Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy terms

1. 100-year floodplain That area that would be covered by water during the 100-year flood event.
2. AADT See Average Annual Daily Traffic
3. Abiotic Absence of living organisms.
4. AC Armor Class or Defense.
5. Acceleration (peak horizontal) A measure of earthquake acceleration (i.e., shaking) on the ground surface expressed in g, the acceleration due to the Earth's gravity.
6. Access roads Gravel or dirt roads (rarely paved) that provide overland access to transmission line and pipeline rights-of-way (ROWs) and facilities for construction…
7. Accumulating shear A feller-buncher shearhead that is capable of accumulating and holding 2 or more cut stems.
8. acetic acid An acid with the structure of C2H4O2. Acetyl groups are bound through an ester linkage to hemicellulose chains, especially xylans, in wood and other…
9. ACID A solution that has an excess of hydrogen ions (H+).
10. Acid deposition A comprehensive term for the various ways acidic compounds precipitate from the atmosphere and deposit onto surfaces.
11. acid detergent fiber (ADF) (ADF) Organic matter that is not solubilized after one hour of refluxing in an acid detergent of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide in 1N sulfuric acid.
12. Acid hydrolysis A chemical process in which acid is used to convert cellulose or starch to sugar.
13. acid insoluble lignin Lignin is mostly insoluble in mineral acids, and therefore can be analyzed gravimetrically after hydrolyzing the cellulose and hemicellulose fractions of…
14. acid soluble lignin A small fraction of the lignin in a biomass sample is solubilized during the hydrolysis process of the acid insoluble lignin method.
15. Activated sludge process A biological wastewater treatment process in which a mixture of waste water and activated sludge is agitated and aerated.
16. Active Management Area (AMA) (AMA) Active Management Areas were established in Arizona to provide long-term management and conservation of limited groundwater supplies.
17. Active volcano A volcano that is erupting. Also, a volcano that is not presently erupting, but that has erupted within an historical time and is considered likely to…
18. Actual cubic feet per minute (ACFM) (ACFM) The actual cubic feet per minute of gas flowing in a process at the temperature and pressure of the process at that point.
19. Acute (uh-KYOOT) Symptoms or signs that begin and worsen quickly; not chronic.
20. Adaptive management A continuing process of action-based planning, monitoring, researching, evaluating, and adjusting with the objective of improving implementation and…
21. Adaptive Management Area (AMA) (AMA) Landscape units designated for development and testing of technical and social approaches to achieving desired ecological, economic, and other social…
22. Adequate Water Supply Program The Arizona Adequate Water Supply Program requires anyone who offers subdivided land outside of an Active Management Area for sale or lease to obtain a…
23. Adsorption The adhesion, in an extremely thin layer, of molecules (as in gases, solutions, or liquids) to the surface of solid bodies or liquids with which they are…
24. Adverse environmental impacts Impacts that are determined to be harmful to the environment. See also Effects
25. Aeration basin A basin where oxygen is supplied by mechanical agitation or pneumatic means to enhance the breakdown of wastes held in suspension.
26. AERMOD A refined, steady-state plume model that incorporates air dispersion on the basis of a state-of-the-art planetary boundary layer turbulence structure and…
27. Aerobic In biochemistry, reactions that need oxygen to happen or happen when oxygen is present.
28. aerobic fermentation Fermentation processes that require the presence of oxygen.
29. AFederal Air Contaminant Discharge Permit (ACDP) (ACDP) In Oregon, the Department of Environmental Quality issues the ACDP.
30. Affected Environment For an environmental impact statement, a description of the existing environment covering information necessary to assess or understand the impacts.
31. Aftershocks Earthquakes that follow the largest shock of an earthquake sequence. They are smaller than the main shock and within one to two rupture lengths distance…
32. Aggregate 1. A clump or mass formed by gathering or collecting units. 2. A body of loosely associated cells, such as a friable callus or cell suspension. 3.
33. Agricultural fires Fires ignited to meet specific management objectives on agricultural lands.
34. agricultural residue Agricultural crop residues are the plant parts, primarily stalks and leaves, not removed from the fields with the primary food or fiber product.
35. Air pollutant Any substance in the air which could, if in high enough concentration, harm humans, other animals, vegetation, or material.
36. Air quality Measure of the health-related and visual characteristics of the air to which the general public and the environment are exposed.
37. Air Quality Control Region (AQCR) (AQCR) An interstate or intrastate area designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the attainment and maintenance of National Ambient Air Quality…
38. Air Quality Maintenance Area Specific populated area where air quality is a problem for one or more pollutants.
39. Air Quality Standards The prescribed level of pollutants allowed in outside or indoor air as established by legislation.
40. Albedo (effects) The fraction of solar radiation reflected by a surface or object, often expressed as a percentage.
41. alcohol (AL-kuh-hol) A chemical substance found in beer, wine, and liquor. Alcohol is also found in some medicines, mouthwashes, essential oils (scented liquid…
42. aldehyde (AL-deh-hide) A type of chemical substance made from alcohol. Aldehydes are found in essential oils (scented liquid taken from plants).
43. aldoses Occur when the carbonyl group of a monosaccharide is an aldehyde. (Source: Voet, D.; Voet, J. G. Biochemistry. New York: John Wiley, 1990.)
44. Algae Simple plant organism (typically a single cell) commonly found in water.
45. Aliquot (parts) The standard subdivisions of a section (usually 640 acres [2.6 km2]) of land, such as a half section, quarter section, or quarter-quarter section.
46. Alkali A soluble mineral salt.
47. alkali lignin Lignin obtained by acidification of an alkaline extract of wood.
48. Alkali sink A land basin in which water evaporation produces high salt concentrations that may, or may not, support salt marsh vegetation.
49. alkaline hydrolysis The use of solutions of sodium hydroxide (or other alkali) in the treatment of cellulosic material (wood) to break down cellulose to simple sugars.
50. All-American Canal The All-American Canal System, located in the southeastern corner of California, consists of the Imperial Diversion Dam and Desilting Works, the…
51. All-American Roads A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational…
52. Allotment An area of land where one or more livestock operators graze their livestock. Allotments generally consist of BLM lands but may also include other…
53. Alluvial Formed by the action of running water; of or related to river and stream deposits.
54. Alluvial fan A fan-shaped depositional landform consisting of alluvial deposits that formed where a flowing stream slows and spreads out (depositing its load)…
55. Alluvial flats Small flat areas or plains (with slopes of less than 5 or 10 feet per mile) built of fine sediments deposited during flooding events.
56. Alluvial plains Small flat areas or plains (with slopes of less than 5 or 10 feet per mile) built of fine sediments deposited during flooding events.
57. Alluvial valley An alluvium-filled basin, usually occurring between mountain ranges.
58. Alluvian fan terrace A relict landform consisting of thick gravel, sand, and boulder deposits occurring along mountain fronts.
59. Alluvium Deposits of clay, silt, sand, gravel, or other particulate materials that have been deposited by a stream or other body of running water in a streambed…
60. Alpine Refers to high mountain areas above the timberline (where trees cease to inhabit extremely cold environments).
61. Alpine tundra Vegetation in montane habitats above the tree line. Vegetation consists of perennial forbs, grasses, sedges, and short woody shrubs.
62. Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act California seismic zoning act passed in 1972, in response to the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, to prevent building across the traces of active faults.
63. Alternating current (AC) (AC) An electric current that reverses its direction at regularly recurring intervals.
64. Alternative Under the National Environmental Policy Act, a comprehensive management strategy.
65. Alternative fuel As defined in the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT): Methanol, denatured ethanol and other alcohols, separately or in blends of at least 10 percent by…
66. Ambient Air The air external to a building or device.
67. Ambient air quality The condition of the air in the surrounding environment.
68. Ambient Air Quality Standards Regulations prescribing the levels of airborne pollutants that may not be exceeded during a specified time in a defined area.
69. American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 (AIRFA) (AIRFA) Act requiring federal agencies to consult with tribal officials to ensure protection of religious cultural rights and practices.
70. Amphibian A cold-blooded, smooth-skinned vertebrate of the class Amphibia, such as a frog, toad, or salamander, that characteristically hatches as an aquatic larva…
71. amylase (AM-il-aze) An enzyme that helps the body digest starches.
72. Anadromous fish Fish that hatch in freshwater, migrate to the ocean to mature, then return to freshwater to spawn. An example is salmon.
73. Anaerobic An environment or condition in which molecular oxygen is not available for chemical, physical or biological processes.
74. anaerobic digestion Digestion of materials in the absence of oxygen. See: anaerobic respiration.
75. Andesite Volcanic rock (or lava), characteristically medium dark in color and containing 54 to 62 percent silica and moderate amounts of iron and magnesium…
76. Angle of view The angle, both vertical and horizontal, between a viewer's line of sight and the landscape being viewed.
77. Anhydrous A compound that does not contain water. For example, fuel ethanol is referred to as "anhydrous ethanol" because most of the water has been removed.
78. Animal unit A unit of measure for rangeland livestock equivalent to one mature cow or five sheep or five goats, all over 6 months of age.
79. Animal Unit (AU) (AU) A measurement of herd size used in the dairy industry. One animal unit is equal to 1000 pounds of animals. For example, a 1,200-pound cow equals 1.2 AU.
80. Animal Unit Month (AUM) (AUM) A standardized unit of measurement of the amount of forage required by an animal unit for one month.
81. annual For FDM purposes, you are an annual filer if last year you filed an OGE Form 450 (or an OGE Form 450-A).
82. Anthropogenic emissions Made by people or resulting from human activities. Usually used in the context of emissions that are produced as a result of human activities.
83. Anthropomorphic Described or thought of as having human form or human attributes.
84. Anthropomorphism Ascribing human qualities, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena.
85. Application for Certification (AFC) (AFC) Document required for submission to the California Energy Commission by proponents of power-generating facilities in California that have nameplate…
86. Appropriate Management Level (AML) (AML) The maximum number of animals (wild horses or burros) sustainable on a yearlong basis.
87. Appropriation Doctrine The system of water law primarily used in the western United States under which: 1.
88. Appropriations Refers to the process of divvying out water right allotments and beneficial uses within a water management district.
89. Aquaculture Farming of aquatic organisms, including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants.
90. Aquatic biota Collective term describing the organisms living in or depending on the aquatic environment.
91. Aquatic ecosystem The distinctive ecosystem dominated by water, aquatic plants, or aquatic animals.
92. Aquatic habitats Areas associated with water that provide food and cover and other elements critical to the completion of an organism's life cycle (e.g.
93. Aquatic opportunists Species that occupy both temporary and permanent waters.
94. aquatic plants The aquatic biomass resources, such as algae, giant kelp, other seaweed, and water hyacinth.
95. Aquifer A water-bearing geologic formation, sometimes confined between clay layers and sometimes on the surface.
96. Aquifer-basin-fill An aquifer located in a basin surrounded by mountains and composed of sediments and debris shed from those mountains.
97. Aquifer-carbonate rock An aquifer found in limestone and dolomite rocks. Carbonate aquifers typically produced hard water, that is, water containing relatively high levels of…
98. Aquifer-confined Soil or rock below the land surface that is saturated with water. There are layers of impermeable material both above and below it and it is under…
99. Aquifer-unconfined An aquifer whose upper water surface (water table) is at atmospheric pressure, and thus is able to rise and fall.
100. Aquifer-volcanic rock An aquifer in which the rock matrix is composed of volcanic rocks, (e.g., tuffs or basalt flows).