I’m interested in new energy technologies but feel left behind by the rush of innovation. Can you help get me up to speed with the terminology?
Electric cars, energy-efficient appliances, auxiliary solar systems and new ways to light our houses are all requiring us to study up on energy terminology in order to make informed choices. Here’s a glossary of basic terms drawn from online sources including the U.S. Department of Energy to help you get started:
• CFL: Compact fluorescent lights use less power and have a longer rated life than the familiar incandescent light bulb. Like all fluorescent lights, CFLs use electricity to energize mercury vapor. The presence of mercury makes disposing of them more complicated. CFLs can radiate a different light spectrum than incandescents, but better phosphor formulations have improved the perceived light colors.
Incandescent bulbs have a low manufacturing cost, but governments around the world are passing measures to prohibit their sale. Although the U.S. is not banning incandescent light bulbs, new minimum efficiency standards make them more expensive to manufacture. These minimum standards phase in between 2012 and 2014.
• LED: Light-emitting diodes are an energy-efficient semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for lighting at home.
Introduced in 1962, LEDs now are available across the visible, ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths.
• LCD: Liquid crystal displays (not to be confused with LEDs) use the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals to display images on thin, flat electronic visual displays. It’s the latest rage in televisions but the technology can be applied to a range of uses, from computer monitors to aircraft cockpit displays and smart phones. LCDs are usually more compact, lightweight, portable, less expensive and easier on the eyes than the technology they replace. LCDs are more energy efficient and offer safer disposal than older television cathode ray tubes.
• Lumen: The power of light as perceived by the human eye is measured in lumens, abbreviated “lm.” Lamps used for lighting are commonly labeled with their light output in lumens. A 23-watt compact fluorescent lamp emits about 1,500–1,600 lm. When replacing incandescent light bulbs with CFLs or LEDs make sure the new fixture produces an equivalent amount of lumens.
• Hybrid electric vehicle: A vehicle using both a gas-powered engine as well as electric power source such as a rechargeable battery.
• Battery electric vehicle: An electric vehicle that uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, sometimes called an EV, or electric vehicle.
• Photovoltaics: Often abbreviated as “PV,” photovoltaics convert light into electricity. The word is derived from photon, a particle of light that acts as an individual unit of energy.
• Photovoltaic conversion efficiency: A PV cell’s conversion efficiency is the proportion of sunlight energy that the cell converts to electrical energy. PV devices are today converting 7 to 17 percent of light energy into electric energy, according to experts at www.about.com.
• Renewable energy: Renewable, or “green,” energy comes from resources that are naturally replaced.
• Geothermal energy: About four feet into the ground, the earth stays the same temperature — roughly 55 degrees — all year long. Geothermal technology uses heat from the ground to warm air in homes and buildings. Some power companies are using geothermal heat from deeper sources to make steam-powered electricity.
• Wattage: Wattage is how electric use is measured and the amount of power a device consumes. For example, a 60-watt light bulb consumes 60 watts.
• Kilowatt: A kilowatt, abbreviated kW, is equal to 1,000 watts. This is how electric companies measure how much electricity your family uses at home.
• Energy Star: First launched in 1992, Energy Star is an international standard for rating energy-efficient consumer products. Products carrying the Energy Star label, such as refrigerators, computers and appliances, generally use 20 percent to 30 percent less energy than required by federal standards. To learn more about Energy Star, go to http://www.energystar.gov.
The Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities energy counselors, who provide conservation and energy use information to utility customers. Send questions to energyadviser@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, in care of Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA. 98668. Past topics are available at http://www.clarkpublicutilities.com.
