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TEEIC - Energy affairs Category: Earth and Environment > Energy terms Date & country: 28/02/2017, UK Words: 518

NPDES
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

NESHAPs
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants.

NHPA
National Historic Preservation Act.

Nitrogen oxide
(NOx) A product of photochemical reactions of nitric oxide in ambient air; the major component of photochemical smog.

Nitrous oxide
(N2O) A powerful greenhouse gas with a global warming potential of 296 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2). Major sources of nitrous oxide include soil cultivation practices, especially the use of commercial and organic fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, nitric acid production, and biomass burning.

NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

NEPA
National Environmental Policy Act.

Natural-draft cooling tower
A heat removal device used to transfer process waste heat to the atmosphere using the buoyancy of the exhaust air rising in a tall chimney-like structure to provide the draft.

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials
(NORM) Radioactive materials that are found in nature.

Near shore
The region seaward of the shore (from approximately the step at the base of the surf zone) extending offshore to the toe of the shore face. Nearshore is a general term to mean various areas of the coastal zone, ranging from the shoreline to the edge of the continental shelf.

Natural gas compressor station
A facility that is used to compress natural gas in order to create additional pressure to increase the amount of gas a pipeline can hold, help move it through a pipeline, or to move it into or from storage.

National Historic Trail
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 trails or routes of travel with national historical significance.

Native American
A person culturally identified with a tribe that is indigenous to the United States.

Natural gas
Those hydrocarbons, other than oil and other than natural gas liquids, that occur naturally in the gaseous phase in the reservoir and are produced and recovered at the wellhead in gaseous form.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS) Standards established by the Clean Air Act, as amended. The primary NAAQS specify maximum outdoor air concentrations of criteria pollutants that would protect the public health within an adequate margin of safety. The secondary NAAQS specify maximum concentrations that would protect the public welfare from any known or anticipated adverse effects of a pollutant.

National Historic Preservation Act
Requires federal agencies to take into account the effects of their actions on historical and archaeological resources and consider opportunities to minimize their impacts.

NAGPRA
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Mud pot
A type of hot spring that contains boiling mud, typically sulfurous and often multicolored; tends to be associated with geysers and other hot springs in volcanic zones. Also known as painted pot or sulfur-mud pool.

Municipal solid waste
Waste material from households and businesses that is not regulated as hazardous. Any organic matter, including sewage, industrial, and commercial wastes, from municipal waste collection systems. Municipal waste does not include agricultural and wood wastes or residues.

Nacelle
The housing that protects the major components (e.g., generator and gear box) of a wind turbine. It is located behind the turbine blades.

Mud
Mud is drilling fluid that consists mainly of a mixture of water, or oil distillate, and `heavy` minerals such as bentonite or barites.

Molecular sieve
A material containing tiny pores of a precise and uniform size that is used as an adsorbent for gases and liquids.

Mitigation
Actions taken to avoid, minimize, rectify, or compensate for any adverse environmental impact.

MMS
Minerals Management Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. In June 2010, this agency was renamed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE).

Moisture content
(MC) The weight of the water contained in wood, usually expressed as a percentage of weight, either oven-dry or as received.

Methyl alcohol
(CH3OH) A light, volatile alcohol eligible for gasoline blending (also known as wood alcohol). Commercially, it is typically made by steam reforming natural gas. Also formed in the destructive distillation of wood.

Microalgae
Single-cell, photosynthetic organisms found in freshwater and seawater and capable of being harvested as an agricultural energy crop. Microalgae are known for their rapid growth and high energy content.

microhydropower facilities
A micro hydropower plant that has a capacity of up to 100 kilowatts (less than 100 kilowatt hours average per year).

Micrositing
A strategy that places facilities (such as wind turbines) in locations where maximum power production is possible throughout the year.

Methane
A colorless, flammable, odorless hydrocarbon gas (CH4) that is the major component of natural gas. It is also an important source of hydrogen in various industrial processes. Methane is produced through anaerobic (without oxygen) decomposition of waste in landfills, animal digestion, decomposition of animal wastes, production and distribution of natural gas and petroleum, coal production, and incomplete fossil fuel combustion. Methane is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential most recently estimated at 23 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2). See also Coal bed methane.

Megajoule
(MJ) One million watts. A unit used for measuring large amounts of energy. "Mega" means 1 million; therefore, a megajoule is 1,000,000 joules. 1 megajoule is approximately equal to 238,846 calories or 0.27778 kW/hr.

Megawatt
(MW) One million watts of electricity.

Meteorological (monitoring) towers
A wind monitoring system that measures meteorological information such as wind speed, wind direction, and temperature at various heights above the ground. These data are used to evaluate the wind resource at a specific location.

low-head hydropower plants
Small-scale hydropower facilities that can extract energy from small headwater dams.

Magma
Molten rock within the Earth, from which igneous rock is formed by cooling. Source of heat beneath the surface.

MBTA
Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Mechanical-draft cooling tower
A closed-cycle cooling system whereby ambient air interacts with cooling water via large fans or other mechanical devices, thereby removing heat from the water by evaporation (evaporative cooling tower) or by conduction/convection (dry cooling tower).

Log
A systematic recording of data, as from the driller’s log, mud log, electrical well log, or radioactivity log. Many different logs may be run to obtain various characteristics of downhole formations.

Longwave radiation
The radiation emitted in the spectral wavelength greater than 4 micrometers, which corresponds to the radiation emitted from the Earth and the atmosphere. See also infrared radiation.

low head
Where the head water level at station intake and the tail water level at station discharge is 66 ft or less.

Lignocellulose
Refers to plant materials made up primarily of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose.

Liquefaction
The process of converting biomass from a solid to a liquid or converting a gas to a liquid for use as a fuel. The conversion process is a chemical change that takes place at elevated temperatures and pressures, such as through heating, grinding, and blending with another liquid.

Liter
(L) Metric unit of volume equal to approximately 1.056 liquid quarts, 0.908 dry quart, or 0.264 gallon.

Lock
A structure adjacent to a dam or in a canal to allow passage of vessels from one water level to another. The lock consists of a chamber, with gates at either end, in which water is raised or lowered. Navigation locks and dams do not normally store flood waters.

Lignin
An amorphous polymer that, together with cellulose, forms the cell walls of woody plants. Lignin acts as the bonding agent between cells.

Leaching
The process by which soluble substances are dissolved and transported down through the soil by recharge.

Landfill gas
Gas that is generated by decomposition of organic material at landfill disposal sites. Landfill gas is approximately 50^% methane.

Lava
Magma that reaches the Earth's surface and issues from volcanoes.

Laydown area
An area that has been cleared for the temporary storage of equipment and supplies. To ensure accessibility and safe maneuverability for transport and off-loading of vehicles, laydown areas are usually covered with rock and/or gravel.

Kilogram
(kg) The base unit of mass in the International System, equal to 1,000 grams (2.2046 pounds)

Kilometer
(km) 1,000 meters in length or approximatelly 0.62 mile.

Kilowatt
(kW) One thousand watts of electricity.

Land use
The way land is developed and used by humans.

ITEP
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals .

Invasive plants
Any species, including noxious and exotic species, that is an aggressive colonizer and can out-compete indigenous species.

Invasive species
A species that is not native (or is alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health (Executive Order 13112). It includes any species, including noxious and exotic species, that is an aggressive colonizer and can out-compete species native to the area.

Inverter
A device that converts direct current electricity to alternating current either for standalone systems or to supply power to an electricity grid.

Intertribal Council on Utility Policy
(ICOUP) A non-profit organization providing a forum for discussion of utility development issues, including policy analysis and recommendations and technical workshops, with an emphasis on wind energy development.

interim reclamation
Temporary reclamation initiated to stabilize disturbed surfaces on well pads, roads, and pipelines prior to final reclamation.

intake
A structure that diverts water into a conduit leading to the power plant.

Installed capacity
Production capacity of a plant based either on its rated (nameplate) capacity or actual (practically determined) capacity.

Insulator
Something that does not allow electricity to flow through it easily. Glass and special rubber are good insulators. Insulators do not allow electricity to flow through them easily because the electrons in their atoms do not move easily from atom to atom.

Inlet
1) A short, narrow waterway connecting a smaller body of water with a large parent body of water; 2) An arm of the sea or other body of water, that is long compared to its width, and may extend a considerable distance inland; 3) A connecting passage between two bodies of water. Typically refers to tidal openings in barrier islands, but can also be applied to river mouths in tidal and non-tidal environments.

Industrial waste
Materials discarded from industrial operations or derived from manufacturing processes.

INGAA
Interstate Natural Gas Association of America.

Injection
The process of returning spent geothermal fluids to the subsurface. Sometimes referred to as reinjection.

Injection well
A well that is used to inject fluids into subsurface formations. Injection wells may be used for the disposal of produced water or to inject fluids (e.g., produced water, carbon dioxide, steam) into hydrocarbon producing formations to increase or maintain reservoir pressure or otherwise enhance the hydrocarbon recovery. An injection well can also be used to inject carbon dioxide into geologic formations that do not contain oil but that are otherwise well-suited for carbon sequestration.

ICLEI
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.

IEED
Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Immobile herbicides
Herbicides that stay in place until they are eventually degraded.

Impermeable
Not permitting the passage of a fluid.

Impoundment
The accumulation of any form of water in a reservoir or other storage area.

hydropower facility, pumped storage
When the demand for electricity is low, a pumped storage facility stores energy by pumping water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir. During periods of high electrical demand, the water is released back to the lower reservoir to generate electricity.

Hydrothermal
Pertaining to hot water.

hypolimnion
The bottom and most dense layer of a stratified lake. It is typically the coldest layer in the summer and warmest in the winter. It is isolated from wind mixing and typically too dark for any appreciable plant photosynthesis to occur.

hydropower facility, impoundment
The most common type of hydroelectric power plant is an impoundment facility. An impoundment facility, typically a large hydropower system, uses a dam to store river water in a reservoir. Water released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, spinning it, which in turn activates a generator to produce electricity. The water may be released to meet changing electricity needs or to maintain a constant reservoir level.

Hydrologic conduits
Channels for carrying water or other fluids, such as pipes and aqueducts.

Hydrology
The science that deals with the properties, distribution, and circulation of surface and subsurface water.

hydropower
The use of water to power machinery or make electricity. Water moves constantly through a vast global cycle, evaporating from lakes and oceans, forming clouds, precipitating as rain or snow, then flowing back down to the ocean. The energy of this water cycle, which is driven by the sun, can be tapped to produce electricity or for mechanical tasks like grinding grain. Hydropower uses a fuel -- water -- that is not reduced or used up in the process. Because the water cycle is an endless, constantly recharging system, hydropower is considered a renewable energy resource.

Hydrogen sulfide
(H2S) Colorless, toxic, and flammable gas emitted during organic decomposition. Also a by-product of oil refining and burning. Responsible for the foul odor of rotten eggs.

Hydrokinetic energy
Energy that can be captured from flowing water that occurs in rivers or ocean currents. This includes ocean wave energy, tidal energy, river-in-stream energy, and ocean current energy.

Hydrocarbons
A compound formed from carbon and hydrogen, e.g., oil and gas.

Hopper
A funnel-shaped device used for transferring products.

Horizontal axis turbine
A turbine where the axis is oriented horizontally along the seafloor, parallel to the flow of the current.

Hot Dry Rock
(HDR) Subsurface geologic formation of abnormally high heat content that contains little or no water.

Hydraulic fracturing
(Hydrofracturing) Fracturing of rock at depth with fluid pressure. Hydraulic fracturing at depth may be accomplished by pumping water into a well at very high pressures. Under natural conditions, vapor pressure may rise high enough to cause fracturing in a process known as hydrothermal brecciation. See also Fracturing.

HMTA
Hazardous Materials Transportation Act.

Hogged fuel or hog fuel
Wood residues processed through a chipper or mill to produce coarse chips normally used for fuel. Bark, sawdust, plner shavings, wood chunks, dirt, and fines may be included.

Hemicellulose
Any of several polysaccharides found in plant cell walls that are more complex than a sugar and less complex than cellulose.

herbicides
Chemicals used to kill undesirable vegetation.

High tide
The maximum elevation reached by each rising tide.

Historic properties
Any prehistoric or historic sites, districts, buildings, structures, or objects included in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places maintained by the Secretary of the Interior. They include artifacts, records, and remains that are related to and located within such properties.

head pond
A pond that is used to store water for a hydroelectric project.

Heat exchanger
A device for transferring thermal energy from one fluid to another.

Heat flow
Movement of heat from within the Earth to the surface, where it dissipates into the atmosphere, surface water, and space by radiation.

Hectare
(ha) An area equal to 2.47 acres. There are 100 hectares in 1 square kilometer.

Hazardous material
Any material that poses a threat to human health and/or the environment. Hazardous materials are typically toxic, corrosive, ignitable, explosive, or chemically reactive.

Hazardous waste
Byproducts of society that can pose a substantial or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly managed. Possesses at least one of four characteristics (ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity), or appears on special U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists.

head
Vertical change in elevation, expressed in either feet or meters, between the head water level and the tail water level.

Hammermill
A device consisting of a rotating head with free-swinging hammers that reduce chips or hogged fuel to a predetermined particle size through a perforated screen.