renewable energy
fuel cell
A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions.
active solar heating
Active solar heating systems use solar energy to heat a fluid -- either liquid or air -- and then transfer the solar heat directly to the interior space or to a storage system for later use. If the solar system cannot provide adequate space heating, an auxiliary or back-up system provides the additional heat.
Alternative energy
Alternative Energy refers to energy sources other than fossil fuels. This includes all renewable sources and nuclear. Nuclear is not classified as a renewable energy source. A renewable energy source is produced from sources that do not deplete or can be replenished within a human's life time.
biomass fuels
Biomass fuels are organic materials produced in a renewable manner. Two categories of biomass fuels, woody fuels and animal wastes, comprise the vast majority of available biomass fuels. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is also a source of biomass fuel. Biomass fuels have low energy densities compared to fossil fuels.
Cogeneration
Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time.
Energy conservation
Energy conservation is the effort made to reduce the consumption of energy by using less of an energy service. This can be achieved either by using energy more efficiently (using less energy for a constant service) or by reducing the amount of service used (for example, by driving less).
Energy efficiency
Energy efficiency simply means using less energy to perform the same task - that is, eliminating energy waste. Energy efficiency brings a variety of benefits: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing demand for energy imports, and lowering our costs on a household and economy-wide level.
geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is heat derived within the sub-surface of the earth. Water and/or steam carry the geothermal energy to the Earth's surface. Depending on its characteristics, geothermal energy can be used for heating and cooling purposes or be harnessed to generate clean electricity.
hydroelectric energy
Hydroelectric energy, also called hydroelectric power or hydroelectricity, is a form of energy that harnesses the power of water in motion—such as water flowing over a waterfall—to generate electricity. People have used this force for millennia.
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a process that can produce electricity by using the temperature difference between deep cold ocean water and warm tropical surface waters. OTEC plants pump large quantities of deep cold seawater and surface seawater to run a power cycle and produce electricity.
passive solar heating
Passive solar heating. Using the sun's energy to heat a building; the windows, walls, and floors can be designed to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter (and also to reject solar heat in the summer).Jul 1, 2012
renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy produced from sources that do not deplete or can be replenished within a human's life time. The most common examples include wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower. This is in contrast to non-renewable sources such as fossil fuels.
