Thermal Glossary
Acid rain
- Occurs when sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide gases react in the atmosphere with water vapor to form acidic compounds. These compounds can travel hundreds of kilometres before falling to the earth as rain, drizzle, snow or dry particles (this fallout is also known as “acid precipitation” or “acid deposition”).
- Electric current that reverses its direction many times per second; AC current can be lowered or increased, making it suitable for transmission over long distances; most of today’s electricity is AC
- A measure of electric current (similar to describing water volume in litres per minute)
Biodiversity
- Refers to the variety of ecosystems and animal, bird, fish and plant species.
- The second hardest, most organically mature coal, ranking between sub-bituminous coal and anthracite
- A large furnace that burns fuel to produce steam for power, processing or heating
- Heavier ash that collects in the bottom of the boiler after coal is burned. This ash is collected and stockpiled in approved disposal areas.
Climate change
- Term used to describe the view that the Earth’s temperature and climate will change, in part, due to the buildup of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities.
- Technology that simultaneously produces power and thermal energy (heat and steam) from a single fuel source such as natural gas. An example is using steam generated for injection into reservoirs to also generate electricity.
- Two or more generation processes operating in parallel, so as to increase the energy output from a power system. In a combined-cycle power plant, the waste heat from a gas turbine provides heat for a steam turbine.
- Equipment in the thermal plant that captures used steam and changes it back to water for reuse in the facility
- Material, such as wire or cable, used to carry electricity
- End use of energy and energy sources, such as electrical energy, typically measured in kilowatt-hours; or natural gas, typically measured in thousands of cubic feet or millions of British thermal units, or crude oil and petroleum products, usually measured in litres or barrels.
- Changes to the environment caused by an activity in combination with other past, present and reasonably foreseeable human activities.
- The flow of electrons in an electrical conductor. Current is measured in amperes.
Direct current (DC)
- Electric current that flows in only one direction (as opposed to alternating current). The current supplied from a battery is direct current; early electric distribution systems were DC
- Process to resolve conflicts in mutually beneficial ways, using techniques such as negotiation or third-party mediation instead of public hearings or courts
- A process of moving power at lower voltages from substations to customers
Electric energy
- Power delivered over a period of time; commonly measured in kilowatt-hours (kW-h) or megawatt-hours (MW-h)
- Rate of delivery of electric energy; also a measure of a power plant’s generating capacity or installed capacity; the basic measures are the kilowatt (kW) and megawatt (MW).
- Planning and decision-making tool used by industry and regulators to identify the environmental impacts and costs of proposed energy projects, and potential solutions. Power companies are potentially subject to environmental assessments for new power projects or changes to existing facilities.
Fly ash
- Particulate matter from coal ash that exits boilers along with hot gases. Pollution control equipment (such as electrostatic precipitators) removes more than 90 per cent of the fly ash before it can be released into the atmosphere.
Generating capacity
- A power plant’s ability to produce a specific amount of electricity at a specific moment in time; measured in kilowatts or megawatts. Also known as installed capacity or nameplate capacity.
- The process of converting different forms of energy — thermal, mechanical, chemical or nuclear — into electricity
- An arrangement of magnets spinning inside a coil of wire to produce electricity.
- A measure of electric power; the equivalent of 1,000 megawatts or 1 million kilowatts
- A measure of electric energy; the equivalent of 1,000 megawatt-hours or I million kilowatt-hours
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The warming of the Earth’s surface caused by the presence of carbon dioxide and other gases, known as greenhouse gases, in the atmosphere that trap the heat of the sun.
- Gases that trap heat near the Earth’s surface. These include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapor. These gases occur through natural processes (such as ocean currents, cloud cover, volcanoes) and human activities (such as the burning of fossil fuels).
- Network of high-voltage transmission lines.
- Product of reactions during combustion of coal, gasoline and other fuels and chemicals.
Independent power producer
- A privately owned power generating facility, which may be connected to a regional power system to supply electricity in Canada or for export
- The amount of power that can be generated at a given moment by a power plant. Usually measured in liowatts or megawatts. Actual generation is measured in kilowatt-hours or megawatt-hours.
- A system consisting of two or more individual power systems through tie lines
Joule
- The international unit of energy; energy produced by a power of one watt for one second; the joule is a very small unit (there are 3.6 million joules in a kilowatt-hour)
Kilovolt (kV)
- A measure of electromotive force equivalent to 1,000 volts. Differences in electromotive force drive electric currents.
- A measure of electric power; the equivalent of 1000 watts
- A measure of electric energy; the equivalent of 1,000 watt-hours (If you burn ten 100-watt light bulbs for one hour, they use one kilowatt-hour of electricity). Residential customers are usually charged for electricity based on a rate of cents per kilowatt-hour
Landfill
- Site designed for disposal of solid or chemical wastes by burial. It may be an open pit or an engineered facility that includes special linings to prevent wastes from leaking into water supplies.
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The lowest ranked coal, organically immature with high water content and low carbon content; also called brown coal. Lignite is used to generate most of Saskatchewan's electricity.
- The total amount of electricity required to meet customer demand at any moment
Megawatt (MW)
- A measure of bulk power; the equivalent of 1,000 kilowatts or 1 million watts; the unit is generally used to describe the output of a generator
- A measure of electric energy; the equivalent of 1,000 kilowatt-hours or 1 million watt-hours. Megawatt-hours are determined by a plant’s capacity and how long the plant is running. A 1,000-megawatt power plant running at full power for one hour produces 1,000 megawatt-hours (MWhs) of electricity. If the plant runs all day, it produces 24,000 MWhs.
National Energy Board (NEB)
- The federal regulatory agency in Canada that authorizes oil, natural gas, and electricity exports; certifies interprovincial and international pipelines, and designated interprovincial and international power lines; and sets tolls and tariffs for oil and gas pipelines under federal jurisdiction.
- Nitrogen-oxygen compounds formed mostly from the burning of fossil fuels. Major sources of nitrogen oxides are the combustion of fossil fuels by motor vehicles and power plants. These emissions react with sunlight and volatile organic compounds to form ground-level ozone. They also react with water vapor to form nitric acid, a contributor to acid rain.
- Natural resources that cannot be replaced after they have been consumed. This term applies particularly to fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, but also applies to other mineral resources found in the Earth's crust.
Offsets
- Actions or investments that companies can take outside their operations to reduce or remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Examples of offsets are investments in energy efficiency improvements and projects to capture or dispose of greenhouse gases. Offsets are based on the concept that actions taken anywhere to control emissions will provide the same benefit to the global atmosphere.
- A measure of electrical resistance
Particulate matter
- Dust, ash, soot, metals and other solid or liquid particles released into the air. Particulate matter comes from natural sources (such as forest fires and volcanoes) and human sources (such as burning of fossil fuels, dust from mining operations, road dust and wood stoves). Particulate matter can cause eye, nose and throat irritation and other health problems.
- Group of synthetic chemicals formerly used as insulating fluids in electrical equipment.
- In electricity transmission, current delivered at a given voltage, measured in watts or kilowatts
- Electric generating facility
- The process of involving all affected parties in the design, planning and operation of a seismic program, an oil or gas well, pipeline, processing plant or other facility.
- Usually intended to mean the interest of the public generally as opposed to the interest of an individual or company.
Renewable energy
- Naturally occurring energy sources that are continually replenished. Examples of renewable energy are wind, solar and water.
Smog
- Brown summer haze that intermittently forms over some cities. It is comprised of ground-level ozone (nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and fine particulates). Smog can be created by natural processes (such as forest fires and volcanoes) or human activities (such as the burning of fossil fuels). The name is derived from SMoke and fOG.
- People with an interest in industry activities that affect them. They may include nearby landowners, Aboriginal communities, recreational land users, other industries, environmental groups, governments and regulators.
- Black coal softer than bituminous but harder than lignite; used in Alberta to generate most of the province’s electricity
- An electrical facility where the voltage of incoming and outgoing circuits is changed and controlled
- Gases produced mostly from human activities (such as metal smelting, and fossil fuel combustion by factories, power plants and motor vehicles). Sulphur dioxide combines with water vapor to form sulphuric acid, a contributor to acid rain. Human exposure to sulphur dioxide emissions can also cause respiratory problems.
- Process of removing soil and rock to expose and remove coal
- Ecosystem condition in which biodiversity, renewability and resource productivity are maintained over time.
- Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (as defined by United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development).
Terawatt
- A measure of electric power, the equivalent of 1,000 gigawatts or 1 billion kilowatts; the unit is generally used to describe generating capacity at national or international levels
- A measure of electric energy; the equivalent of 1,000 gigawatt-hour or 1 billion kilowatt-hours
- Electricity generated from burning fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and refined petroleum products; biomass such as wood, wood waste, pulping liquors and landfill methane; or other waste materials such as used tires.
- Power plants that burn fuels such as coal, oil or natural gas to produce steam to generate electricity
- An electromagnetic device for changing alternating current (AC) electricity to higher or lower voltages
- The process of moving electric power at high voltages from the generation facility to local communities
- A rotary engine that converts the energy of a moving stream of water, steam or gas into mechanical energy. Turbines are classified as hydraulic (water) turbines, steam turbines or gas turbines. Turbine-power generators produce most of the world's electricity. Windmills that generate electicity are known as wind turbines.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
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Gases and vapours, such as benzene, released by petroleum refineries, petrochemical plants, plastics manufacturing and the distribution and use of gasoline; VOCs include carcinogens and chemicals that react with sunlight and nitrogen oxides to form ground-level ozone, a component of smog.
- A measure of the electric pressure that pushes electric current through a circuit (just as pressure causes water to flow in a pipe); measured in volts or kilovolts
Watt
- A measure of electric power; standard light bulbs are rated at 25, 40, 60 or 100 watts