phytocapping n.— «Landfill sites produce the greenhouse gases, methane and carbon dioxide, as putrescible waste decays. Growing plants and trees on top of a landfill, a process known as “Phytocapping,” could reduce the...
microhydro n.— «Instead of using a dam to create energy, microhydro uses piping to divert water from a pond or stream. The water is brought to a vertical drop, or head, and falls onto the microhydro system, spinning a turbine, which in...
negawatt n.— «I think the most promising new energy source isn’t new, and it isn’t a source. It is energy efficiency. We still have a lot of low-hanging fruit—what Amory Lovins refers to as the negawatt. The most efficient thing you can...
Slocum n.— «Sea gliders were conceived in the 1980s by Douglas Webb, a former researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Only in recent years, though, have they become fully operational and more capable. Some are called...
off-ramp n.— «Authors of the initiative recognized the flaw and, during the campaign to pass the measure, agreed to make improvements if it passed. After it passed, Xcel Energy and the initiative backers worked with state legislators to...
net zero n.— «Its goal is to take the Casa Grande plant off the power grid, or nearly so, and run it almost entirely on renewable fuels and recycled water. Net zero, as the concept is called, has the backing of the highest levels of...