Glossary
Terms starting with R
190 definitions · page 2 of 4.
- reed
- In wind instruments such as the clarinet and oboe, a small vibrating element made of cane that serves as all (double reed) or part (single reed) of the mouthpiece.
- Reference List
- A listing of a job seekers references. A separate reference sheet should always match the look and layout of your CV (resume) but should never be supplied unless requested. Sometimes also known as 'Reference Sheet'
- References
- Previous employers, teachers or other upstanding members of the community who have good things to say about you. Always ask permission before including a person on your reference list. Sometimes also known as 'Referees'
- REFINER
- means any person who owns, operates, or controls the operations of one or more refineries.
- REFINERY
- A facility that separates crude oil into varied oil products. The refinery uses progressive temperature changes to separate by vaporizing the chemical components of crude oil that have different boiling points. These are distilled into usable products such…
- reflection nebula
- a cloud of gas and dust that is visible because the dust reflects a nearby star’s light
- reflector
- a telescope that uses a curved mirror to gather light
- Reform sauce
- An English sauce based on poivrade sauce (which contains shallots, red wine, herbs and vinegar). Reform sauce has the rich combination of port, gherkins, tongue, mushrooms and hard-boiled egg whites, and is best served with either lamb or game.
- REFORMULATED GASOLINE (RFG)
- A cleaner-burning gasoline that has had its compositions and/or characteristics altered to reduce vehicular emissions of pollutants. It was sold in California beginning in 1996 with the oxygenate additive MTBE.
- refractor
- a telescope that uses a glass lens to gather light
- REFRIGERANT
- A fluid such as freon that is used in cooling devices to absorb heat from surrounding air or liquids as it evaporates.
- Refugee
- A person who has a well-founded fear of persecution if he/she should return to his/her home country. He/she applies to come to the United States in another country and enters the United States as a refugee.
- Region Codes
- Codes set for certain geographical regions. This feature was instigated by the movie industry so that you can only view the movie on DVD if it has been released in your geographical region.
- register
- The relative location within the range of a voice or an instrument, such as "the piercing upper register of the oboe. "
- regolith
- the unconsolidated residual or transported rock and soil that overlies solid bedrock on Earth, the moon, or another planetthe powdery soil of the moon produced by meteorite impacts
- REGULATION
- The service provided by generating units equipped and operating with automatic generation controls that enables the units to respond to the ISO's direct digital control signals to match real-time demand and resources, consistent with establsihed operating…
- REGULATORY MUST-RUN GENERATION
- Utilities will be allowed to generate electricity when hydro resources are spilled for fish releases, irrigation, and agricultural purposes, and to generate power that is required by federal or state laws, regulations, or jurisdictional authorities. Such…
- REGULATORY MUST-TAKE GENERATION
- Utilities will be allowed to generate electricity from those resources -- identified by the CPUC -- that are not subject to competition. These resources will be scheduled with the ISO on a must-take basis. Regulatory Must-Take Generation includes QF…
- REHEAT
- The heating of air that has been previously cooled either by mechanical refrigeration or economizer cooling systems.
- REID VAPOR PRESSURE (RVP)
- a standard measurement of a liquid's vapor pressure in pounds per square inch at 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It is an indication of the propensity of the liquid to evaporate.
- REINSURANCE
- Insurance bought by insurers. A reinsurer assumes part of the risk and part of the premium originally taken by the insurer, known as the primary company. Reinsurance effectively increases an insurer's capital and therefore its capacity to sell more coverage…
- relativity
- the theories of physics developed by Albert Einstein that describe measurements made by two observers who are in relative motion
- Relax
- In pastry-making, this means to set aside the pastry in a cool place after rolling to allow the gluten to contract (because it will have expanded during rolling). This reduces the danger of the pastry shrinking in the oven. It's also a term used to refer to…
- RELIABILITY
- Electric system reliability has two components-- adequacy and security. Adequacy is the ability of the electric system to supply the aggregate electrical demand and energy requirements of the customers at all times, taking into account scheduled and…
- RELIABILITY MUST RUN UNIT
- In return for payment, the ISO may call upon the owner of a generating unit to run the unit when required for grid reliability.
- RELIABILITY MUST-RUN GENERATION
- The ISO will allow utilities to generate power that is needed to ensure system reliability. This includes generation: Required to meet the reliability criteria for interconnected systems operation. Needed to meet load (demand) in constrained areas. Needed to…
- Remuneration
- Money paid or a benefit given to a person in return for their services. This usually means a salary but can also take the form of a special payment such as a bonus or group of benefits. Please also see 'Benefits Package'
- RENEWABLE ENERGY
- Resources that constantly renew themselves or that are regarded as practically inexhaustible. These include solar, wind, geothermal, hydro and wood. Although particular geothermal formations can be depleted, the natural heat in the earth is a virtually…
- RENEWABLE RESOURCES
- Renewable energy resources are naturally replenishable, but flow-limited. They are virtually inexhaustible in duration but limited in the amount of energy that is available per unit of time. Some (such as geothermal and biomass) may be stock-limited in that…
- Rennet
- An extract from the stomach of cows or sheep, used to curdle milk for cheese-making. A vegetarian alternative to rennet is used in making vegetarian cheese. Vegetarian cheeses are becoming more widely available and there are now vegetarian alternatives to…
- RENTERS INSURANCE
- A form of insurance that covers a policyholder’s belongings against perils such as fire, theft, windstorm, hail, explosion, vandalism, riots, and others. It also provides personal liability coverage for damage the policyholder or dependents cause to third…
- Repeat
- A number that contains at least one of the digits that was drawn the previous day or the previous draw.
- REPLACEMENT COST
- Insurance that pays the dollar amount needed to replace damaged personal property or dwelling property without deducting for depreciation but limited by the maximum dollar amount shown on the declarations page of the policy.
- REPURCHASE AGREEMENT 'REPO'
- Agreement between a buyer and seller where the seller agrees to repurchase the securities at an agreed upon time and price. Repurchase agreements involving U.S. government securities are utilized by the Federal Reserve to control the money supply.
- REREGULATION
- The design and implementation of regulatory practices to be applied to the remaining regulated entities after restructuring of the vertically-integrated electric utility. The remaining regulated entities would be those that continue to exhibit…
- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (R&D)
- Research is the discovery of fundamental new knowledge. Development is the application of new knowledge to develop a potential new service or product. Basic power sector R&D is most commonly funded and conducted through the Department of Energy (DOE), its…
- RESELLER
- An CLEC that does not have certain facilities but purchases telecommunications service from a LEC and then resells that service to others.
- Reseller
- Resellers are usually smaller companies that still try to build their customers base. They don't own the server with user accounts but can perform most administrative functions.
- RESERVE
- The extra generating capability that an electric utility needs, above and beyond the highest demand level it is required to supply to meet its users¼ needs.
- Reserve Auction
- An auction in which the seller reserves the right to establish a reserve price, to accept or decline any and all bids or to withdraw the property at any time prior to the announcement of the completion of the sale by the auctioneer. See also Auction With…
- Reserve Capacity
- Extra generating capacity available to meeet peak or abnormally high demands for power and to generate power during scheduled or unscheduled outages. Units available for service, but not maintained at operating temperature, are termed "cold." those units…
- RESERVE GENERATING CAPACITY
- The amount of power that can be produced at a given point in time by generating units that are kept available in case of special need. This capacity may be used when unusually high power demand occurs, or when other generating units are off-line for…
- RESERVE MARGIN
- The differences between the dependable capacity of a utility's system and the anticipated peak load for a specified period.
- RESERVES
- A company’s best estimate of what it will pay for claims.
- RESIDENTIAL BUILDING
- means any hotel, motel, apartment house, lodging house, single and dwelling, or other residential building which is heated or mechanically cooled.
- Residual Interaction
- An interaction between objects that do not carry a charge but do contain constituents that have that charge. Although some chemical substances involve electrically-charged ions, much of chemistry is due to residual electromagnetic interactions between…
- RESIDUAL MARKET
- Facilities, such as assigned risk plans and FAIR Plans, that exist to provide coverage for those who cannot get it in the regular market. Insurers doing business in a given state generally must participate in these pools. For this reason the residual market…
- RESIDUE
- any organic matter left as residue, such as agricultural and forestry residue, including, but not limited to, conifer thinnings, dead and dying trees, commercial hardwood, noncommercial hardwoods and softwoods, chaparral, burn, mill, agricultural field, and…
- Resignation
- When you quit your job, you 'resign'. A letter of resignation would be the letter given to your employer stating that you intend to leave your current position on a specific date, depending on the amount of notice required.
- RESISTANCE (ELECTRICAL)
- The ability of all conductors of electricity to resist the flow of current, turning some of it into heat. Resistance depends on the cross section of the conductor (the smaller the cross section, the greater the resistance) and its temperature (the hotter the…
- RESISTANCE (THERMAL)
- The reciprocal of thermal conductance. See R-VALUE.
- resolution
- A move from a dissonance to a consonance.
- resolution
- the ability of a telescope or camera to pick out fine detail
- resolving power
- the ability of a telescope or camera to pick out fine detail
- RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
- The use of smaller amounts of physical resources to produce the same product or service. Resource efficiency involves a concern for the use of all physical resource sand materials used in the production and use cycle, not just the energy input.
- rest
- (I) In music, a brief silence; (2) in musical notation, a sign indicating such a silence.
- Rest Mass
- The rest mass (m) of a particle is the mass defined by the energy of the isolated (free) particle at rest, divided by the speed of light squared. When particle physicists use the word "mass," they always mean the "rest mass" (m) of the object in question.
- RESTRUCTURING
- The reconfiguration of the vertically-integrated electric utility. Restructuring usually refers to separation of the various utility functions into individually-operated and -owned entities.
- Resume
- The number one job-hunting tool that any job seeker MUST have. A resume summarizes your past employment, your accomplishments and your education, including any courses taking in connection with previous jobs. Your resume should reflect who you are based on…
- RETAIL COMPETITION
- A system under which more than one electric provider can sell to retail customers, and retail customers are allowed to buy from more than one provider. (See also direct access)