Renewable energy glossary
This is a non-exhaustive list of the terms commonly used by professionals in the field of renewable energy:
Air source heat pump: pump using thermal energy from the air or pump capturing calories present in the air.
AFPAC : Association Française pour les Pompes A Chaleur - French Heat Pump Association
Buried captors: polythene or copper tubes with a polythene sheath, buried in the soil and in which circulates a fluid which captures the energy in the soil.
CETIAT: Centre d'Etudes Techniques des Industries Aérauliques et Thermiques - Centre for the study of energy from the air. The CETIAT is a research, trial and calibrating laboratory in the field of the capture of energy from the air and the ground and acoustics.
The CETIAT offers 'made to measure' services for industries who want to benefit from the competencies and technical skills developed since the CETIAT was set up in 1960. A wide variety of sectors call on the CETIAT's servces: agri-business, mechanics, textiles etc. Among the CETIAT's more important sectors are climate engineering, transport and health.
Compressor: the main element in a heat-pump. It works using an electric power unit.
Condensation: transformation of a fluid in a gaseous state into a liquid state. This requires a transfer of energy. In daily life the humidity contained in the air (gas) can condense on a cold surface, on a window for instance. In a heat pump's condenser, it is the compressed hot gasses that condense on the walls of the exchanger, irrigated with the cooler water of heating circuit, which transfer their energy.
COP (Coefficient of performance): the efficiency of a heat pump is measured by the difference between the quantity of heat produced and the electricity consumed by the compressor. This relationship is the coefficient of performance (COP) of the heat-pump.
Tax credit: a fiscal measure which allows households to deduct from income tax part of the expenses for certain types of work undertaken to improve energy use in their main residence. If the tax credit is higher than the tax owed the excess is paid back to the household, when this is the case the household will pay no tax.
Water-glycol : water to which antifreeze has been added and which circulates in the captors buried around the home.
Heat exchanger: equipment that allows a hot fluid to shed its heat to a colder fluid. In a heat exchanger there are two types of exchanger; the condenser and the evaporator
ENR: Énergies Nouvelles Renouvelables - New renewable energies.
EUROVENT: certifies the performance of air conditioning and refrigerating products in line with European and international standards.
www.eurovent-certification.com
Coolant: fluid contained in the heat exchanger which ensures that when there is a change in state (gas, liquid), heat is transfered.
Ground source heat pump: pump using thermal energy from the deep layers under the earth's surface or pump capturing heat contained just under the surface.
Aquapac guarantee: the ADEME, BRGM and EDF have created this procedure which guarantees water resources at shallow depth for heat exchangers. A project manager who insures himself is indemnified if there is not enough water available or if the flow from the water table used decreases after the heat pump is installed.
NF PAC: a voluntary label delivered by AFAQ-AFNOR Certification which allows the user to check that the various French, European and international heat pump standards in force have been adhered to, as well as ensuring minimum performance levels derived from the standards and fixed by the various members of the specialist NF-PAC committee
NRT : Norme de Règlementation Thermique 2005 - Thermal regulation standards.
Heat pump: heat pumps which ensure both heating and cooling are called reversible heat pumps. The heat pump is a thermodynamic machine made up of a closed and leak-proof circuit in which flows a coolant There are four main parts: the compressor, the condenser, the pressure reducing valve and the evaporator.
Low temperature under-floor heating: heating system used with a concrete slab. The size of the emitter is calculated to ensure that the surface remains moderately warm, about 23°C.
Cooling and condensation: cooling is moderate cooling of the air. If a heat pump is used for under-floor heating / cooling, the temperature of the floor should not go too low in comparison with that of the ambient air, otherwise the air will condense on the floor. To ensure this does not happen there should be appropriate controls.
Ground probe: heat exchanger made up of polythene tubes inserted vertically in a drilled hole several tens of metres deep and in which flows a heat conveying fluid with anti-freeze which captures the heat from the earth around it.
Fan convector: emitter of hot or cold air connected to a water circuit heated or cooled by a heat pump. It filters and diffuses the air using a fan.
Source: ADEME (Environmental and Energy Agency)
