Petrol

Petrol

a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. A fossil fuel, it is formed when large quantities of dead organisms, usually zooplankton and algae, are buried underneath sedimentary rock and undergo intense heat and pressure.

Industry: Energy

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Petrol

Radioactive waste

Energy; Coal

Materials left over from making nuclear energy. Radioactive waste can destroy living organisms if it is not stored safely.

Solar cooling

Energy; Coal

The use of solar thermal energy or solar electricity to power a cooling appliance. There are five basic types of solar cooling technologies absorption cooling, which can use solar thermal energy to ...

Operating subsidiary

Energy; Coal

Company that operates a coal mining operation and is owned by another company (i.e., the parent company).

Radioactivity

Energy; Coal

The spontaneous emission of radiation from the nucleus of an atom. Radionuclides lose particles and energy through this process.

Solar declination

Energy; Coal

The apparent angle of the sun north or south of the earth's equatorial plane. The earth's rotation on its axis causes a daily change in the declination.

Operating income

Energy; Coal

Operating revenues less operating expenses. Excludes items of other revenue and expense, such as equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates, dividends, interest income and expense, income taxes, ...

Solar constant

Energy; Coal

The average amount of solar radiation that reaches the earth's upper atmosphere on a surface perpendicular to the sun's rays; equal to 1353 Watts per square metre or 492 Btu per square foot.