Solar Energy terms starting with N

36 terms

  1. NAAQS See National Ambient Air Quality Standards
  2. Nameplate rating The maximum power-generating capacity of a generator or power-generating facility.
  3. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) Federal standards established by the Clean Air Act.
  4. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) Requires federal agencies to prepare a detailed statement on the environmental impacts of their proposed major actions that are significantly affecting…
  5. National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) A federal law providing that property resources with significant national historic value be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  6. National Historic Trails These trails are designated by Congress under the National Trails System Act of 1968 and follow, as closely as possible, on federal land, the original…
  7. National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) Created by the BLM in June 2000 to increase public awareness of BLM lands with scientific, cultural, educational, ecological, and other values.
  8. National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) A federal permitting system controlling the discharge of effluents to surface water and regulated through the Clean Water Act, as Amended.
  9. National Recreation Area An area designated by Congress to assure the conservation and protection of natural, scenic, historic, pastoral, fish, and wildlife values, and to provide…
  10. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) A comprehensive list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archaeology…
  11. National Scenic Byway See All-American Roads
  12. Native American Of, or relating to, a tribe, people, or culture that is indigenous to the United States. (See Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act)
  13. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) This act established the priority for ownership or control of Native American cultural items excavated or discovered on federal or tribal land after 1990…
  14. Natural drainages Natural systems that convey water (such as a stream channel) that may be perennial, intermittent, or ephemeral.
  15. NatureServe A nonprofit organization that provides the scientific information and tools needed to guide effective conservation action.
  16. NatureServe Explorer A Web site from NatureServe that provides authoritative conservation information in a searchable database for more than 70,000 plants, animals, and…
  17. Neotropical migrants Birds (especially songbirds) that summer in North America but migrate to the tropics for the winter.
  18. NEPA See National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
  19. Net emissions Applied to greenhouse gas emissions inventory in this report. "Net emissions" means gross emissions (including all industrial activities, mostly fossil…
  20. Night-sky impact An interference with enjoyment of dark night skies resulting from light pollution.
  21. Nighttime mean rural background level Nighttime (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) average sound level in the rural environment, from all sources, rather than a particular noise that is of interest.
  22. Nitrogen dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>) A toxic, reddish-brown gas that is a strong oxidizing agent, produced by combustion (as of fossil fuels).
  23. Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) The products of all combustion processes formed by the combination of nitrogen and oxygen.
  24. NO<sub>2</sub> See Nitrogen dioxide
  25. NO<sub>x</sub> See Nitrogen oxides
  26. Noise Any unwanted sound that interferes with speech and hearing, causes damage to hearing, or annoys a person.
  27. Noise criteria Quantitative noise limits, below which it is acceptable for people to hear. Typically, noise criteria are specified in ordinances, regulations, or…
  28. Non-point source pollution Pollution whose source is not specific in location; the sources of the pollutant discharge are dispersed, not well defined or constant.
  29. Nonattainment Area The EPA's designation for an air quality control region (or portion thereof) in which ambient air concentrations of one or more criteria pollutants exceed…
  30. Nongame species Those species not commonly harvested either for sport or profit.
  31. Nonmarket value Most environmental goods and services, such as clean air and water, and healthy fish and wildlife populations, are not traded in markets, meaning that…
  32. Nonpoint light source A light source that is sufficiently large in size and close enough to the viewer to appear as an illuminated surface rather than a star-like point of…
  33. Nonpoint sources Diffuse pollution sources (i.e., without a single point of origin or not introduced into a receiving stream from a specific outlet).
  34. Nonroad mobile sources (emissions) Sources such as farm and construction equipment, gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment, and power boats and outdoor motors that emit pollutants.
  35. Noxious weeds Those plants regulated by law or those that are so difficult to control that early detection is important.
  36. Nurse plants Mature plants that create favorable conditions for seeds to germinate and for seedlings to survive and grow.