Abstract: Pathogen and organic pollution due to the respective discharge of untreated wastewater and organic compounds are now a serious threat across rivers in Asia, Africa and Latin America, says UNEP.


Term Power

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Organic material used to generate energy. Biomass refers to plants or plant-based materials which are not used for food or feed, and are specifically called lignocellulosic biomass.

Geothermal energy is energy derived from the heat of the earth. Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. It can be found almost anywhere.

Insolation is the solar radiation that reaches the earth's surface. It is measured by the amount of solar energy received per square centimetre per minute. Insolation affects temperature. The more the insolation, the higher the temperature.

A greenhouse gas (sometimes abbreviated as GHG) is a gas that absorbs and emits radiation in the thermal infrared range. The process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. These gases are generally released due to the burning of fossil fuel.

A measure of one thousand watts of electrical power. One kilowatt is defined as energy consumption of 1000 joules for 1 second.

An electric current that oscillates back and forth at regular intervals. In other words, an electric current that periodically reverses its direction many times, and is typically used in power supplies.

Generation of electricity directly from sunlight using semiconducting material. Photovoltaic (PV) devices generate electricity directly from sunlight via an electronic process that occurs naturally in certain types of material, called semiconductors.

A measuring instrument used to measure the current in a circuit. An ammeter can measure a wide range of current values because at high values only a small portion of the current is directed through the meter mechanism.

A static machine used for transforming power from one circuit to another without changing frequency. Since there is no rotating or moving part so transformer is a static device. A transformer operates on AC supply and works on the principle of mutual induction.

An electromagnetic field (also EM field) is a physical field produced by electrically charged objects. All electrically charged particles are surrounded by electric fields. Charged particles in motion produce magnetic fields.