Renewable Energy terms starting with L

85 terms

L<sub>dn</sub> 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…
L<sub>eq</sub> 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…
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…
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.
Lag gravel Residual deposit of coarse material that has had the finer fraction removed by a transporting agent, usually wind or water.
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.
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…
Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) In Oregon, a commission appointed to determine land use policy.
Land cover The physical coverage of land, usually expressed in terms of vegetation cover or lack of it.
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…
Land disturbance in natural drainage systems Any movement (e.g., grading or excavation) of soil or sediment in a natural drainageway.
Land subsidence The sinking or settling of land to a lower level in response to various natural and man-caused factors.
Land Use The manner in which a parcel of land is used or occupied.
Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) In Oregon, a seven-member board appointed to adjudicate land use disputes.
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…
Land withdrawal Withdrawals are governed by regulations issued under FLPMA, contained in 43 CFR Part 2300.
Landfill Gas Methane gas that forms in landfills from the decay of organic materials. The gas can be collected and used for power generation.
Landform Any feature of the Earth's surface having a distinct shape and origin. Landforms include major features (such as continents, ocean basins, plains…
Landing A cleared working area on or near a timber harvest site at which processing steps are carried out.
Landmark Type of reference point external to the observer. Usually a simply defined physical object.
Landscape A region consisting of interacting ecosystems determined by geology, soils, climate, biota, and human influences.
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…
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.
Late Archaic The period 3,000 to 1,500 years B.P.
Late seral species Shade tolerant species, primarily vine maple shrubs and western red cedar and western hemlock trees.
Late seral treatment A treatment in which late seral species will be established after thinning.
Late-successional forest Forest seral stages which include mature and old- growth age classes.
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.
Latite An igneous, volcanic (extrusive) rock.
Lava Magma that reaches the Earth's surface and issues from volcanoes.
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.
Lava tubes Natural conduits through which lava moves beneath the surface of a lava flow during a volcanic eruption.
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…
Laydown area An area that has been cleared for the temporary storage of equipment and supplies.
Leachates Liquids percolated through waste piles. Leachate can include various minerals, organic matter, or other contaminants and can contaminate surface water or…
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…
Leasable minerals Federal minerals such as coal, oil shale, oil, gas, phosphate, potash, sodium, tar sands, geothermal resources, potassium, asphaltic materials, and all…
Lease A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent).
Least cost planning (integrated resource planning) A method of power planning that recognizes load uncertainty, embodies an emphasis on risk management, and reviews all…
Left-lateral fault See Fault, left-lateral
Lek A communal mating area within which males of certain species hold small territories, which they use solely for courtship and copulation.
Lentic environment An aquatic ecosystem in which the water is still and not rapidly moving, such as is found in ponds and swamps.
Levelized Life Cycle Cost A total life cycle cost divided into equal amounts.
LH2O The heat (Btu) needed to vaporize and superheat one pound of water.
License a contract in which the owner of the patent grants another person or company permission to make, use, or sell the patented invention.
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…
Light fixture An electrical device used to create artificial light and/or illumination.
Light pollution Any adverse effect of human-made lighting, such as excessive illumination of night-skies by artificial light.
Light spillage An undesirable condition in which light is cast where it is not wanted. (Also referred to as light trespass.)
Light trespass See Light spillage
lignin A group of high-molecular-weight amorphous polymers of phenylpropanoid compounds, giving strength to certain tissues. A major component of wood.
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.
lignin ratio of MeO to C9 Lignin empirical formulae are based on ratios of methoxy groups to phenylpropanoid groups (MeO:C9).
lignocellulose The combination of lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose that forms the structural framework of plant cell walls.
Limestone A sedimentary rock made mostly of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate). Limestone is usually formed from shells of once-living organisms or other…
line See Groove
Lineament A straight topographic feature of regional extent that is thought to represent crustal structure.
Liner A relatively impermeable barrier designed to keep leachate inside a landfill. Liner materials include plastic and dense clay.
Liquefaction Enzymatic digestion (often by alpha-amylase) of gelatinized starch to form lower molecular weight polysaccharides.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) Natural gas that has been condensed to a liquid by cooling the gas.
Liquid hydrocarbon One of a very large group of chemical compounds composed only of carbon and hydrogen. The largest source of hydrocarbons is petroleum.
Lithic Relating to stone or rock.
Lithic debitage Debris produced during stone (lithic) tool manufacture.
Lithic scatter A distribution of cultural items that consists primarily of lithic (stone) material.
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.
Livestock guzzler A watering system for cattle and other livestock that maintains a set water level as water is used.
Livestock watering area Water used for livestock watering, feed lots, dairy operations, fish farming, and other on-farm needs.
Load Commissions charged on the purchase or sale of mutual fund units.
Load factor The ratio of average energy demand (load) to maximum demand (peak load) during a specific period.
Load Management To influence the demand on a power source.
Loam A soil consisting of an easily crumbled mixture of clay, silt, and sand.
Locatable Minerals Minerals or materials subject to disposal and development through the Mining Law of 1872 (as amended).
LODE A mineralized ledge, vein or mineral deposit in place.
Lode mining claim A claim based on the presumption that the valuable mineral is a part of a bed-rock lode, vein, stockwork, stratum, or intrusion and is not dominantly a…
Loess A group of windblown soils, largely comprising silt, weakly cemented by calcite.
Log choker A length of cable or chain that is wrapped around a log or harvested tree to secure the log to the winch cable of a skidder or to an overhead cable…
Logging residues The unused portion of wood and bark left on the ground after harvesting merchantable wood.
Long Ton A unit that equals 20 long hundredweight or 2,240 pounds. Used mainly in England.
Long-term productivity The capacity of a site to support forest ecosystems over generations of humans and trees as measured against some defined reference.
Low-income population Persons whose average family income is below the poverty line. The poverty line takes into account family size and age of individuals in the family.
Low-level magnetic fields Fields of force that are generated whenever electric current flows. The sun's average large-scale magnetic field, and the Earth's, exhibit a north and a…
Lower Heating Value (LHV) The heating value is the amount of heat released during the combustion of a specific substance, usually a fuel or food.
lower heating value (LLV) The heat produced by combusting one unit of a substance, at atmospheric pressure under conditions such that all water in the products remains in the form…
Lowest achievable emissions rate (LAER) Used to describe air emissions control technology. A rate of emissions defined by the permitting agency.
Luminaire A complete lighting unit consisting of a lamp(s), housing, and connection to the power circuit.