Renewable Energy terms starting with P

142 terms

101. Power conditioning system (PCS) In solar energy facilities, the collection of electrical equipment that converts direct current (DC) from a photovoltaic array to alternating current (AC)…
102. Power production capacity The amount of power that a facility can produce under ideal operating conditions. See also Battery capacity
103. Power tower A type of CSP technology composed of many large, sun-tracking mirrors (heliostats) that focus sunlight on a receiver at the top of a centrally located…
104. Power tower system See Power tower
105. Power, electrical A unit of electrical energy, usually expressed in watts (W), kilowatts (kW), or megawatts (MW). One watt equals 3.14 Btu per hour.
106. Precambrian The oldest and largest division of geologic time, between the consolidation of the Earth's crust and the beginning of the Cambrian period.
107. Precommercial thinning Thinning for timber stand improvement purposes, generally in young, densely stocked stands.
108. Prehistoric The time period before the appearance of written records. In the New World this generally refers to indigenous, precontact societies.
109. Prehistoric resources Refers to any material remains, structures, and items used or modified by people before Euro-Americans established a presence in the region.
110. Prescribed fires Application of fire (by planned or unplanned ignitions) to fuels in either their natural or modified states, under specified conditions, to allow the fire…
111. Prescription A direction written by the physician to the pharmacist for the preparation and use of a medicine or remedy.
112. Present value The current value of a future cash flow or series of cash flows discounted at an appropriate interest rate or rates.
113. Prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) Under the Clean Air Act, a planning and management process for air quality when a new source of air pollution is proposed in an area where ambient air…
114. Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) Program A Federal air pollution permitting program intended to ensure that air quality does not diminish in attainment areas which meet national ambient air…
115. Prey base The assemblage of prey (food) animals available in a given area or habitat to support a predator such as a hawk or cougar.
116. Prior Appropriation Doctrine A system for allocating water rights used in the western United States under which the first person (or entity) to divert water from a source has a…
117. process development unit An experimental facility that establishes proof of concept, preliminary process economics, and engineering feasibility for a pilot or demonstration plant.
118. Process Heat Thermal energy that is used in agricultural and industrial operations.
119. Producer Gas Low or medium Btu content gas, composed mainly of carbon monoxide, nitrogen(2), and hydrogen(2) made by the gasification of wood or coal.
120. Productive machine hours That portion of scheduled operating hours during which a machine performs its designated functions, excluding time to transport the machine and…
121. Programmed timber harvest A timber harvest scheduled by a management plan to occur at a certain rate.
122. Projectile point Any sharp tip of an arrow, spear, or dart.
123. Proof A measure of ethanol content. 1-percent ethanol content equals 2 proof.
124. protein (PRO-teen) A molecule made up of amino acids that are needed for the body to function properly.
125. Proximate Analysis A commonly used analysis for reporting fuel properties; may be on a dry (moisture free) basis, as "fired", or on an ash and moisture free basis.
126. PSD increments The maximum increases in ambient pollution concentrations allowed over baseline concentrations for a pollutant while ensuring that an area continues to…
127. Psi Pounds of pressure per square inch.
128. Psia Pounds/force per square inch absolute.
129. Psig Pounds/force per square inch gauge.
130. Public land Any land and interest in land (outside of Alaska) owned by the United States and administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Land…
131. Public Land Order (PLO) An order affecting, modifying, or cancelling a withdrawal or reservation that has been issued by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to powers of the…
132. Public Land Survey System (PLSS) The survey carried out by the BLM and its predecessors for establishing boundaries and subdivisions of public lands of the United States, using the rules…
133. Public utility commissions State agencies that regulate investor-owned utilities operating in the state.
134. Public utility district (PUD) A publicly owned energy producer or distributor. PUDs operate as special government districts under the authority of elected commissions.
135. Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) A federal law requiring a utility to buy the power produced by a qualifying facility at a price equal to that which the utility would otherwise pay if it…
136. Publicly Owned Treatment Works Permit (POTW) A permit that regulates discharges to publicly owned sewage treatment plants.
137. Pueblo The Spanish word for town. A community dwelling with numerous households within, up to five stories high, built of stone or adobe by Indian tribes in the…
138. Pueblo rights A water right possessed by a municipality which, as a successor of a Spanish or Mexican pueblo, entitled to the beneficial use of all needed…
139. Pulp chips Timber or residues processed into small pieces of wood of more or less uniform dimensions with minimal amounts of bark.
140. Pyroclastic flow High-speed avalanches of hot ash, rock fragments, and gas that move down the sides of a volcano during explosive eruptions or when the steep edge of a…
141. Pyroclastic surge Similar to a pyroclastic flow, but contains a higher proportion of gas to rock and is more turbulent and faster moving.
142. Pyrolysis The transformation on a compound or material into one or more substances by heat alone (without oxidation). Often called destructive distillation.