| A-G H-Z |
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| Hydrogen highway |
Term used to describe the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology and the creation of a hydrogen-based economy. Envisaged more as fuel for powering vehicles, hence highway, but could be used to meet all power needs. |
| Kyoto Protocol |
The Kyoto Protocol, the world's only international agreement with binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, was signed in 1997 and became law on 16 February 2005. The UK is one of a number of countries to sign the treaty. |
| Kyoto carbon reduction target |
In signing the Kyoto Protocol, the UK government committed to a 12.5% percent reduction in emissions of carbon by 2008-2012, relative to 1990 levels. |
| Land take |
The term used to describe the amount of land required to install plant or equipment, in this case, geo-pressure powered electricity generating equipment. |
| Linked local distribution network |
In distributed energy all types of buildings become power stations themselves, the constituent parts of local energy networks. Linked local distribution network is the term used to describe the linking of these local energy networks into a single distribution entity. |
| Non-renewable energy |
The traditional energy sources, with the exception of nuclear energy, are all derived from fossils – hence the term fossil fuel. As there is a finite source of these fuels they have become known in recent years as non-renewable energy. |
| Nuclear energy/power |
The main use of nuclear energy is to generate electricity. Its proponents claim it is a clean and efficient way of boiling water to make steam which drives turbine generators. Except for the reactor itself, a nuclear power station works like most coal or gas-fired power stations. The fuel for it is basically uranium.
Its opponents point to the fossil fuel energy needed to produce the enriched uranium, and to process the resulting waste. Some scientists estimate the carbon emissions from using nuclear energy to be one third of the carbon emissions of a gas fired generator. |
| Pressure let down (station) |
See pressure reduction station |
| Pressure reduction station |
Natural gas emerges from the ground under intense pressure and this pressure helps to drive the gas through the gas distribution network. Before the gas can be safely distributed to consumers, the gas pressure must be reduced using a pressure reduction station (PRS). |
| Renewable energy |
Renewable energy sources have no finite limit and include such sources as wind, sun and wave power and geo-pressure. Their use has been limited traditionally for two main reasons: they are difficult, and therefore expensive, to harvest; their efficiency levels are low in comparison with fossil fuels, especially gas. |
| Renewed energy |
The conversion of latent energy stored in systems which can be directly converted into electricity. This could be stored pressurised gas which turns a Geo-pressure turbine to produce electricity. It could be part of an intrinsic earth process or artificially created by compressors. |
| Security of supply |
Demand for electricity varies according to the time of year and the time of day. To cater for these peaks and troughs, additional generating capacity is required to ensure, as far as possible, a continuous supply. One of the challenges for the exploitation of most renewable energy sources is that their supply is variable. In order to ensure security of supply, therefore, power companies have to rely on fossil fuel powered back up facilities.
Geo-pressure energy is different from other renewable energy sources in that its supply is linked to demand for gas which tends to track demand for electricity. Thus when demand is at its greatest, so too is the supply of geo-pressure energy. This in turn means there is no need to rely on fossil fuel powered back up facilities. |
| Thermal energy |
Thermal energy is the term for heat released from the latent (stored) energy, in the fossil fuel (coal, oil, gas etc). |
| 2010 carbon reduction target |
The UK Government’s own carbon emission reduction target set unilaterally. The target calls for a 20% reduction in carbon emission levels, based on the 1990 figure of 149.4 million tonnes. |
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