Renewable Energy terms starting with T

67 terms

Take Under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, it means to pursue, shoot, shoot at, poison, wound, kill, capture, trap, collect, destroy, molest, or…
Talus Rock debris accumulated at the base of the cliff or slope from which they have broken off.
TAR A liquid product of thermal processing of carbonaceous materials.
Taxonomy The science of categorization, or classification, of things based on a predetermined system.
Tectonic Refers to the rock-deforming processes and resulting structures that occur over large sections of the lithosphere.
Tephra A general term for fragments of volcanic rock and lava, regardless of size, that are blasted into the air by explosions or carried upward by hot gases in…
Terrace A step-like surface, bordering a valley floor or shoreline, that represents the former position of a floodplain, lake, or sea shore.
Terrain Topographic layout and features of a tract of land or ground.
Terrestrial Things of the land.
Tertiary period The earliest period of the Cenozoic era, beginning about 65 million years ago and ending 2.6 million years ago.
Tertiary volcanics (Tv) Volcanic rocks deposited during the Tertiary period (between 2.8 and 65 million years ago).
Texture The visual manifestations of light and shadow created by the variations in the surface of an object or landscape.
Texture contrasts Visual contrasts between different objects or landscapes resulting from different visual manifestations of the interplay of light and shadow created by…
Therm A unit of heat containing 100,000 British thermal units (Btu).
Thermal cover Vegetative condition, generally with greater than 70% canopy closure and 40 feet in height, that can significantly ameliorate weather effects such as…
Thermal Efficiency A measure of the efficiency of converting a fuel to energy and useful work; useful work and energy output divided by higher heating value of input fuel…
Thermal Energy The energy developed through the use of heat energy.
Thermal inertia The amount of heat energy that must be present in, preserved, or added to a system (in this case, a CSP facility) before it can function as designed.
Thermal resource A facility that produces electricity by using a heat engine to power an electric generator.
Thermal water A water body (usually a spring or its outflow) that is produced by geothermally heated groundwater.
thermochemical conversion The use of heat to change substances chemically to produce energy products.
Thermochemical conversion process Chemical reactions employing heat to produce fuels.
Thermoelectric (power) water use Water used in generating electricity with steam-driven turbine generators. Power plants that burn coal and oil are examples of thermoelectric-power…
Thin film A layer of semiconductor material, such as copper indium diselenide or gallium arsenide, a few microns or less in thickness, used to make solar…
Thorn forest A type of forest formation, mostly tropical and subtropical, intermediate between desert and steppe, dominated by small trees and shrubs.
Threatened species Any species that is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Threatened, endangered and sensitive species (TE&S) Formal classifications of species. Sensitive: Species for which population viability is a concern.
Timber stand improvement Intermediate pruning, weeding, and thinning of a stand of timber prior to its reaching mature rotation age to improve growing conditions and control stand…
Timberland Forest land capable of producing 20 cubic feet of wood per acre per year.
Tipping fee A fee for disposal of waste.
Topography The shape of the Earth's surface; the relative position and elevations of natural and human-made features of an area.
Topping and back pressure turbines Turbines which operate at exhaust pressure considerably higher than atmospheric (noncondensing turbines).
Topping cycle A means to increase the thermal efficiency of a steam electric generating system by increasing temperatures and interposing a device, such as a gas…
Total dissolved solids (TDS) The dry weight of dissolved material, organic and inorganic, contained in water. The term is used to reflect salinity.
total lignin The sum of the acid soluble lignin and acid insoluble lignin fractions.
total solids The amount of solids remaining after all volatile matter has been removed from a biomass sample by heating at 105°C to constant weight.
Total suspended particulates (TSP) The quantity of solid particles in a gas or exhaust stream. Any finely divided material (solid or liquid) that is airborne with a diameter smaller than a…
Toxic air pollutant (TAP) See Hazardous air pollutants
Toxic substances A chemical or mixture of chemicals that presents a high risk of injury to human health or to the environment.
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), passed in 1976, requires tests of chemicals that may harm human health or the environment; reviews of new…
toxicity (tok-SIH-sih-tee) The extent to which something is poisonous or harmful.
toxics As defined in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, toxics include benzene, 1,3 butadiene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and polycyclic organic matter.
Tracking array A PV panel array that follows the path of the sun to maximize the solar radiation incident on the PV surface.
Traditional cultural property A property that is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places because of its association with cultural practices or beliefs of a…
transesterification A chemical process which reacts an alcohol with the triglycerides contained in vegetable oils and animal fats to produce biodiesel and glycerin.
Transform fault See Fault, transform
Translocation (TRANZ-loh-KAY-shun) A genetic change in which a piece of one chromosome breaks off and attaches to another chromosome.
Transmission To cause spread of germs.
Transmission corridor An electric or pipeline transmission corridor is a route approved on public lands, in a BLM or other federal agency land use plan, as a location that may…
Transmission line A set of electrical current conductors, insulators, supporting structures, and associated equipment used to move large quantities of power at high…
Transmissivity The rate at which water of the prevailing kinematic viscosity is transmitted through a unit width of the aquifer under a unit hydraulic gradient.
Traveling Grate A furnace grate that moves fuel through the combustion chamber.
Travertine A sedimentary rock formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from solution in ground and surface waters, and/or geothermal hot-springs.
Tree measurement sale A type of timber sale contract in which the buyer and seller agree upon the volume at the time of the sale.
Tribal land In NAGPRA, tribal land is defined as: (a) all lands within the exterior boundaries of any Indian reservation; (b) all dependent Indian communities; (c)…
Tribe Term used to designate a federally recognized group of American Indians and their governing body. Tribes may be composed of more than one band.
Tributary A creek, stream, or river that feeds a larger stream or river, or lake.
triglyceride A triglyceride is an ester of glycerol and three fatty acids. Most animal fats are composed primarily of triglycerides.
Troposphere The layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth's surface.
Tsunami Ocean wave produced by earthquakes or underwater landslides.
Tuff Volcanic rock made up of rock and mineral fragments in volcanic ash matrix. Tuffs commonly are composed of much shattered volcanic rock glass—chilled…
Tundra See Arctic tundra; Alpine tundra
Turbidity The relative clarity of water, which may be affected by material in suspension in the water.
Turbine A device for converting the flow of a fluid (air, steam, water, or hot gases) into mechanical motion.
Turn Down Ratio The ratio of a boiler's or gasifier's maximum output to its minimum output.
Turn of logs A group of logs yarded at the same time by the same machine.
Turnkey system A system which is built, engineered, and installed to the point of readiness for operation by the owner.