- Aristotle
- Bio- (or bio-mass) energy
- Bio-mass energy refers to the utilisation i.e. combustion of "young" organic materials such as wood and biological waste products. Provided that for every burned tree a new one is planted there is no long term harm to the environment - in contrast to the combustion of fossil fuels (= organic material that is many thousand years old like oil, coal) which we cannot replace or sustain with "new" coal or oil.
- Geo-thermal energy
- Geo-thermal energy is the heat from the Earth’s centre that rises to the surface (using e.g. heat pumps).
- Indirect & direct solar energy conversion
- If the radiation is not collected (absorbed) by a solar cell or a solar collector (=direct solar energy converters) it will heat up objects on land or water anyway - though not as much as using a solar collector.
Most of the solar energy absorbed in these heated objects escapes by heating the air. Heated air moves up and if this occurs on a larger scale wind is produced. If water is heated by sunlight it will be lifted into the sky when it evaporates leading to the formation of clouds, rain and finally rivers streaming from mountains.
We can use wind energy and running water (which is one form of water power) to drive turbines that generate electricity. Since the conversion into electricity occurs not directly from sunlight, but from wind or moving water one can say that electricity produced from wind or running water are forms of indirect energy conversion. - Ocean Energy
- Ocean energy can be exploited in several ways: the energy of the falling water mass can drive water turbines; the energy of water waves can be used in wave power plants; the moving water masses between low and high tide can be utilised in tidal energy plants; heat differences in the ocean can also be used to generate electricity (ocean thermal power).
- Photovoltaic
- Photovoltaic means the generation of an electric voltage using light (=light particles = photons). A photovoltaic device (=solar cell) generates an electric voltage and - if an electric appliance, such as a water pump is connected - also electric current. Both voltage and current is needed to give electric power.
- Renewable (=sustainable) energy
- This is the technically correct term one should use when talking about energy sources that don’t run out and are largely in balance with nature. Examples are: wind power, water power, solar power (collectors & solar cells), bio-energy and even geothermal power. Excluded are the combustion of fossil fuels like coal and crude oil. For example the combustion of wood can be regarded as renewable as long as the equivalent amount of trees is planted to replace the burned ones. Burning of fossil fuels upsets this balance.
- Solar cells
- Solar cells (= photovoltaic cells) allow conversion of solar energy directly into electric power. For that reason they represent a means of direct solar energy conversion.
- Solar collectors
- Solar collectors are devices designed to absorb most of the light from the sun in order to produce heat. A simple solar collector consists of a black water tube i.e. a garden hose that can be used to heat water. Black objects absorb all light producing much more heat than e.g. the same object if it is white or yellow.
- Solar energy
- Solar energy is the energy that Earth receives from the sun through solar radiation (1000W/m2). Solar radiation can be used to generate
- electricity using solar cells
- hot water/air for cooking/heating using specially designed light absorbing devices (solar collectors, solar cookers).
- Solar panel
- A solar panel is an array of solar cells that is usually encapsulated between two glass sheets to protect the cells. Panels be many square meters big whereas single solar cells are typcially not much larger than about 10x10 cm.
- Wind-energy
- Wind (moving air) is largely caused by the uneven heating of the earth by the Sun. The energy of the moving air mass can be exploited in various types of wind power plants (wind turbines).
If you know a solar energy related term that you find useful to be included in this dictionary - please send me an email including the term and (if you want) a suggestion of it's definition: klaus.petritsch@solarpassion.com" - thank you.