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Direct current (DC)
- A current in which charged
- particles travel through a circuit in only one direction
E.g. anything that uses a battery
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Alternating current (AC)
- A current in which electrons move
- back and forth in a circuit
- E.g. anything that is powered by
- an electrical grid
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Transformer
- An electrical device that changes
- the size of the potential difference of an alternating current
- E.g. an object may only need 110V, and a
- transformer will change 1,000V into that
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Circuit breaker
- A safety device that is placed in
- series with other circuits that lead to appliances and outlets
- E.g. usually put in place in case of lightning
- strikes, so that appliances don’t short circuit
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Fuse
- A safety device that is found in
- older buildings and some appliances; like a circuit breaker, it is placed in
- series with other circuits that lead to appliances and outlets
E.g. old houses electrical panels have fuses
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Electrical power
- The rate at which an appliance
- uses electrical energy
E.g. a dryer takes greater electrical power than a toaster
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Watt (W)
- A unit of electrical power; 1
- kilowatt = 1,000W
E.g. a dryer uses 4,510 watts
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Kilowatt (kW)
- A practical unit of electrical
- power; 1kW = 1,000W
E.g. a dryer uses 4.51kW
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Electrical energy
- The energy that is used by an
- appliance at a given stetting; is determined by multiplying its power rating by
- the length of time it is used
- E.g. even though a dryer uses more power, a water heater is
- running for longer, making use more energy
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Kilowatt-hour (kW∙h)
The practical unit of electrical energy
- E.g. the amount of kW∙h of a appliance that uses 5 kW over 2 hours is
- 10kW∙h
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EnerGuide label
A label that gives details about how much energy an appliance uses in one year of normal use
E.g. the rating of a dryer is 912 kW∙h
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Smart meter
- A meter that records the total electrical energy used hour
- by hour and sends this information to the utility company automatically
E.g. found commonly on the side of houses
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Time of pricing
- A system of pricing in which the cost of each kW∙h
- of energy used is different at different times of the day
- E.g. earlier in the day costs less than in the
- afternoon
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Phantom load
- The electricity that is consumed by an appliance or device
- when it is turned off
E.g. toasters, cellphones, tv’s
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Efficiency
The ratio of useful energy output to total energy input, expressed as a percentage
E.g. incandescent light bulbs are 5% efficient
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Base load
The continuous minimum demand for electrical power
E.g. Ontario’s is 12, 000MW
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Hydroelectric power generation
- The generation of electrical power using a source of moving
- water
E.g. using a dam as hydroelectric power generation
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Intermediate load
- A demand for electricity that is greater than the base load
- and is met by burning coal and natural gas
E.g. Ontario’s is 15, 000MW to 20, 000MW
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Peak load
- The greatest demand for electricity, which is met by using hydroelectric
- power and natural gas
E.g. Ontario’s is above 20, 000MW
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Renewable energy source
- A source of energy that can be replaced in a relatively
- short period of time
E.g. solar power, wind energy, hydropower
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Non-renewable energy source
A source of energy that cannot be replaced as quickly as it is used
E.g. fossil fuels
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Solar energy
- Energy that is directly converted from the energy of the sun
- into electricity
E.g. solar panels
-
Photovoltaic effect
- The generation of a direct current when certain materials
- are exposed to light
E.g. solar panels
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Biomass energy
Energy that is generated from plant and animal matter
E.g. burning plants
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