Energy terminology · MLC-0117

Energy terms: S (212)

• Salable coalThe shippable product of a coal mine or preparation plant. Depending on customer specifications, salable coal...
• Salable natural gasNatural gas marketed under controlled quality conditions.
• Sales for resaleA type of wholesale sales covering energy supplied to other electric utilities, cooperatives, municipalities...
• Sales for resale (electric)A type of wholesale sales covering energy supplied to other electric utilities, cooperatives, municipalities...
• Sales to end usersSales made directly to the consumer of the product. Includes bulk consumers, such as agriculture, industry...
• Sales typeSales categories of sales to end-users and sales for resale.
• Sales volume (coal)The reported output from Federal and/or Indian lands, the basis of royalties. It is approximately equivalent...
• Salt gradient solar pondsThese consist of three main layers. The top layer is near ambient and has low salt content. The bottom layer...
• Sample (coal)A representative fraction of a coalbed collected by approved methods, guarded against contamination or...
• ScheduleA statement of the pricing format of electricity and the terms and conditions governing its applications.
• Scheduled outageThe shutdown of a generating unit, transmission line, or other facility for inspection or maintenance, in...
• Scheduling coordinatorsEntities certified by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that act on behalf of generators...
• Scoop loadingAn underground loading method by which coal is removed from the working face by a tractor unit equipped with...
• ScreeningsThe undersized coal from a screening process, usually one-half inch or smaller.
• SeamA bed of coal lying between a roof and floor. Equivalent term to bed, commonly used by industry.
• Seasonal energy efficiency ratioRatio of the cooling output divided by the power consumption. It is the Btu of cooling output during its...
• Seasonal pricingA special electric rate feature under which the price per unit of energy depends on the season of the year.
• Seasonal ratesDifferent seasons of the year are structured into an electric rate schedule whereby an electric utility...
• Seasonal unitsHousing units intended for occupancy at only certain seasons of the year. Seasonal units include units...
• Seasoned woodWood, used for fuel, that has been air dried so that it contains 15 to 20 percent moisture content (wet...
• Secondary heating equipmentSpace-heating equipment used less often than the main space-heating equipment.
• Secondary heating fuelFuels used in secondary space-heating equipment.
• SecuritizationA proposal for issuing bonds that would be used to buy down existing power contracts or other obligations...
• SecuritizeTo aggregate contracts into one pool, which then offers shares for sale in the investment market. This...
• Selective absorberA solar absorber surface that has high absorptance at wavelengths corresponding to that of the solar spectrum...
• Self-GeneratorA plant whose primary product is not electric power, but does generate electricity for its own use or for...
• Seller typeCategories of major refiners and other refiners and gas plant operators.
• SemiconductorAny material that has a limited capacity for conducting an electric current. Certain semiconductors...
• Separate meteringMeasurement of electricity or natural gas consumption in a building using a separate meter for each of...
• Separative work unitThe standard measure of enrichment services. The effort expended in separating a mass F of feed of assay xf...
• Septic tankA tank in which the solid matter of continuously flowing sewage is disintegrated by bacteria.
• Series connectionA way of joining photovoltaic cells by connecting positive leads to negative leads; such a configuration...
• Series resistanceParasitic resistance to current flow in a cell due to mechanisms such as resistance from the bulk of the...
• Service areaThe territory in which a utility system or distributor is authorized to provide service to consumers.
• Service wellA well drilled, completed, or converted for the purpose of supporting production in an existing field. Wells...
• Shaft mineA mine that reaches the coal bed by means of a vertical shaft.
• Shakes/shinglesFlat pieces of weather proof material laid with others in a series of overlapping rows as covering for roofs...
• ShaleA very fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock that forms when mud, silt, and clay-size mineral particles are...
• Shale GasNatural gas produced from wells that are open to shale formations. Shale is a fine-grained, sedimentary rock...
• Shallow pittingTesting a potential mineral deposit by systematically sinking small shafts into the earth and analyzing the...
• Shell storage capacityThe design capacity of a petroleum storage tank which is always greater than or equal to working storage...
• Short circuitAn electric current taking a shorter or different path than intended.
• Short circuit currentThe current flowing freely through an external circuit that has no load or resistance; the maximum current...
• Short purchasesA single shipment of fuel or volumes of fuel purchased for delivery within 1 year. Spot purchases are often...
• Short term salesAny short-term purchase covering a time period of 2 years or less. Purchases from intrastate pipelines...
• Short ton (st)A unit of weight equal to 2,000 pounds.
• Short-term debt or borrowingsDebt securities or borrowings having a maturity of less than one year.
• Short-term purchaseA purchase contract under which all deliveries of materials are scheduled to be completed by the end of the...
• Shortwall miningA form of underground mining that involves the use of a continuous mining machine and movable roof supports...
• ShrinkageThe volume of natural gas that is transformed into liquid products during processing, primarily at natural...
• Shut inClosed temporarily; wells and mines capable of production may be shut in for repair, cleaning, in...
• Shutdown dateMonth and year of shutdown for fuel discharge and refueling. The date should be the point at which the...
• Shut-in royaltyA royalty paid by a lessee as compensation for a lessor's loss of income because the lessee has deferred...
• SIInternational System of Units (Système international d'unités)
• Sidetrack drillingThis is a remedial operation that results in the creation of a new section of well bore for the purpose of...
• SidingAn exterior wall covering material made of wood, plastic (including vinyl), or metal. Siding is generally...
• SiliconA semiconductor material made from silica, purified for photovoltaic applications.
• SiltWaste from Pennsylvania anthracite preparation plants, consisting of coarse rock fragments containing as much...
• Silt, culm, refuse bank, or slurry dam miningA mining operation producing coal from these sources of coal.
• Single crystal siliconAn extremely pure form of crystalline silicon produced by dipping a single crystal seed into a pool of molten...
• Single crystal silicon (Czochralsky)Silicon cells with a well-ordered crystalline structure consisting of one crystal (usually obtained by means...
• Single purpose projectA hydroelectric project constructed only to generate electricity.
• Single-circuit lineA transmission line with one electric circuit. For three-phase supply, a single circuit requires at least...
• SinterA chemical sedimentary rock deposited by precipitation from mineral waters, especially siliceous sinter and...
• Site characterizationAn onsite investigation at a known or suspected contaminated waste or release site to determine the extent...
• Site energyA building-specific term. The amount of energy that enters a residential or commercial building. Includes the...
• Site-specific information DSM program assistanceADSM (demand-side management) assistance program that provides guidance on energy efficiency and load...
• Slope mineA mine that reaches the coal bed by means of an inclined opening.
• SlotA physical position in a rack in a storage pool that is intended to be occupied by an intact assembly or...
• SludgeA dense, slushy, liquid-to-semifluid product that accumulates as an end result of an industrial or...
• SlurryA viscous liquid with a high solids content.
• Slurry damA repository for the silt or culm from a preparation plant.
• Small pickup truckA pickup truck weighing under 4,500 lbs GVW.
• Small power producerUnder the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), a small power production facility (or small power...
• Small-scale solarSolar photovoltaic systems smaller than one megawatt, as measured in alternating current.
• Sodium lightsA type of high intensity discharge light that has the most lumens per watt of any light source.
• Sodium silicateA grey-white powder soluble in alkali and water, insoluble in alcohol and acid. Used to fireproof textiles...
• Sodium tripolyphosphateA white powder used for water softening and as a food additive and texturizer.
• Solar constantThe average amount of solar radiation that reaches the earth's upper atmosphere on a surface perpendicular to...
• Solar coolingThe use of solar thermal energy or solar electricity to power a cooling appliance. There are five basic types...
• Solar declinationThe apparent angle of the sun north or south of the earth's equatorial plane. The earth's rotation on its...
• Solar energyThe radiant energy of the sun, which can be converted into other forms of energy, such as heat or electricity.
• Solar pondA body of water that contains brackish (highly saline) water that forms layers of differing salinity...
• Solar power towerA solar energy conversion system that uses a large field of independently adjustable mirrors(heliostats) to...
• Solar radiationA general term for the visible and near visible (ultraviolet and near-infrared) electromagnetic radiation...
• Solar spectrumThe total distribution of electromagnetic radiation emanating from the sun. The different regions of the...
• Solar thermal collectorA device designed to receive solar radiation and convert it to thermal energy. Normally, a solar thermal...
• Solar thermal collector, high temperatureA collector that generally operates at temperatures above 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Solar thermal collector, low-temperatureA collector that generally operates at temperatures below 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically, it has no...
• Solar thermal collector, medium-temperatureA collector that generally operates at temperatures of 140 degrees F to180 degrees Fahrenheit, but can also...
• Solar thermal collector, specialAn evacuated tube collector or a concentrating (focusing) collector. Special collectors operate in the...
• Solar thermal direct-use energyHeat from the sun that is collected and consumed at the final point of use, such as in solar thermal water...
• Solar thermal panelsA system that actively concentrates thermal energy from the sun by means of solar collector panels. The...
• Solar thermal parabolic dishesA solar thermal technology that uses a modular mirror system that approximates a parabola and incorporates...
• Solvent Refined CoalA tar-like fuel produced from coal when it is crushed and mixed with a hydrocarbon solvent at high...
• Sorghum oilDistillers’ sorghum oil recovered from distillers’ grains with solubles at dry mill plants that produce...
• Sour gasNatural gas that contains measurable amounts of acidic contaminants such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is...
• Source materialThe term "source material "means (1) uranium, thorium, or any other material that is determined by the Atomic...
• Source rockA rock rich in organic matter that has generated oil or natural gas over geologic time. Typical source rocks...
• Soybean oilThe oil obtained by crushing the seeds of soybean plants.
• Space heatingThe use of energy to generate heat for warmth in housing units using space-heating equipment. The equipment...
• Spark spreadA measurement of the difference between the price that a generator can obtain from selling one megawatt hour...
• Special collectorAn evacuated tube collector or a concentrating (focusing) collector. Special collectors operate in the...
• Special contract rate scheduleAn electric rate schedule for an electric service agreement between a utility and another party in addition...
• Special naphthasAll finished products within the naphtha boiling range that are used as paint thinners, cleaners, or...
• Special nuclear materialThe term "special nuclear material" means (1) plutonium, uranium enriched in the isotope 233 or in the...
• Special purpose rate scheduleAn electric rate schedule limited in its application to some particular purpose or process within one, or...
• Specular reflectorsSpecular reflectors have mirror like characteristics (the word "specular" is derived from the Greek word...
• Speculative resources (coal)Undiscovered coal in beds that may occur either in known types of deposits in a favorable geologic setting...
• Speculative resources (uranium)Uranium in addition to Estimated Additional Resources (EAR) that is thought to exist, mostly on the basis of...
• Spent fuelIrradiated fuel that is permanently discharged from a reactor. Except for possible reprocessing, this fuel...
• Spent fuel disassembly hardwareThe skeleton of a fuel assembly after the fuel rods have been removed. Generally, SFD hardware for PWR...
• Spent liquorThe liquid residue left after an industrial process; can be a component of waste materials used as fuel.
• SpillwayA passage for surplus water to flow over or around a dam.
• Spinning reserveThat reserve generating capacity running at a zero load and synchronized to the electric system.
• Split systemWhen applied to electric air-conditioning equipment, it means a two-part system--an indoor unit and an...
• Split tailsUse of one tails assay for transaction of enrichment services and a different tails assay for operation of...
• Spontaneous combustion, or self-heating, of coalA naturally occurring process caused by the oxidation of coal. It is most common in low-rank coals and is a...
• Spot market (natural gas)A market in which natural gas is bought and sold for immediate or very near-term delivery, usually for a...
• Spot market (uranium)Buying and selling of uranium for immediate or very near-term delivery. It typically involves transactions...
• Spot priceThe price for a one-time open market transaction for near-term delivery of a specific quantity of product at...
• Spot purchasesA single shipment of fuel or volumes of fuel purchased for delivery within 1 year. Spot purchases are often...
• SR1. Speculative Resources (Uranium)
• StabilityThe property of a system or element by virtue of which its output will ultimately attain a steady state. The...
• Stability (electric)The ability of an electric system to maintain a state of equilibrium during normal and abnormal conditions or...
• Stabilization lagoonA shallow artificial pond used for the treatment of wastewater. Treatment includes removal of solid material...
• StackA tall, vertical structure containing one or more flues used to discharge products of combustion to the...
• Stand-alone generatorA power source/generator that operates independently of or is not connected to an electric transmission and...
• Standard contractThe agreement between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the owners or generators of spent nuclear fuel and...
• Standard fluorescentA light bulb made of a glass tube coated on the inside with fluorescent material, which produces light by...
• Standard Industrial ClassificationReplaced with North American Industry Classification System. See NAICS.
• Standby chargeA charge for the potential use of a utility service, usually done by an agreement with another electric...
• Standby electricity generationInvolves use of generators during times of high demand on utilities to avoid extra "peak-demand" charges.
• Standby facilityA facility that supports a utility system and is generally running under no-load. It is available to replace...
• Standby heat lossA term used to describe heat energy lost from a water heater tank.
• Standby serviceSupport service that is available as needed to supplement a customer, a utility system, or another utility if...
• Startup test phase of nuclear power plantA nuclear power plant that has been licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate but is still in...
• Startup/flame stabilization fuelAny fuel used to initiate or sustain combustion or used to stabilize the height of flames once combustion is...
• StateOne of the 50 States, including adjacent outer continental shelf areas, or the District of Columbia.
• State permit/license/mine numberCode assigned to a mining operation by the state in which the operation is located.
• State severance taxesAny severance, production, or similar tax, fee, or other levy imposed on the production of crude oil, natural...
• Station (electric)A plant containing prime movers, electric generators, and auxiliary equipment for converting mechanical...
• Station useEnergy that is used to operate an electric generating plant. It includes energy consumed for plant lighting...
• SteamWater in vapor form; used as the working fluid in steam turbines and heating systems. Also see District heat .
• Steam boilerA type of furnace in which fuel is burned and the heat is used to produce steam.
• Steam coalCoal burned, primarily in boilers, to generate steam for the production of electricity or for process heating...
• Steam electric power plant (conventional)A plant in which the prime mover is a steam turbine. The steam used to drive the turbine is produced in a...
• Steam expensesThe cost of labor, materials, fuel, and other expenses incurred in production of steam for electric...
• Steam for heating/coolingSteam produced at a combined heat and power plant for the purpose of heating and/or cooling space, such as...
• Steam from other sourcesSteam purchased, transferred from another department of the utility, or acquired from others under a...
• Steam or hot water radiators or baseboardsA distribution system where steam or hot water circulates through cast-iron radiators or base boards. Some...
• Steam or hot-water systemEither of two types of a central space-heating system that supplies steam or hot water to radiators...
• Steam (purchased)Steam, purchased for use by a refinery, that was not generated from within the refinery complex.
• Steam transferred-creditThe expenses of producing steam are charged to others or to other utility departments under a joint operating...
• Steam turbineA device that converts high-pressure steam, produced in a boiler, into mechanical energy that can then be...
• Still gasAny form or mixture of gases produced in refineries by distillation, cracking, reforming, and other...
• Stock changeThe difference between stocks at the beginning of the reporting period and stocks at the end of the reporting...
• StocksInventories of fuel stored for future use.
• Storage agreementAny contractual arrangement between the responding company and a storage operator under which gas was stored...
• Storage capacityThe amount of energy an energy storage device or system can store.
• Storage hydroelectric plantA hydroelectric plant with reservoir storage capacity for power use.
• Storage siteSpent nuclear fuel storage pool or dry cask storage facility, usually located at the reactor site, as...
• Storm doorA second door installed outside or inside a prime door creating an insulating air space. Included are sliding...
• Storm or multiple glazingA building shell conservation feature consisting of storm windows, stormdoors, or double- or triple-paned...
• Storm windowA window or glazing material placed outside or inside a window creating an insulating air space. Plastic...
• Stranded benefitsBenefits associated with regulated retail electric service which may be at risk under open market retail...
• Stranded costsCosts incurred by a utility which may not be recoverable under market-based retail competition. Examples...
• Strategic Petroleum ReservePetroleum stocks maintained by the Federal Government for use during periods of major supply interruption.
• Stratigraphic test wellA geologically directed drilling effort to obtain information pertaining to a specific geological condition...
• StratosphereThe region of the upper atmosphere extending from the tropopause (8 to 15 kilometers altitude) to about 50...
• Stream-flowThe rate at which water passes agiven point in a stream, usually expressed in cubic feet per second.
• Strip mineAn open cut in which the over burden is removed from a coal bed prior to the removal of coal.
• Strip mining (surface)A method used on flatter rain to recover coal by mining long strips successively; the material excavated from...
• Strip or stripping ratioThe amount of overburden that must be removed to gain access to a unit amount of coal. A stripping ratio may...
• Stripper wellAn oil or gas well that produces at relatively low rates. For oil, stripper production is usually defined as...
• StyreneA colorless, toxic liquid with a strong aromatic aroma. Insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol and ether...
• Subbituminous coalA coal whose properties range from those of lignite to those of bituminous coal and used primarily as fuel...
• Subcompact/compact passenger carA passenger car containing less than 109 cubic feet of interior passenger and luggage volume.
• SubdivisionA prescribed portion of a given State or other geographical region.
• Submetered dataEnd-use consumption data obtained for individual appliances when a recording device has been attached to the...
• SubsidiaryAn entity directly or indirectly controlled by a parent company which owns 50% or more of its voting stock.
• SubstationFacility equipment that switches, changes, or regulates electric voltage.
• SubtransmissionA set of transmission lines of voltages between transmission voltages and distribution voltages. Generally...
• SulfurA yellowish nonmetallic element, sometimes known as "brimstone." It is present at various levels of...
• Sulfur dioxide (SO_2)A toxic, irritating, colorless gas soluble in water, alcohol, and ether. Used as a chemical intermediate, in...
• Sulfur hexafluoride (SF_6)A colorless gas soluble in alcohol and ether, and slightly less soluble in water. It is used as a dielectric...
• Sulfur oxides (SO_x)Compounds containing sulfur and oxygen, such as sulfur dioxide (SO_2) and sulfur trioxide (SO_3).
• Summer and winter peakingHaving the annual peak demand reached both during the summer months (May through October) and during the...
• Sunk costPart of the capital costs actually incurred up to the date of reserves estimation minus depreciation and...
• SuperconductivityThe abrupt and large increase in electrical conductivity exhibited by some metals as the temperature...
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (electric)A system of remote control and telemetry used to monitor and control the transmission system. NERC definition
• Supplemental gasAny gaseous substance introduced into or commingled with natural gas that increased the volume available for...
• Supplemental gaseous fuels suppliesSynthetic natural gas, propane-air, coke oven gas, refinery gas, biomass gas, air injected for Btu...
• SupplyThe components of petroleum supply are field production, refinery production, imports, and net receipts when...
• Supply, petroleumA set of categories used to account for how crude oil and petroleum products are transferred, distributed, or...
• Supply sourceMay be a single completion, a single well, a single field with one or more reservoirs, several fields under a...
• Support equipment and facilitiesThese include, but are not limited to, seismic equipment, drilling equipment, construction and grading...
• Supporting structureThe main supporting unit (usually a pole or tower) for transmission line conductors, insulators, and other...
• Surface drilling expenses (uranium)These include drilling, drilling roads, site preparation, geological and other technical support, sampling...
• Surface mineA coal-producing mine that is usually within a few hundred feet of the surface. Earth above or around the...
• Surface mining equipment• An Auger machine is a large, horizontal drill, generally 3 feet or more in diameter and up to about 100...
• Surface mining methods• Auger mining recovers coal through the use of a large-diameter drill driven into a coalbed in the side of a...
• Surface rightsFee ownership in surface areas of land. Also used to describe a lessee's right to use as much of the surface...
• Surplus energyEnergy generated that is beyond the immediate needs of the producing system. This energy may be supplied by...
• Suspended ratesNew rates that have been accepted for review by a utility commission. When these rates are suspended, they do...
• Swamp coolers (evaporative coolers)Air-conditioning equipment that removes heat by evaporating water. Evaporative cooling techniques are most...
• Switching stationFacility equipment used to tie together two or more electric circuits through switches. The switches are...
• Synthetic natural gas(Also referred to as substitute natural gas) A manufactured product, chemically similar in most respects to...
• System (electric)Physically connected generation, transmission, and distribution facilities operated as an integrated unit...
• System (gas)An interconnected network of pipes, valves, meters, storage facilities, and auxiliary equipment used in the...
• System interconnectionA physical connection between two electric systems that permits the transfer of electric energy in either...
• System operator (electric)An individual at a control center (Balancing Authority, Transmission Operator, Generator Operator...

212 of 2,515 terms in Energy terminology (MLC-0117). Request the full dataset.