Glossary Page

Artificial: An imitation produced by human skill. Eco-Friendly: not harmful to the environment. Fossil Fuels: Fuels such as coal or petroleum that are formed from the remains of plants or animals that lived millions of years ago, and produce carbon monoxide when burned. Geographic: of or pertaining to the natural features, population, industries, etc., of a region or regions. Hydroelectric: pertaining to the generation and distribution of electricity derived from the energy of falling water or any other hydraulic source. Megawatt: a unit of power, equal to one million watts. Abbreviation: MW Nonrenewable Energy: An energy source, such as oil or natural gas, or a natural resource, such as a metallic ore, that is not replaceable after it has been used. Power Plant: a plant, including engines, dynamos, etc., and the building or buildings necessary for the generation of power, as electric or nuclear power. Renewable Energy: An energy or resource, such as solar energy or firewood, that is inexhaustible or replaceable by new growth. Turbine: any of various machines having a rotor, usually with vanes or blades, driven by the pressure, momentum, or reactive thrust of a moving fluid, as steam, water, hot gases, or air, either occurring in the form of free jets or as a fluid passing through and entirely filling a housing around the rotor. Watt: the SI unit of power, equivalent to one joule per second and equal to the power in a circuit in which a current of one ampere flows across a potential difference of one volt. Abbreviation: W. Back to top.