Chapter 10 - glossary

 

biomass, biofuel
wood, or fuel derived form wood, such as pellets; a renewable energy form

carbon sequestration
deviating the flow of carbon from the atmosphere to sinks; net binding of carbon in biomass in the northern Baltic Sea region particularly as peat formation; in the south, especially in Africa, changed agricultural practices might be decisive

Chapman cycle
continuous flow in the stratosphere from oxygen to ozone and back to oxygen, both under the influence of UV radiation, producing a 0.001% by volume concentration of ozone; processes of ozone production and destruction, initiated by UV radiation, are often referred to as "Chapman Reactions"

climate modelling
computer modelling of global climate change, studying all factors influencing climate, most importantly the enhanced greenhouse effect, and attempting to produce climate scenarios on a time scale of 50 to 100 years in the future

coolant
the cooling medium circulated in a system where it is in alternatively a gas and liquid form; heat is transferred from the evaporator to the condenser

decarbonisation
reducing the carbon content of the supplied energy through intra-fossil fuel substitution or use of renewable energy sources

district cooling
central cooling systems that provide cold mainly to industry and restaurants

energy consumption
or energy use, since energy is not consumed just converted; energy use is shared roughly equally between households, industry, and the transport sectors

energy conversion
for example when coal is burned in a power station to produce steam which drives a turbine which turns a generator producing electricity

energy for cooling
a major use of energy on a global scale, e.g. in the chemical industry, process industry, sports arenas, and for air conditioning

energy intensity
the relationship between energy demand and economic growth defined as energy consumption divided by gross domestic product

energy production
misnomer since energy is not produced just converted or extracted and converted

energy saving
strategies and measures to reduce energy use or make it more efficient

energy services
lighting, heating, etc.; in most energy services a small percentage provides the service and the rest is dissipated as heat

energy systems
consist of energy sources, energy carriers, power plants, distribution, and the energy service; the organizations needed to operate these structures, companies and authorities, can also be included

enhanced greenhouse effect
the effect that leads to global warming, caused by anthropogenic release of greenhouse gases

fossil fuel
includes oil, gas, and coal, as well as forms thereof such as oil shale

freons
also called CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, are inert, non-toxic, odourless gases and with boiling points close to room temperature, used especially as propellants in aerosol spray cans, for foam blowing, as coolants in refrigerators and air conditioning; freons are a main cause of the destruction of stratospheric ozone

global climate negotiations
negotiations between the nations of the world, which agreed in 1997 on the Kyoto protocol, which is a basis for efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

global warming, climate change
the present period of climate change with increased average global temperature, which over the last 100 years increased by about 0.7oC., one-third occurring after 1980

greenhouse gases
components of the atmosphere which contributes to the heat balance of the Earth, most importantly water vapour and carbon dioxide, but also methane, freons, ozone and others

hydropower
electricity production using flowing water; hydropower is the most important renewable energy source in the Baltic Sea basin

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Organisation which regularly assesses the scientific research on climate change, created by the United Nations (UNEP and WHO)

Intra-fossil fuel substitution
substituting natural gas for coal in power-plants, but also for diesel and gasoline in the transportation sector; this reduces carbon emissions, as the carbon content per GJ is much lower natural gas than for oil and coal

ozone hole
massive loss of stratospheric ozone over the Arctic region appearing in the Antarctic spring and persisting into late November

renewable energy sources
biomass, hydropower, wind, solar, tidal, wave, hydrogen, and geothermal technologies; the so-called flowing energy sources are wind, water, and waves

sea level increase
foreseen effect of increased global temperature caused by expansion of water and melting of glaciers in the Arctic area, projected to rise sea level about half a metre over the next century

solar energy
heat from the sun that can be used directly or indirectly for heating, electricity production, and a transport fuel

stratospheric ozone layer
ozone formed in the atmosphere at 15-40 km through reaction of oxygen molecules and oxygen atoms under ultraviolet radiation from the sun

ultraviolet (UV) radiation
radiation of the sun in the wave length interval of 240-300 nm, so-called UV B

windpower
electricity production using blowing wind; the most rapidly growing energy technology; costs for wind power are competitive in bulk markets