Renewable Energy — page 9 of 18

Renewable Energy terms

801. Horst An elongated crustal block that is relatively raised between two parallel normal faults or grabens. See also Half-graben
802. Hunter gatherers A term applied to people whose diet is based on hunting, fishing, and gathering, as opposed to domesticating animals or plants.
803. Hunting Includes big- and small-game hunting, waterfowl hunting, and trapping.
804. Hybrid A class that is a mixture or combination of 2 or more classes. For example, a Druid can be viewed as a Warrior/Rogue/Priest hybrid.
805. Hybrid (wet-dry cooling) systems A variation on a dry cooling system. In this hybrid system, small amounts of water are sprayed as a fine mist into the flow of ambient air being directed…
806. Hybrid electric vehicle A vehicle that is powered by two or more energy sources, one of which is electricity.
807. Hydraulic gradient In an aquifer, the rate of change of total head per unit of distance of flow at a given point and in a given direction.
808. Hydraulic load Amount of liquid going into a system.
809. Hydro-compactable, collapsible soil (settlement) Low-density soils that undergo appreciable loss of volume when wetted or subjected to increased load (or both).
810. Hydrocarbon Any chemical compound containing hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon.
811. hydrocracking A process in which hydrogen is added to organic molecules at high pressures and moderate temperatures; usually used as an adjunct to catalytic cracking.
812. Hydroelectric power The generation of electricity using falling water.
813. Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) (HFC) Man-made chemicals, many of which have been developed as alternatives to ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) for industrial, commercial, and consumer…
814. hydrogenation Treatment of substances with hydrogen and suitable catalysts at high temperature and pressure to saturate double bonds.
815. Hydrology The science dealing with the distribution, properties and circulation of water on land, in the soil, and in the atmosphere.
816. Hydrolysis A chemical reaction that uses water to break down a compound.
817. Hydrostratigraphic Grouping of rock and sedimentary units based on the capacity of the rock, sediment, or soil to transmit water.
818. Hypothesis A tentative proposal made to explain certain observations or facts that requires further investigation to be verified.
819. Hz See Hertz
820. Igneous rock A crystalline rock formed by the cooling and solidification of molten or partly molten material (magma).
821. Imhoff treatment system In wastewater treatment, a tank without aeration or oxygenation where solids settle out. The solids are digested in a separate compartment in the bottom.
822. Impact The effect, influence, alteration, or imprint caused by an action.
823. Impermeable Refers to a rock matrix that water cannot infiltrate.
824. Impingement The entrapment of aquatic organisms on the outer part of an intake structure or against a screening device during periods of intake water withdrawal.
825. IMPLAN Input-output economic model based on economic accounts showing the flow of commodities to industries from producers and institutional consumers.
826. Impoundment (surface) A body of water or sludge confined by a dam, dike, floodgate, or other barrier.
827. Impulsive noise Noise from impacts or explosions (e.g., from a pile driver, forging hammer, punch press, or gunshot), which is brief and abrupt, and its startling effects…
828. In attainment In compliance with air-quality standards. Areas that are in attainment have air quality that is as good as or better than specified in the National…
829. In situ (in si'too) the natural or normal place; confined to the site of origin without invasion or spread to neighboring tissues.
830. In-migration People moving into an area.
831. Incidental take permit A permit issued under Section 10 of the Federal Endangered Species Act to private parties undertaking otherwise lawful projects that might result in the…
832. Incinerator Any device used to burn solid or liquid residues or wastes as a method of disposal.
833. Inclined grate A type of furnace in which fuel enters at the top part of a grate in a continuous ribbon, passes over the upper drying section where moisture is removed…
834. Incremental energy costs The cost of producing and transporting the next available unit of electrical energy.
835. Independent Power Producer A company or individual that is not directly regulated as a power provider. These entities produce power for their own use and/or sell it to regulated…
836. Indian trust assets Lands, natural resources, or other assets held in trust or restricted against alienation by the United States for Native American tribes or individual…
837. Indian trust resources Those natural resources, either on or off Indian lands, retained by or reserved by or for Indian tribes through treaties, statutes, judicial decisions…
838. Indirect effects Secondary effects that occur in locations other than that of the initial action or significantly later in time.
839. Indirect impacts Impacts that occur away from the place of origin. Effects that are related to, but removed from, a proposed action by an intermediate step or process.
840. Indirect liquefaction Conversion of biomass to a liquid fuel through a synthesis gas intermediate step.
841. Induction Generator A device that converts the mechanical energy of rotation into electricity based on electromagnetic induction.
842. Induration The hardening of a rock, usually sedimentary, by drying, pressure, or cementation.
843. Industrial waste Materials discarded from industrial operations or derived from manufacturing processes.
844. Infiltration Leakage of ground water into a sewage collection system.
845. Infiltration pond A shallow impoundment designed to infiltrate stormwater into the soil. Also referred to as an infiltration basin.
846. Inflow Water (and pollutants) that enter sewage systems through street inlets, roof drains, and similar sources.
847. Influent Wastewater going into the sewage treatment plant.
848. inoculum (pl.: inocula) 1. A small piece of tissue cut from callus, or an explant from a tissue or organ, or a small amount of cell material from a suspension…
849. Inorganic compounds Those compounds lacking carbon but including carbonates and cyanides. Compounds not having the organized anatomical structure of animal or vegetable life.
850. Inset fans An alluvial fan that occurs on top of an older alluvial fan.
851. Insolation The solar power density incident on a surface of stated area and orientation, usually expressed as Watts per square meter or Btu per square foot per hour.
852. Intaglio An impression, design, or figure created on the ground by man through the placement of rocks or mounding of earth.
853. Integrated resource planning See least cost planning.
854. Intensive management Planned, active treatment to improve the quality and quantity of timber within a stand.
855. Interbasin flow Surface water or groundwater flow between two hydrologic basins.
856. Interbasin transfer of water A transfer of water rights and/or a diversion of water (either groundwater or surface water) from one drainage or hydrographic basin to another.
857. Interbasin transfers The transfer of water to another water management basin.
858. Interconnection A connection or link between power systems that enables them to draw on each other's reserve capacity in time of need.
859. Interdune flat The area between dunes, generally flat and often erosion-resistant.
860. Intermittent Stream A stream that flows for a portion of the year but occasionally is dry or reduced to a pool stage when losses from evaporation or seepage exceed the…
861. Intermontane basin An alluvium-filled valley between mountain ranges, often formed over a graben.
862. Interpretive site Information communicated via plaques, markers, and other methods, about the natural and/or cultural resources, their history and values, that are found at…
863. Interruptible load Energy loads that can be shut off or disconnected at the supplier's discretion or as determined by a contractual agreement between the supplier and the…
864. Intrusive An igneous rock that forms under the Earth's surface. Examples include granite, diorite, and gabbro.
865. Invasive species Any species, including noxious and exotic species, that is an aggressive colonizer and can out-compete indigenous species.
866. Invertebrate An animal, such as an insect or mollusk, that lacks a backbone or spinal column.
867. Inverter A device that converts direct current electricity (from for example a solar photovoltaic module or array) to alternating current for use directly to…
868. Investment Tax Credit A tax credit granted for specific types of investments.
869. Investor Owned Utility (IOU) (IOU) A power provider owned by stockholders or other investors; sometimes referred to as a private power provider, in contrast to a public power provider that…
870. Irradiance The direct, diffuse, and reflected solar radiation that strikes a surface.
871. Irrigation The controlled application of water for agricultural purposes through manmade systems to supply water requirements that are not satisfied by rainfall.
872. Irrigation Non-Expansion Area (INA) (INA) A geographic area in Arizona that has been designated as having insufficient groundwater to provide a reasonably safe supply for the irrigation of the…
873. Issues Unresolved conflicts regarding alternative uses of available resources. Subjects of public interest.
874. Junior water rights Water rights that are more recent than older or more senior rights. See also Senior water rights
875. Just-in-time ordering A strategy for managing materials used at a project that ensures materials become available as needed to support activities, but are not stockpiled at the…
876. Key observation point(s) (KOP) One or a series of points on a travel route or at a use area or a potential use area, where the view of a management activity would be most revealing.
877. Kilowatt A unit of electrical power equal to 1,000 watts (W).
878. Kilowatt (kW) (kW) A standard unit of electrical power equal to one thousand watts, or to the energy consumption at a rate of 1000 Joules per second.
879. Kilowatt hour (kWh) (kWh) A measure of energy equivalent to the expenditure of one kilowatt for one hour. For example, 1 kWh will light a 100-watt light bulb for 10 hours.
880. Kiva An underground (or partially underground) ceremonial room or chamber used in ancient and modern Pueblo villages.
881. Klason lignin Lignin obtained from wood after the non-lignin components of the wood have been removed with a prescribed sulfuric acid treatment.
882. Knob A small hilltop that is round in shape.
883. Known Geothermal Area (KGA) (KGA) A region identified by the U.S. Geological Survey as containing geothermal resources.
884. Knutson-Vandenberg Act (KV) (KV) Federal law that allows the U.S. Forest Service to collect money from a timber sale for resource enhancement, protection, and improvement work in the…
885. kraft process Chemical pulping process in which lignin is dissolved by a solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide.
886. L_dn 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…
887. L_eq 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…
888. 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…
889. 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.
890. Lag gravel Residual deposit of coarse material that has had the finer fraction removed by a transporting agent, usually wind or water.
891. 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.
892. 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…
893. Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) (LCDC) In Oregon, a commission appointed to determine land use policy.
894. Land cover The physical coverage of land, usually expressed in terms of vegetation cover or lack of it.
895. 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…
896. Land disturbance in natural drainage systems Any movement (e.g., grading or excavation) of soil or sediment in a natural drainageway.
897. Land subsidence The sinking or settling of land to a lower level in response to various natural and man-caused factors.
898. Land Use The manner in which a parcel of land is used or occupied.
899. Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) (LUBA) In Oregon, a seven-member board appointed to adjudicate land use disputes.
900. 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…