-
Direct Current (DC)
Def: The current from a cell in which charged particles in a circuit only travel in one direction from the negative terminal to the positive terminal.
E.g. remote, cell phone, camera, anything that uses batteries and cells.
-
Alternating Current (AC)
Def: Electrons can move back and forth but there is no net movement of electrons in either direction.
E.g. fridge, washer, blender, toaster, anything that needs to be plugged into a wall outlet.
-
Transformer
Def: A transformer is used to change the potential difference of an alternating current to the potential difference needed.
- There are 2 types of transformers a step-up transformer, and a step-down
-
Circuit Breaker
Def: A circuit breaker limits the amount of current in a circuit to prevent overheating in wires.
-
Fuse
Def: Limits the amount of current to set values, prevents over-heating in wires.
-
Electrical Power
Def: The rate an appliance consumes energy measured in watts (W) or kilowatts (kW).
-
Watt (W)
Def: A unit of power, corresponding to the power in an electric circuit.
- Equivalent to one joule per second
-
Kilowatt (kW)
Def: A measure of 1,000 watts of electrical power.
-
Electrical Energy
Def: Energy used by any appliance at given settings measured in kilowatt-hours (kW.h).
-
Kilowatt-Hour (kW.h)
Def: A measure of electrical energy that is equivalent to the power consumption of 1,000 watts or 1 kW for a total of 1 hour.
-
EnerGuide Label
Def: A label giving details on how much energy an appliance ends up using after 1 year with normal use.
-
Smart Meter
Def: A device with a meter that records the total electrical energy used hourly and has the ability to send this information to the utility company automatically.
-
Time of Use Pricing
Def: A pricing system in which the of kW.h of energy is different based on the time of the day.
-
Phantom Load
Def: Electricity that is consumed even when an appliance or device is turned off.
E.g. TV's, clock displays, external power adaptors all require a phantom load
- An easy way to prevent this is to unplug the appliance
-
Efficiency
Def: The ratio of useful energy output to the total energy being input, this is expressed as a percentage.
-
Base Load
Def: The continuing minimum demand of electrical power.
- The minimum amount of electrical power needed in Ontario is 12 000 MW.
- 1 MW = 1 megawatt = 106W
- The base load is met by using nuclear power plants
-
Hydroelectric Power Generation
Def: The production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water.
-
Intermediate Load
Def: A demand for electricity that is considerably greater than the base load and can be met by burning coal and natural gas.
- The intermediate load is met by generating stations that burn fossil fuels
-
Peak Load
Def: The largest and highest demand for electricity which can be met by using hydroelectric power and natural gas.
- The peak load is met by using hydroelectric power or burning natural gas
-
Renewable Energy Source
Def: An energy source that can be easily replaced in a relatively short duration of time.
E.g. Wind power, Hydropower, Solar energy, Biomass, Biofuel, Geothermal energy
-
Non-Renewable Energy Source
Def: A source of energy that cant be replaced as quick and fast as it is consumed.
E.g. nuclear fuel, coal burning.
-
Solar Energy
Def: Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity, using panels to convert the energy from the sun to electricity.
- renewable source of energy
-
Photovoltaic Effect
Def: The creation of voltage or electric current in a material upon exposure to light.
-
Biomass Energy
Def: Biomass is fuel that has been developed from organic materials, it is a renewable and sustainable source of energy used to create electricity and other forms of power.
|
|
