Energy Choices flashcards

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What is meant by “Coal” in this lesson?Fossil fuels: Coal is a carbon-rich fossil fuel derived largely from transformed ancient plant material.
What is meant by “Petroleum” in this lesson?Fossil fuels: Petroleum is a mixture of hydrocarbons refined into fuels and other products.
What is meant by “Natural gas” in this lesson?Fossil fuels: Natural gas is a gaseous fossil fuel composed mainly of methane.
What is meant by “Combustion emissions” in this lesson?Fossil fuels: Combustion can release carbon dioxide and other pollutants depending on fuel and operating conditions.
What is meant by “Methane leakage” in this lesson?Fossil fuels: Escaped methane contributes to greenhouse warming and must be included in system assessments.
What is meant by “Extraction trade-offs” in this lesson?Fossil fuels: Extraction creates benefits and environmental costs that vary by method, location, and management.
What is meant by “Solar energy” in this lesson?Renewable energy: Solar technologies capture sunlight as heat or electricity.
What is meant by “Wind energy” in this lesson?Renewable energy: Wind turbines convert moving air's kinetic energy into electricity.
What is meant by “Hydropower” in this lesson?Renewable energy: Hydropower converts water's gravitational or kinetic energy into electricity.
What is meant by “Geothermal energy” in this lesson?Renewable energy: Geothermal systems use heat from Earth's interior or shallow ground exchanges, depending on the technology.
What is meant by “Biomass energy” in this lesson?Renewable energy: Biomass energy uses organic material, with impacts depending on sourcing, regrowth, and processing.
What is meant by “Variable generation” in this lesson?Renewable energy: Some renewable outputs vary with weather or time, requiring system planning.
What is meant by “Energy efficiency” in this lesson?Comparing tradeoffs: Efficiency is useful output divided by input under a defined system boundary.
What is meant by “Energy conservation” in this lesson?Comparing tradeoffs: Conservation reduces energy use through changes in behavior or service demand.
What is meant by “Energy storage” in this lesson?Comparing tradeoffs: Storage shifts usable energy between times, with losses and capacity limits.
What is meant by “Grid integration” in this lesson?Comparing tradeoffs: Grid integration balances supply and demand while maintaining reliable electricity service.
What is meant by “Life-cycle emissions” in this lesson?Comparing tradeoffs: Life-cycle emissions include relevant releases across production, operation, and end-of-life stages.
What is meant by “Energy trade-off” in this lesson?Comparing tradeoffs: An energy trade-off balances competing benefits and costs rather than assuming one option dominates every criterion.