Module 1 Review

Generators only work in isolation.

False

It takes more fuel today to produce one kilowatt of power than it did 75 years ago.

False

Nuclear power involves the combustion of uranium.

False

______________________ voltages are needed to move large amounts of electricity long distances with minimum losses.

Higher

Which of these types of generation do not require a furnace?

Hydroelectric Power

Electricity has properties that make it difficult to _____________.

Store

Public utility

maintains the infrastructure for providing a public service such as gas, electric, water, and waste‐disposal service

Blackout

power loss affecting many consumers over a large geographical area for a significant period of time

Electric power generation

process of creating electrical energy from other forms of energy

Boiler

A device for generating steam for power

alternating current (AC)

An electric current that reverses its direction at regularly recurring intervals.

Creation and delivery of electricity to consumers occurs through all of the following EXCEPT:

Transformation

A____________ is an electrical device by which alternating current of one voltage is changed to another voltage.

Transformer

A transformer cannot produce power.

True

Coal is classified as a hydrocarbon.

True

Common residential customer voltage levels are 120/240 volts.

True

Electricity is delivered as it is generated (rather than stored for later use).

True

Which of the following is not part of the power transmission system?

Residential Customers

Power generation is connected with power transmission at a switching station.

True

The distribution system takes power from the transmission grid and steps down the voltage.

True

The ____________ is used to convert steam to mechanical energy.

Turbine

conductor

a material along which electrons easily flow

Balancing authority

a regional organization responsible for planning and maintaining the balance of electricity resources and electricity demand

balancing authority

a regional organization responsible for planning for and maintaining the balance of electricity resources and electricity demand.

Distribution system

The portion of electric system that is dedicated to delivering electric energy to an end user

Furnace

The portion of the generating unit containing the fire and fuel-burning equipment

Generator

The portion of the generating unit where the rotating mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy; it consists of a stator containing the armature windings and a rotor (center shaft) that is turned by the turbine to produce the magnetic field

natural monopoly

a situation in which smaller companies are not able to complete with big companies in a particular industry sector and as a result a large company dominates the market.

Independent power producer (IPP)

also known as a Non‐Utility Generator (NUG); an entity which is not a public utility, but which owns facilities to generate electric power to sell, usually to public utilities

static electricity

an electrical charge that cannot move, created when two objects have been in contact and then are separated -- leaving them with either too many ot too few electrons (an electric charge)

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

an independent regulatory agency within the Department of Energy and the successor to the Federal Power Commission; FERC governs interstate electricity sales, wholesale electric rates, hydroelectric licensing, natural gas pricing, oil pipeline rates, and gas pipeline certification

Merchant generators

businesses that have been formed to own power plants and market their output; a merchant plant is one that has been built without a specific end user selected, which allows the plant to be more competitive in the wholesale energy market

Fossil fuels

carbon‐rich energy sources such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas, which are derived from the decomposition of ancient (fossilized) living matter

public utility

maintains the infrastructure for providing a public service such as gas, electric, water, and waste-disposal service.

smart grid

modernization of the current grid technology; has the ability to monitor energy flow and communicate data back to utility companies; uses smart meters; takes advantage of distributed generation allowing smaller power sources to feed energy back into the grid; stores energy genrated in off-peak hours and distributes it during peak hours

Hydroelectric power

power generated by using moving water to power a turbine generator to produce electricity

hydroelectric power

power generated by using moving water to power a turbine generator to produce electricity

blackout

power loss affecting many consumers over a large geographical area for a significant period of time.

Cogeneration

process in which electricity and heat are produced at the same time from the same fuel or energy source

cogeneration

process in which electricity and heat are produced at the same time from the same fuel or energy source.

Small power producer

small power plants that generate power to resell to others through renewable technologies such as biomass, geothermal, wind, and solar

effluent

substance released into a body of water

emissions

substances released into the environment; usually used to refer to substances discharged into the air.

Electric power transmission

the bulk transfer of high‐voltage electrical energy from its source at generating plants to substations

pollution

the introduction of harmful contaminants into the environment

obligation to serve

the obligation of a utulity to provide electric service to any customer who seeks that service, and is willing to pay the rates set for that service; traditionally, utilities have assumed the obligation to serve in return for an exclusive monopoly franchise

polarity

the orientation of the positive and negative poles of a power source

reliability

the power system is able to meet the electricity needs of customers even when equipment fails or other factors reduce the amount of available electricity; consists of the adequacy of an electric business by non-utility corporations

Electric power distribution

the transfer of high voltage electrical energy from substations to the end customer

Government‐owned utilities

these include entities such as local authorities, local agencies, and county governing powers. Profits from government‐owned utilities are used to pay for operating costs such as interest on loans, taxes, labor, and other human resources

load diversity

when the peak demands of a variety of electric customers occur at different times

Electric power distribution begins with generation and ends at the distribution substation.

False

Electric power transmission is the final step in the delivery of electric power service to consumers.

False

Common residential customer voltage is:

120 Volts

The transmission system operates at high voltages in ranges from ____________ to _________ volts.

138,000 to 1,000,000

Transmission system

An interconnected group of electric transmission lines and associated equipment for moving electric energy in bulk between points of supply and points at which it is transformed for delivery

In the furnace the __________________ energy of the fuel is converted into __________ energy through combustion.

Chemical, Thermal

Which of the following is a fossil fuel used in electric generating plants?

Coal

A transformer is a rapidly rotating magnet inside a stationary coil of wire that creates an electric current.

False

Residential voltages are carried by three-phase services.

False

The distribution system is connected by all of the following EXCEPT:

Generating switchyards

The main function of a _______________ is to convert the heat energy of steam into more easily used electrical energy.

Generator

The power plant __________________ produce electrical power.

Generators

Early electric power transmission systems encountered problems primarily due to:

Incompatible Voltages

Electrical energy

Potential energy and kinetic energy associated with the position or movement of electrical charge

The transmission system is designed to ______________ the output voltage from the generating units so that it can be used to interconnect production sources and power grids.

Step-up

During low _________________ periods, only a few generators will be in operation.

System Load

System load

The amount of electric power required by consumers

Vertically integrated

a business structure in which the same company owns several or all levels of the production processes for a product or services

holding company

a company which owns or holds stock in other companies, which it then manages and operates.

electrostatic percipitator

a device for removing small particles (such as smoke, dust, or oil) from gas, such as air, by passing the gas first through an electrically charged screen that gives a charge to the particles, then between two charged plates where the particles are attracted to one surface.

Transformer

a device that changes the voltage of an electric current

transformer

a device that changes the voltage of an electric current

current

a flow of electrons along a path, such as a conductive wire

Electric cooperatives

commonly known as co‐ops; nonprofit utility entities that are owned by the customers who are supplied with the services; originally created and financed by lowcost federal government loans to ensure the supply of electric service to rural areas

stepped down

conversion of high voltage electricity to lower voltage through the use of transformers at power substations

Stepped down

conversion of high‐voltage electricity to lower voltage through the use of transformers at power substations

stepped up

conversion of low voltage electricity to higher voltage through the use of transformers; a step-up transmission substation recieves electric power from nearby generating facility and uses a large power transformer to increase the voltage for transmission to distant locations

Stepped up

conversion of low‐voltage electricity to higher voltage through the use of transformers; a step‐up transmission substation receives electric power from a nearby generating facility and uses a large power transformer to increase the voltage for transmission to distant locations

Independent system operator (ISO)

created under the authority of FERC; designed to administer the transmission grid on a regional basis in a neutral manner

Regional transmission organization (RTO)

created under the authority of FERC; designed to administer the transmission grid on a regional basis in a neutral manner. FERC stated that entities desiring to be qualified as RTOs must first meet a specific list of characteristics and functions

direct current

current that moves in only one direction; DC results from a constant polarity power source

load

device or customer that recieves power from the electric system. Load should not be confused with demand, which is the measure of power that a load recieves or requires

North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)

formed in 1968 in response to the 1965 blackout, NERC is the electric reliability organization certified by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish and enforce reliability standards for the bulk‐power system; all bulk power system owners, operators, and users are required to register with NERC

greenhouse gas

gases that trap heat in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and hydrofluorocarbons.

wet scrubbers

installed on smokestacks to remove sulfur dioxides and some particulates by allowing axhaust gases to pass through a fine water spray that contains lime, a compound which absorbs most of the sulfur

Electrical power grid

interconnected electric generation, transmission, and distribution systems over broad geographic areas

electrical power grid

interconnected electric generation, transmission, and distribution systems over broad geographical areas -- Eastern, Western and Texas.

electron

negatively charged particle outside the nucleus of an atom.

Municipal utilities (muni)

nonprofit entities that are publicly‐owned and controlled by local government agencies; municipal utilities may include the following services: natural gas, water, sewage, and telecommunications

Cooperative energy utilities

nonprofit utility entities that are owned by the customers who are supplied with the services

economies of scale

when cost of production falls because output has increased

peak load

time of highest demand for and use of electricity

Investor‐owned utilities (IOU)

utility entities that are privately owned by individual investors, private funds, and private pension plans that purchase shares or stocks for the purpose of receiving a financial return on investment