An amount of money paid to the court. Hennepin County Housing Court can only accept cash and certified checks; personal checks, third-party checks, and…
821. Derating The production of energy by a system or appliance at a level less than its design or nominal capacity.
822. Deregulation The process of changing regulatory policies and laws to increase competition among suppliers of commodities and services.
823. Desert Arid region receiving less than 10 inches of precipitation annually.
824. Desert bench A relatively flat terrace elevated above the surface of a desert alluvial feature, such as an ephemeral stream or wash.
825. Desert dune A wind-created ridge or mound of sand that is found in deserts or near oceans and lakes.
826. Desert floor The land surface in a desert valley.
827. Desert focal bird species Bird species whose requirements define spatial attributes, habitat characteristics, and management regimes representative of a healthy desert system.
828. Desert pavement A surface layer of closely packed, loosely cemented pebbles. See also Pediment
829. Desert riparian habitat Habitats characterized as dense groves of low shrublike trees, or tall shrubs to woodlands of small to medium-sized trees.
830. Desert scrub The desert scrub community is characterized by plants adapted to seasonally dry climate.
831. Desert varnish The thin red to black coating found on exposed rock surfaces in arid regions. Varnish is composed of clay minerals, oxides, and hydroxides of manganese…
832. Desert wash A usually dry desert streambed that flows only after periods of heavy rain.
833. Desiccant Any compound used to remove moisture or water.
834. Desiccant Cooling To condition/cool air by dessication.
835. Desiccation The process of removing moisture; involves evaporation.
836. Design basis The set of conditions, dimensions, needs, and requirements used to design a solar energy facility.
837. Design Cooling Load The amount of conditioned air to be supplied by a cooling system; usually the maximum amount to be delivered based on a specified number of cooling degree…
838. Design features Measures or procedures incorporated into the proposed action or alternatives which could avoid or reduce adverse impacts.
839. Design Heating Load The amount of heated air, or heating capacity, to be supplied by a heating system; usually the maximum amount to be delivered based on a specified number…
840. Design Life Period of time a system or appliance (or component of) is expected to function at its nominal or design capacity without major repair.
841. Design Standards Design standards or guidelines can serve as a community's desire to control its appearance, from within and without, through a series of standards that…
842. Design Temperature The temperature that a system is designed to maintain (inside) or operate against (outside) under the most extreme conditions.
843. Design Tip Speed Ratio For a wind turbine, the ratio of the speed of the tip of a turbine blade for which the power coefficient is at maximum.
844. Design Voltage The nominal voltage for which a conductor or electrical appliance is designed; the reference voltage for identification and not necessarily the precise…
845. Designated Roads and Trails Specific roads and trails identified by the agencies where some type of motorized vehicle use is appropriate and allowed, either seasonally or yearlong.
846. Desired future condition A vision of the desired future state of a specific area. A description of land and resource conditions expected to result if management goals and…
847. Desuperheater An energy saving device in a heat pump that, during the cooling cycle, recycles some of the waste heat from the house to heat domestic water.
848. Detention Ponds (Extended Detention Basins) An area surrounded by an embarkment, or an excavated pit, designed to temporarily hold stormwater long enough to allow…
849. Detritus Loose natural materials, such as rock fragments or organic particles, that result directly from disintegration of rocks or organisms.
850. Development Rights Development rights give property owners the right to develop land in ways that comply with local land use regulation.
851. Dewatering The separation of free water from the solids portion of spent mash, sludge, or whole stillage by screening, centrifuging, filter pressing, or other means.
852. Dewpoint The temperature to which air must be cooled, at constant pressure and water vapor content, in order for saturation or condensation to occur; the…
853. Diagnostic An item that is indicative of a particular time and/or cultural group.
854. Diameter at breast height (DBH) (DBH) The diameter of a tree measured 4 feet 6 inches above the ground.
855. Diesel engine A compression-ignition piston engine in which fuel is ignited by injecting it into air that has been heated (unlike a spark-ignition engine).
856. Difference of Potential The difference in electrical pressure (voltage) between any two points in an electrical system or between any point in an electrical system and the earth.
857. Differential compaction May occur over a large area when the compaction of soil or deeper sediments occurs at different rates and degrees.
858. Differential Thermostat A type of automatic thermostat (used on solar heating systems) that responds to temperature differences (between collectors and the storage components) so…
859. Diffuse Solar Radiation Sunlight scattered by atmospheric particles and gases so that it arrives at the earth's surface from all directions and can not be focused.
860. diffusion The spontaneous movement of molecules from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration.
861. Diffusion Length The mean distance a free electron or hole moves before recombining with another hole or electron.
862. Digester An airtight vessel or enclosure in which bacteria decomposes biomass in water to produce biogas.
863. Digester (Anaerobic) A device in which organic material is biochemically decomposed (digested) by anaerobic bacteria to treat the material and/or to produce biogas.
864. Dimmer A light control device that allows light levels to be manually adjusted. A dimmer can save energy by reducing the amount of power delivered to the light…
865. Diode An electronic device that allows current to flow in one direction only.
866. Diorite A coarse-grained intrusive (or plutonic) igneous rock, less mafic than gabbro, but more mafic than granite and granodiorite; the plutonic equivalent of…
867. Dioxin A family of compounds, some of which are hazardous, that result from combustion of carbon materials.
868. Dip The angle that a planar geologic surface, for example, a fault, is inclined from the horizontal.
869. Dip Tube A tube inside a domestic water heater that distributes the cold water from the cold water supply line into the lower area of the water heater where…
870. direct access The ability of an electric power consumer to purchase electricity from a supplier of their choice without being physically inhibited by the owner of the…
871. Direct Beam Radiation Solar radiation that arrives in a straight line from the sun.
872. Direct Current A type of electricity transmission and distribution by which electricity flows in one direction through the conductor; usually relatively low voltage and…
873. Direct current (DC) (DC) A steady current that flows in one direction only. The current from batteries is an example of direct current.
874. Direct effects Effects on the environment which occur at the same time and place as the initial cause or action.
875. Direct impacts Impacts occurring at the place of origin and at the time of the proposed activity.
876. Direct Normal Insolation (DNI) (DNI) Sunlight that directly strikes a surface. DNI does not include refracted sunlight that strikes clouds, dust, or the ground first.
877. Direct Solar Water Heater These systems use water as the fluid that is circulated through the collector to the storage tank. Also known as "open-loop" systems.
878. Direct Vent Heater A type of combustion heating system in which combustion air is drawn directly from outside and the products of combustion are vented directly outside.
879. Direct Water Heater A type of water heater in which heated water is stored within the tank. Hot water is released from the top of the tank when a hot water faucet is turned.
880. Direct-Gain The process by which sunlight directly enters a building through the windows and is absorbed and stored in massive floors or walls.
881. Directional drilling The practice of drilling non-vertical wells. Also called slant drilling.
882. disaccharides The class of compound sugars that yields two monosaccharide units upon hydrolysis; examples are sucrose, maltose, and lactose.
883. Discharge (DIS-charj) In medicine, a fluid that comes out of the body. Discharge can be normal or a sign of disease.
884. Discount rate The discount rate is the interest rate the Federal Reserve charges on loans it makes to banks and other financial institutions.
885. Discounting A method of financial and economic analysis used to determine present and future values of investments or expenses.
886. Dish engine The dish engine is a concentrating solar power (CSP) technology that produces electricity, typically in the range of 3 to 25 kilowatts, by using a…
887. Dish engine system See Dish engine
888. Dish engine technologies See Dish engine
889. Dispatchability The ability to dispatch power.
890. Dispatchable power (dispatchability) The ability of a power-producing facility to provide required amounts of power (at or below the facility's nameplate rating) on demand of the grid…
891. Dispatching To schedule and control the generation and delivery of electric power.
892. Dispersal habitat See spotted owl habitat.
893. Displacement Power A source of power (electricity) that can displace power from another source so that source's power can be transmitted to more distant loads.
894. Disposal A term used in some countries, including the U.S., to mean that an application has been abandoned, denied (rejected) or allowed (granted).
895. Distance zones A subdivision of the landscape as viewed from an observer position. The BLM defined zones include foreground, middleground, background, and seldom seen.
896. distillate The portion of a liquid that is removed as vapor and condensed during a distillation process.
897. Distillate fuel oil Products of refinery distillation sometimes referred to as middle distillates; kerosene, diesel fuel, and home heating oil. No.
898. Distillate oil Any distilled product of crude oil. A light petroleum product used for home heating and most machinery.
899. distillation The process of heating a mixture to separate the more volatile from the less volatile parts, and then condensing fractions of the resulting vapour so as…
900. distillers dried grains (DDG) (DDG) The dried grain byproduct of the grain fermentation process, which may be used as a high-protein animal feed.