Glossary

The glossary is a collection of important resource-related terms.

Electricity

Volt (V) – Voltage is a measurement of the “pressure,” for electrons to move across a conductor. One volt is defined as the potential difference across a conductor when one ampere dissipates one watt of power, or V = W/A.

Watt (W) – Wattage is a measurement of the amount of work that can be done. One watt of work is done when one ampere of electricity flows at a potential difference of one volt, or W = A*V.

Ampere (A) – Amperage, measured in coulombs, is the measurement of electrical current per second moving through a conductor. The higher the amperage, the more electrons are flowing through a conductor per second.

Joule (J) – The joule is a measurement of work. In terms of electricity, a joule is the amount of work done when one watt is delivered for one second of time (one watt-second). For example, if you run your 15W compact fluorescent light bulb for one hour, it will use 15 watt-hours or 54,000 joules (60 seconds * 60 minutes * 15 W).

Watt hour (Wh) – A watt hour is a measurement of electricity use. Running a 1W flashlight for one hour will consume one watt-hour of electricity.

Kilowatt (kW) – 1kW = 1,000W

Kilowatt hour (kWh) – Similar to a watt-hour, a kilowatt-hour is the amount of electricity used by a 1,000W device (like a microwave) when run for one hour.

Megawatt (MW) – 1MW = 1,000kW = 1,000,000W

Alternating Current (AC) – An alternating current is an electrical current that reverses cyclically. Residences and businesses typically receive their electricity in the form of alternating current.

Direct Current (DC) – A direct current is a flow of electrons in a single direction, such as in batteries and solar panels.

Petroleum

Barrel of oil – The standard measurement used to measure crude petroleum and other petroleum products. One barrel equals 42 U.S. gallons, or nearly 159 liters.

Sweet Crude – A type of petroleum that contains less than 0.5% sulfur. This makes it ideal for processing into kerosene and gasoline. Petroleum that contains more than 0.5% sulfur is known as sour crude.