Ontario Power Generation

A

Alternating Current or AC - Electric current that reverses direction on a regular cycle. In Canada our household current goes through 120 reversals or 60 cycles per second.

Alternative Fuel - A term for "non-conventional" transportation fuels made from natural gas (propane, compressed natural gas, methanol, etc.) or biomass materials (ethanol, methanol).

Ampere - A unit of measure for an electrical current that measures the amount of current that flows in a circuit at an electromotive force of one Volt and at a resistance of one Ohm. Usually shortened to amp.

Appliance - A piece of equipment that is usually powered by electricity. Examples of common appliances are refrigerators, clothes washers and dishwashers, conventional and microwave ovens, toasters and televisions.

Atomic Structure - How the parts of the atom fit together. The positively charged nucleus in the centre holds the proton and neutrons while the negatively charged electrons orbit it.

B

Battery - A device that stores energy. It is made up of one or more electrolyte cells.

Biomass - Any organic (plant or animal) material which is available on a renewable basis. Which means it can be grown again and again. Examples are farm crops, wood, plants.

Boiler - a container that holds water that is heated to produce either hot water or steam that is circulated for the purpose of heating and power.

British thermal unit (Btu) - The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. The abbreviation is Btu.

C

Carbon Dioxide - A colorless, odorless gas made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. It is formed by the combustion of carbon compounds, like fossil fuels, and by respiration or breathing.

Chain Reaction - A self-sustaining nuclear reaction which takes place during fission. A fissionable substance like uranium absorbs a neutron and breaks apart, releasing additional neutrons that cause more atoms to break apart and release even more neutrons.

Chemical Energy - Energy stored in matter that is released during a chemical reaction such as burning coal or oil.

Circuit(s) - A route for electricity to flow.

Climate Change - A term used to describe a significant change from one prevailing climatic condition to another. In some cases, "climate change" is used to mean "global warming.”

Coal - A fossil fuel that is mined from the surface pits or underground tunnels. It is formed by the breakdown of vegetable material, like plants, millions of years ago.

Coal-Fired Power Plant - A power plant that burns coal to generate electricity

D

Direct Current - Electric current that flows in one direction only through a circuit. Commonly abbreviated to DC. Batteries supply DC power.

Dynamo - A device that changes mechanical energy into electrical energy. Also known as a generator.

E

Electrical Energy - The energy that is a result of an electric charge.

Electricity - Energy characterized by the flow of electrons from one atom to another.

Electricity Generation - The process of making electrical energy. It is often measured as kilowatt/hours (kWh) or megawatt/hours (MWh).

Electric Motor - a device that takes electrical energy and converts it into mechanical energy.

Electric Power - The amount of energy produced per second. The power produced by an electric current.

Electromagnetic - Having to do with magnetism produced by an electric current.

Electromagnetic Energy - Energy that travels in waves, such as ultra-violet radiation. It is like a combination of electric and magnetic energy.

Electromagnetic Waves - X-rays, light rays and radio waves are among the many kinds of electromagnetic waves.

Electron – A miniscule particle with a negative electric charge. Electrons form part of an atom and move around its nucleus.

Emission - The release of gases into the atmosphere.

Energy - The ability to do work or the ability to move an object. Electrical energy is usually measured in kilowatt/hours (kWh) while heat energy is usually measured in British thermal units (Btu).

Energy Efficiency – This refers to the rate at which energy is used by something, like a lightbulb. For example, fluorescent lightbulbs have a higher energy efficiency than incandescent, or regular, lightbulbs.

F

Fission - The splitting apart of atoms. This splitting releases large amounts of energy and one or more neutrons. Nuclear power plants split the nuclei of uranium atoms.

Fossil Fuelled – Powered by fossil fuels, like coal, oil and natural gas that developed from plant matter laid down millions of years ago.

Fossil Fuels – Fuels like coal, oil and natural gas that developed from plant matter laid down millions of years ago.

Fuel - Any material that can be burned to make energy.

Fusion - A nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of engergy.

G

Gas - A substance that isn’t a solid and isn’t a liquid. For example, air is a gas.

Gas Turbine Plant - A plant in which the hot gases from the combustion of natural gas turn the turbine to generate electricity.

Generator – A machine that turns mechanical energy into electrical energy. The mechanical energy is sometimes provided by an engine or turbine.

Generating Capacity - The amount of electricity a power plant can produce.

Global Warming - An increase in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. Thought to be caused by increased release of greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse Effect - The effect of the Earth's atmosphere, due to certain gases, in trapping heat from the sun.

Greenhouse Emissions - Waste gases given off by industrial and power plants, automobiles and other processes.

Greenhouse Gases - Gases that trap the heat of the sun in the Earth's atmosphere, producing the greenhouse effect. The two major greenhouse gases are water vapour and carbon dioxide or CO2. Lesser greenhouse gases include methane, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, and nitrogen oxides.

Grid - The electrical distribution system.

H

Heavy Water – Water that is made up of an oxygen atom and two atoms of deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen, which means that it has a neutron in its nucleus as well as a proton. Normal water only has a proton in its nucleus and is lighter as a result.

Hydroelectric Power Plant - A power plant that uses moving water to power a turbine generator to produce electricity

Hydro - Using water to generate electricity.

I

Incandescent Light Bulb - An incandescent bulb is a type of electric light in which light is produced by a filament heated by electric current. The most common example is the type you find in most table and floor lamps.

Induction - The process of producing an electrical or magnetic effect through the influence of a nearby magnet, electric current, or electrically charged body.

J

Joule - A metric unit for measuring work and energy, named after James Joule. It is equal to the work done when a one ampere current is passed through a resistance of one ohm for one second.

K

Kilowatt - A unit of power, usually used to measure electric power or energy consumption (use). A kilowatt equals 1000 watts.

Kilowatt-hour (kWh) - A unit of electrical energy which is equivalent to one kilowatt of power used for one hour. One kilowatt-hour is equal to 1,000 watt-hours—the energy needed to burn ten 100-watt lightbulbs for one hour. End-use power consumers are charged in cents per kilowatt-hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 BTUs or 3.6 million joules.

L

Load - The power and energy requirements of users on the electric power system in a certain area or the amount of power delivered to a certain point.

M

Magnet - Any piece of iron, steel, etc., that has the property of attracting iron or steel.

Mechanical Energy - The energy of motion used to perform work.

Mechanical Power - The power produced by motion.

Megawatt (MW) - Unit of electricity that equals one million watts or one thousand kilowatts. Typically used to measure the capacity of a generating station or the maximum demand of an electricity consumer.

Molecule - Particles that normally consist of two or more atoms joined together. An example is a water molecule that is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.

N

Natural Gas - An odorless, colorless, tasteless, non-toxic clean-burning fossil fuel. It is usually found in fossil fuel deposits and used as a fuel.

Nonrenewable - Fuels that cannot be easily made or "renewed." We can use up nonrenewable fuels. Oil, natural gas, and coal are nonrenewable fuels.

Nuclear Energy - Energy that comes from splitting atoms of radioactive materials, such as uranium.

O

Ohm - A measurement unit of electrical resistance. It is equal to the resistance of a circuit in which a potential difference of one volt produces a current of one ampere.

Oil - The raw material that petroleum products are made from. A black liquid fossil fuel found deep in the Earth. Gasoline and most plastics are made from oil.

Organic Waste - Waste material of animal or plant origin.

P

Penstock - A large pipe which carries moving water from the reservoir to a turbine generator in a hydropower plant.

Petroleum - Generally refers to crude oil or the refined products obtained from the processing of crude oil.

Photon - A particle of light that acts as an individual unit of energy.

Photovoltaic Cells - A device, usually made from silicon, which converts some of the energy from light into electrical energy. Also known as a solar cell.

Photovoltaic Conversion - The process by which light energy is changed into electrical energy.

Power - The rate at which energy is transferred. Electrical energy is usually measured in watts. Also used for a measurement of capacity.

Power Degradation - The loss of power when electricity is sent over long distances.

Power Plant - A facility where power, especially electricity, is generated.

R

Radiation - Any high-speed transmission of energy in the form of particles or electromagnetic waves.

Radioactive Element - An element whose atoms have unstable nuclei that stabilizes itself by giving off radiation.

Radioactive Waste - Materials left over from making nuclear energy. Radioactive waste can harm people and the environment if it is not stored safely.

Radioactivity - The property possessed by some elements, such as uranium, of giving off alpha, beta, or gamma rays.

Reactor Core - Part of a nuclear power station - the structure inside which fission occurs in millions of atomic nuclei, producing huge amounts of heat energy.

Renewable Energy Sources - Fuels that can be easily made or "renewed." We can never use up renewable fuels. Types of renewable fuels are hydropower (water), solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass.

S

Solar Cell - An electric cell which changes radiant energy from the sun into electrical energy by the photovoltaic process.

Solar Energy - The radiant energy of the sun, which can be converted into other forms of energy, such as heat or electricity.

Spent Fuel - Irradiated fuel that is permanently discharged from a nuclear reactor.

Steam - Water in vapour form; used as the working fluid in steam turbines and heating systems.

Steam Generator - A generator in which the prime movers (turbine blades) are powered by steam.

Supplier - A company that creates and sells something. OPG supplies the electricity it makes to Ontario and sometimes beyond.

T

Terawatt/hours – A unit that it used to measure electrical power or electricity consumption. Equal to 1,000,000 kilowatt/hours or 1,000,000,000 watt/hours.

Tesla Coil - A device for producing a high-frequency, high-voltage electric current.

Transformer - A device which converts the generator's low-voltage electricity to higher-voltage levels for transmission to the load center, such as a city or factory.

Transmission - The movement or transfer of electric energy over an interconnected group of lines and associated equipment between points of supply and points at which it is transformed for delivery to consumers or is delivered to other electric systems.

Transmission Line - A set of conductors (wires), insulators and the supporting structures (towers) that are used to move large quantities of power at high voltage, usually over long distances.

Transmission System - An interconnected group of electric transmission lines that move electric energy in bulk between where it is made and where it is transformed for delivery over the distribution system lines to consumers or is delivered to other electric systems.

Turbine - A device with blades, which is turned by a force, e.g. that of wind, water, or high pressure steam. The mechanical energy of the spinning turbine is converted into electricity by a generator.

U

Uranium - A heavy, naturally-occurring, radioactive element.

V

Volt (V) - The volt is the International System of Units (SI) measure of electric potential or electromotive force. A potential of one volt appears across a resistance of one ohm when a current of one ampere flows through that resistance. Reduced to SI base units, 1 V = 1 kg times m2 times s-3 times A-1 (kilogram metre squared per second cubed per ampere).

Voltage - The difference in electrical potential between any two conductors or between a conductor and ground. It is a measure of the electric energy per electron that electrons can acquire and/or give up as they move between the two conductors.

Voltaic Electricity - Electricity produced by chemical action.

W

Water Cycle - Water constantly moves through cycles on and around the Earth. It evaporates from lakes and oceans, forms clouds in the air, precipitates as rain or snow, then flows back to the ocean. The energy of this water cycle, which is driven by the sun, is tapped most efficiently with hydropower.

Water Turbine - A turbine that uses water pressure to rotate its blades. Primarily used to power an electric generator.

Watt - A metric unit of power, usually used in electric measurements, which gives the rate at which work is done or energy used.

Wind - The term given to any natural movement of air in the atmosphere. A renewable source of energy used to turn turbines to generate electricity.

Wind Tower - Devices that hold wind turbine blades high above the ground to catch stronger wind currents.