Solar Energy — page 10 of 11

Solar Energy terms

901. Slip rate The rate of motion obtained when the amount of offset is divided by a time interval.
902. Slope failure The downward and outward movement of a mass of rock or unconsolidated materials as a unit. Landslides and slumps are examples.
903. Slope stability The resistance of an inclined surface to failure by sliding or collapsing.
904. Snag Any standing dead, partially dead or defective tree. A hard snag is composed primarily of sound wood.
905. SO₂ See Sulfur dioxide
906. Social disruption Social and psychological dislocation associated with the alteration or breakdown of social life in small rural communities that may occur as a result of…
907. Socioeconomics The social and economic conditions in the study area.
908. Soil compaction Compression of the soil which results in reduced soil pore space (the spaces between soil particles), decreased movement of water and air into and within…
909. Soil deposition A general term for the accumulation of sediments by either physical or chemical sedimentation.
910. Soil horizon A layer of soil developed in response to localized chemical and physical processes resulting from the activities of soil organisms, the addition of…
911. Soil horizon mixing Soil horizon mixing occurs when soil is disturbed by activities such as excavation.
912. Solar Array A group of solar collectors or solar modules connected together.
913. Solar Cell A solar photovoltaic device with a specified area.
914. Solar Collector A device used to collect, absorb, and transfer solar energy to a working fluid.
915. Solar collector array That portion of the solar energy facility containing components that track and capture sunlight and convert it to other useful forms of energy, typically…
916. Solar energy Electromagnetic energy transmitted from the sun (solar radiation). The amount that reaches the earth is equal to one billionth of total solar energy…
917. Solar energy technology Any engineered method for harnessing, storing, and using the Sun's energy.
918. Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) (SEZ) Lands identified by the BLM as best-suited for large-scale production of solar energy.
919. Solar module See Photovoltaic (PV) module
920. Solar Panel See Photovoltaic Module.
921. Solar power tower See Power tower
922. Solar tracking The solar panels can be swiveled using the electric motors to follow the path of the sun exactly in the course of the day to maximize the yields.
923. Sole source aquifer An aquifer that supplies 50 percent or more of the drinking water of an area.
924. Solid waste All unwanted, abandoned, or discarded solid or semisolid material whether or not subject to decomposition, originating from any source.
925. Source Any place or object from which air pollutants are released. Sources that are fixed in space are stationary sources and sources that move are mobile…
926. Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (SWReGAP) (SWReGAP) The Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project is an update of the Gap Analysis Program's mapping and assessment of biodiversity for the five-state region…
927. Special areas Areas of high public interest and containing outstanding natural features or values.
928. Special status species (threatened, endangered, sensitive, rare) Includes both plant and animal species that are proposed for listing, officially listed as threatened or endangered, or are candidates for listing as…
929. Special Use Airspace (SUA) (SUA) Airspace of defined dimensions identified by an area on the surface of the Earth wherein activities must be confined because of their nature and/or…
930. Specially Designated Areas Includes a variety of areas that have received recognition or designation because they possess unique or important resource values.
931. Species of Special Concern A species that may have a declining population, limited occurrence, or low numbers for any of a variety of reasons.
932. Specular reflection Also known as direct reflection, regular reflection, or mirror reflection. The reflection of electromagnetic rays without scattering or diffusion.
933. Spill light Light that falls outside of the area intended to be lighted.
934. Spring The point at which the water table meets Earth's surface, causing water to flow from the ground.
935. Sprinkler system Consists of pipelines which carry water under pressure from a pump or elevated source to lateral lines along which sprinkler heads are spaced at…
936. staging area A designated area where construction equipment is temporarily stored (usually only during the construction phase).
937. State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) (SHPO) The State officer charged with the identification and protection of prehistoric and historic resources in accordance with the National Historic…
938. Steam amendment chemicals Chemicals used to treat raw water to remove certain chemical species, thus amending its hardness or pH, making it suitable for use in a steam cycle.
939. Steam turbine-generator (STG) (STG) A device that uses high-pressure steam, produced in a boiler, to drive the blades of a turbine to produce mechanical energy that can then be used to…
940. Steep slopes Ground surface that rises precipitously above the horizon.
941. Steppe Habitat dominated by shrubs and grasses.
942. STG See Steam turbine generator
943. Stirling Engine A heat engine of the reciprocating (piston) where the working gas and a heat source are independent.
944. Stolon A lateral stem that grows horizontally along the ground surface. Used by some plant species as a mechanism for dispersal, since stolon nodes can…
945. Strain A genetic variant within a species.
946. Strata Single, distinct layers of sediment or sedimentary rock.
947. Stratigraphy (stratigraphic) Layers of sediments and rocks that reflect the geologic history of an area. With respect to cultural resources and archaeological sites, the relative…
948. Stream terrace A remnant of a floodplain surface formed by streams as they carve downward into their floodplains.
949. Stressors Physical, chemical, or biological entities that can induce adverse effects on ecosystems or human health.
950. Strike-slip fault Vertical (or nearly vertical) fractures where the blocks have mostly moved horizontally.
951. Structural fires Fire originating in and burning any part or all of any building, shelter, or other structure.
952. Structure Changes in the shape of the bottom of lakes, rivers, or impoundments, especially those that influence fish behavior.
953. Sub-canopies Woody vegetation that grows beneath the canopy or tree tops of a forest or woodland.
954. Subalpine The upper mountain vegetation immediately below the cold limits of tree and tall shrub growth.
955. Subsidence Sinking or settlement of the land surface, due to any of several processes. As commonly used, the term relates to the vertical downward movement of…
956. Subsistence The practices by which a group or individual acquires food, such as through hunting and gathering, fishing, and agriculture.
957. Substation An electrical installation containing power conversion (and sometimes generation) equipment, such as transformers, compensators, and circuit breakers.
958. Substrate 1. A compound that is altered by an enzyme. 2. Food source for growing cells or micro-organisms. 3. Material on which a sedentary organism lives and grows.
959. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) (SO2) SO2 is a key pollutant in the formation of acid rain and contributes to the formation of fine particles that are associated with significant negative…
960. Sulfur oxides (SO_x) (SOx) Compounds containing sulfur and oxygen, such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfur trioxide (SO3).
961. Surface expression Refers to the physical expression of seismic activity at the ground exterior in the form of a fault rupture or fissure.
962. Surface rupture The breakage of ground along the surface trace of a fault caused by the intersection of the fault surface area ruptured in an earthquake with the Earth's…
963. Surface texture The visual manifestations of the interplay of light and shadow created by the variations in the top of an object or landscape.
964. Surface Water Water on the Earth's surface that is directly exposed to the atmosphere, as distinguished from water in the ground (groundwater).
965. Sustainable yield See Perennial/Safe/Sustainable yield
966. Swale A low place in a tract of land, usually moister, and often having denser vegetation than the adjacent higher land.
967. Swarm (seismic swarm) A localized surge of earthquakes, with no one shock being conspicuously larger than all other shocks of the swarm.
968. 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…
969. Talus Rock debris accumulated at the base of the cliff or slope from which they have broken off.
970. Taxonomy The science of categorization, or classification, of things based on a predetermined system.
971. Tectonic Refers to the rock-deforming processes and resulting structures that occur over large sections of the lithosphere.
972. 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…
973. Terrace A step-like surface, bordering a valley floor or shoreline, that represents the former position of a floodplain, lake, or sea shore.
974. Terrain Topographic layout and features of a tract of land or ground.
975. Terrestrial Things of the land.
976. Tertiary period The earliest period of the Cenozoic era, beginning about 65 million years ago and ending 2.6 million years ago.
977. Tertiary volcanics (Tv) (Tv) Volcanic rocks deposited during the Tertiary period (between 2.8 and 65 million years ago).
978. Texture The visual manifestations of light and shadow created by the variations in the surface of an object or landscape.
979. Texture contrasts Visual contrasts between different objects or landscapes resulting from different visual manifestations of the interplay of light and shadow created by…
980. Thermal Energy The energy developed through the use of heat energy.
981. 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.
982. Thermal water A water body (usually a spring or its outflow) that is produced by geothermally heated groundwater.
983. 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…
984. 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…
985. Thorn forest A type of forest formation, mostly tropical and subtropical, intermediate between desert and steppe, dominated by small trees and shrubs.
986. 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.
987. Topography The shape of the Earth's surface; the relative position and elevations of natural and human-made features of an area.
988. Total dissolved solids (TDS) (TDS) The dry weight of dissolved material, organic and inorganic, contained in water. The term is used to reflect salinity.
989. Toxic air pollutant (TAP) (TAP) See Hazardous air pollutants
990. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) (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…
991. toxicity (tok-SIH-sih-tee) The extent to which something is poisonous or harmful.
992. Tracking array A PV panel array that follows the path of the sun to maximize the solar radiation incident on the PV surface.
993. 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…
994. Transform fault See Fault, transform
995. Translocation (TRANZ-loh-KAY-shun) A genetic change in which a piece of one chromosome breaks off and attaches to another chromosome.
996. 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…
997. Transmission line A set of electrical current conductors, insulators, supporting structures, and associated equipment used to move large quantities of power at high…
998. 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.
999. Travertine A sedimentary rock formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from solution in ground and surface waters, and/or geothermal hot-springs.
1000. 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)…