Solar Energy terms starting with T

40 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.
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…
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 water A water body (usually a spring or its outflow) that is produced by geothermally heated groundwater.
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.
Topography The shape of the Earth's surface; the relative position and elevations of natural and human-made features of an area.
Total dissolved solids (TDS) The dry weight of dissolved material, organic and inorganic, contained in water. The term is used to reflect salinity.
Toxic air pollutant (TAP) See Hazardous air pollutants
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.
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…
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 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.
Travertine A sedimentary rock formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from solution in ground and surface waters, and/or geothermal hot-springs.
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.
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.