Energy Definitions

Demand Side Management
Energy demand management is often referred to as demand side management (DSM). Energy demand management usually implies actions that influence the quantity of energy consumed by users. It can also include actions targeting reduction of peak demand during periods when energy supply systems are constrained. Peak demand management does not necessarily decrease total energy consumption but could be expected to reduce the need for investments in networks and or power plants.

Pyrolysis
Decomposition or transformation of a compound caused by heat

Slash
Tree tops and branches resulting from tree harvest

Frass
Waste bark from chipping operations

Photocells
A photocell is a light sensing device used to control lighting systems and dimmers in response to detected light levels. Photocell technology has been used to provide consistent light by responding to the amount of natural light available in office buildings. It has high potential application to the turkey production barn to both save production costs through electricity savings while optimizing lighting affect on production.

Variable Frequency Drives (VFD)
also known as Variable Speed or Adjustable Speed Drives may be used on the vacuum pump and milk pump. The VFD attaches to the existing vacuum pump to constantly monitor the airflow and alter the motor speed accordingly. On the vacuum pump, savings of at least 50% (65 to 80% are typical) can be achieved. This system maintains the vacuum level by adjusting the motor speed.

Power factor 
An electricity term relating to the quality of power on your operation. A poor power factor will increase the charges every month for demand. It is affected by a number of things, including anything that has a transformer (all your HID and fluorescent lights) as well as any motor, from a small refrigerator compressor through to a large irrigation pump.

Demand
Demand is measured in kW (kilo-watt) Every month, the Utility will read your meter for demand. This is the peak amount of energy required at any time since the last meter reading. The actual charges per kW vary by Utility; but it will be in the $8-$12/kW range.

Reactive Power
Generation and transmission cannot do anything without reactive power, a poorly understood but essential part of electricity. Often electricity is thought of simply as the electrons that flow through the wires. But there are a few component parts with familiar names - volts, amps and watts - that are not well understood.

Electric current, measured in amperes or amps, is the stream of electrons. The current can’t go anywhere without voltage - the force that pushes the current through the wires. To make an analogy to water, the current would be the drops of water, and the voltage would be the water pressure that pushes it through the pipes.

Working together, amps and volts become the watts, or megawatts (MW) in larger volume, that define how much work the electricity can do. But both amps and volts travel in waves and only produce watts when the waves are in phase with each other.

Reactive power, measured in voltage ampere reactive (VAR), is when the amps and volts are not in phase and is, to some extent, an unavoidable by-product of producing megawatts. If these additional out-of-phase waves travel down the transmission line, they decrease the amount of megawatts (the in-phase waves) that can travel through the line.

The VARs wave can either be leading ahead of the in-phase wave or lagging behind it. If there is a VARs wave leading, then you want to produce some equivalent VARs waves that are lagging such that the leading and lagging VARs waves cancel each other out and leave only the in-phase wave. In this way the maximum amount of megawatts can travel through the line and voltage is maintained. If there is not enough voltage, the current cannot be pushed through the power lines, leading to a voltage collapse. Power plants and transmission lines are designed to shut down when there is inadequate voltage to prevent damage to the equipment.