Low or medium Btu content gas, composed mainly of carbon monoxide, nitrogen(2), and hydrogen(2) made by the gasification of wood or coal.

A device that converts high-pressure steam, produced in a boiler, into mechanical energy that can then be used to produce electricity by forcing blades in a cylinder to rotate and turn a generator shaft.

The difference between the brightness of an object compared to that of its immediate background.

A solar energy system designed to provide heat to individual rooms in a building.

A type of water heater in which heated water is stored within the tank. Hot water is released from the top of the tank when a hot water faucet is turned. This water is replaced with cold water that flows into the tank and down to just above the bottom pla ...

A solar thermal electric central reciever power plant ("power tower") located in Barstow, California, and completed in 1981. The Solar One had a design capacity of 10,000 peak kilowatts, and was composed of a receiver located on the top of a tower surroun ...

A commonly used analysis for reporting fuel properties; may be on a dry (moisture free) basis, as "fired", or on an ash and moisture free basis. Fractions usually reported include: volatile matter, fixed carbon, moisture, ash, and heating value (higher he ...

A semiconductor (photovoltaic) material composed of variously oriented, small, individual crystals.

A unit of illuminance; equal to one lumen per square foot.

The amount of heat required to raise a unit mass of a substance through one degree, expressed as a ratio of the amount of heat required to raise an equal mass of water through the same range.

A type of heating system in which heated air is blown by a fan through air channels or ducts to rooms.

Strips of material used to separate multiple panes of glass within the windows.

Any fuel that is in solid form, such as wood, peat, lignite, coal, and manufactured fuels such as pulverized coal, coke, charcoal, briquettes, pellets, etc.

A unit for the quantity of electricity transported in 1 second by a current of 1 ampere.

The amount of power density in sunlight received at the earth's surface at noon on a clear day (about 1,000 Watts/square meter).

A window located on the roof of a structure to provide interior building spaces with natural daylight, warmth, and ventilation.

Water that is suitable for drinking, as defined by local health officials.

The mean distance a free electron or hole moves before recombining with another hole or electron.

A plot of a wind energy conversion device's power output versus wind speed.

The period marked by successive crossing of the earth's meridian by the sun; the hour angle of the sun at a point of observance (apparent time) is corrected to true (solar) time by taking into account the variation in the earth's orbit and rate of rotatio ...