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Alternating electrical current: a electric current which periodically reverses direction. Also known by the acronym A/C (alternating current).

Ampere: unit of electrical current, named after French physicist André-Marie Ampère, and representing the number of charges (coulombs) per second passing through a point in a conducting material. (1 Ampère = 1 coulomb/second).

Atomic or nuclear power: the energy that holds together the particles in the nucleus of each atom and which can be released in the form of heat or radiant energy either by a fusion reaction, when two lighter nuclei merge to form one heavier nucleus, or by a fission reaction, when a single very massive nucleus is split into two or more fragments.Use of the heat created by the fission of radioactive elements to generate steam which drives a turbine that serves in turn to generate electricity.

Bipolar: type of design for integrated circuits. Bipolar integrated circuits contain bipolar transistors and other components that exploit the properties of PN junctions in semiconductors. Bipolar circuits operate at higher speeds than MOS circuits but are more complex to manufacture and consume more energy.

Capacitor: part of a circuit whose main feature is capacitance and which stores energy in its electrical field.

Circuit breaker: automatic switch triggered by excess current. Device used as a protection against indirect contact connected to the grounding system of an installation.

Circuit: path or route along which an electric current flows, made up of conductors carrying electrical energy between the terminals of a voltage source.

Coil: a cable conductor wound around a solid or hollow cylinder. This arrangement coupled with their geometry gives coils excellent magnetic properties.

Conductor: metallic components, generally of copper or aluminium that allow the passage of an electrical current and which therefore transmit "electrical pressure" from one end of the cable to the other. A material that offers low resistance to an electrical current. Materials that lack this quality are called insulators.
Connectors or terminal blocks: components used to link conductors often using screw clamps.

Coulomb: the basic unit of electric charge, named after the scientist Agustín de Coulomb (1736-1806).

Central Hidroelectrica: Es aquella central donde se aprovecha la energía producida por la caída del agua para golpear y mover el eje de los generadores eléctricos.

Direct electrical current: a current in a circuit that flows continuously in one direction. Also known by the acronym D/C (direct current).

Distribution line: electrical power line that connects another power line, a control and protection panel, or a general protection device to the source of electricity used to power various devices, premises or installations.

Distribution: the transmission of electricity at low voltages (generally 120V to 34,500V) and its supply to end-consumers.

Electric arc: a high intensity electrical discharge between two electrodes in the presence of low pressure gases or open air. The phenomenon was discovered and demonstrated by British chemist Sir Humphry Davy in 1800.

Electric motor: an electric motor turns electric energy into mechanical energy by the rotation of a magnetic field around a coil or coil in different forms.

Electrical current: the flow of electricity passing along a conductor. Current is measured in amperes and represented by the letter I.

Electrical resistance: the measure of the difficulty an electric current will have passing through a given material.

Electrical screen: thin sheaths of a synthetic conducting material used in dry-type XLPE insulation cables for voltages of 3.3 kV or more and in ERP cables from 6.6 kV.i
The inner sheath, between the conductor and insulator, ensures the electric field in contact with the conductor remains perfectly cylindrical by filling the gaps in the strands that make up the cable.
The external sheath carries out a similar role for the outer part of the insulation and remains at ground potential.

Electricity: physical phenomenon caused by electrical charges and their interaction. A static charge creates forces on nearby objects and a moving charge creates magnetic effects.

Electromagnet: material magnetised by the use of electricity.

Electromagnetic induction: the creation of an electrical current in a conductor by a the movement of a nearby magnetic field or by the conductor's own movement within a magnetic field.

Energy: energy is the capacity of a body or group of bodies to carry out work. Any material body changing from none state to another creates physical effects and these are entirely due to some transformation of energy.
Capacity of a body or system to carry out work. Electrical energy is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh).

Faraday's law: "A variable magnetic field moved within a coil will induce an electrical current in the coil"
Generating set: piece of equipment comprising a motor driving an electricity generator and the corresponding controls.

Generator: electromechanical device that turns mechanical energy into electrical energy through electromagnetic induction.

Geothermal energy: tapping the massive temperatures beneath the Earth's crust either directly for heating systems or to create electricity through steam turbines. The planet's internal heat melts rock and heats up underground gases and water. These in turn heat the water in the lower strata of the earth's crust which then bursts through to the surface as hot steam or liquid, creating the periodic eruptions, normally found in volcanic regions, that we call geysers.

Gigawatt: multiple unit of active potential, equivalent to a thousand million watts, written as GW.
Ground, Earth (UK): any direct metallic connection, without fuses or other protection, linking items or components of an installation and an electrode or number of electrodes sunk into the earth and with a broad enough cross section to ensure that there are no dangerous potential differences between any of the installations and allow currents due to faults or lightning to pass harmlessly into the earth.

Hertz: a hertz is a unit of frequency used in alternating currents and wave theory. One hertz is equal to one cycle per second.

High voltage, high tension: nominal voltage above 1 kV.

High-voltage installation: voltages above 33,000V

Enchufe: elemento terminal de una instalación eléctrica mediante el que conectamos los aparatos eléctricos y electrónicos a la red.

Hydraulic energy: energy harnessed by turbines driven by the pressure of water flowing from a higher to a lower level. Also, the force of a waterfall or current used to create mechanical energy to drive machinery or generate electricity.

Electroimán: Es la magnetización de un material, utilizando para ello la electricidad.Energía solar: Es la energía radiante producida en el sol como resultado de reacciones de fusión nuclear; esta energía se propaga a través del espacio por las partículas llamadas fotones.

Hydroelectric power station: an electricity generation plant that relies on the energy of falling water to drive the rotor of the generators.

Insulation, insulator: an insulating material is a substance made up of atoms whose electrons are bound so tightly to the nuclei that they are effectively prevented from moving and therefore prevent the generation of an electrical current when there is a potential difference between two points of the material. An insulator is a non-conducting material, which does not allow electricity to pass through it.

Kilowatt hour: energy unit used to measure consumption. It equates to the electricity used by a device consuming 1,000W of electricity for one hour.

Kilowatt: a unit for measuring electric strength of 1,000 watts.

Linear charge: most electrical charges behave in a conventional manner, as linear charges, which means that whena particular voltage is applied the current's wave shape retains the same form, although it is generally shifted in angle along the time axis.

Low-voltage installation: voltages between 50V and 1,000V.

Luminaire: a complete lighting unit consisting of a lamp or lamps together with the parts designed to distribute the light, to position and protect the lamps, and to connect the lamps to the power supply.

Medium-voltage installation: voltages between 1,000V and 33,000V

Motor protector: automatic breaker designed to control and protect electric motors usually integrated into motor starters. The trip curve of the thermal relays is specifically designed to handle this sort of charge.

Ohm: unit of measurement of electrical resistance. The resistance of a material which will maintain a current of one ampere when a potential difference of one volt is applied.

Photocell: switch that is opened or closed by the action of a photoelectric cell.

Photoelectric effect: takes place when irradiation with light or electromagnetic radiation frees electrically charged particles from a material. This phenomenon was explained by Albert Einstein in 1905 using the concept of light particles or photons

Plug: terminal in an electrical installation through which electrical and electronic devices are connected to the grid.

Power generation: the production of electrical energy by the transformation of another type of energy (mechanical, chemical, potential, wind, etc.) carried out at power plants (thermal, hydroelectric, wind, nuclear, etc.).

Power: the work done or energy transferred in a given unit of time. Measured in watts (W) or kilowatts (kW).

Ley de Faraday:"Si un campo magnético variable atraviesa el interior de una espira se obtendra en esta una corriente eléctrica".

Solar energy: energy produced by the effect of the sun's heat on a solar panel. This is mainly used domestically to heat water and provide heating and for road-lighting using a battery that recharges from sunlight during the day. Solar power is derived from the sun which produces energy by the fusion of atoms of hydrogen, its main constituent element.

Starter switch: part of the auxiliary circuit for metal halide lamps. It puts out a high-voltage impulse that kickstarts the lamp when it is switched on.

Supply: the sale, billing and collection of payment for electricity services provided to end-consumers.

Switch: device that allows the turning on and off of the electrical current in a circuit or component connected to the grid.

Switchboard, switchgear: panel containing a circuit breaker, with short-circuit and overload protection, for each circuit running from the switchboard.

Terminal blocks: see connectors.

Thermal energy: heat energy produced by burning coal, oil natural gas or other fuel in thermal power plants.

Thermal power station: an electricity generation plant that relies on a turbine driven by steam injected under pressure to turn the rotor of the generators.

Three-way/multi-way switch: a special switch that allows a single circuit to be controlled from multiple points.

For instance: in a corridor two three-way switches allow you to switch the light on from one and off from another (or vice versa).

Transformer: device used to raise or reduce voltage. Made up of two coils linked by a magnetic field.

Transmission: the large-scale interconnection, transformation and transmission of electricity to urban distribution centres, through the electricity grid at voltages from 115,000 V to 800,000 V.

Trolleycar, streetcar, Tram (UK): urban public transport system similar to rail but running along streets and driven by electrical motors.

Turbine: rotatory machine that transforms the kinetic energy of a fluid into mechanical energy. Its core component is a rotor with blades, helices, etc. The mechanical energy is used to drive electrical generators or other types of machinery.

Volt: unit measuring the force that drives electrical charges through a conductor. Named after the Italian physicist and professor from Pavia, Alejandro Volta, who discovered that chemical reactions between sheets of zinc and copper submerged in sulphuric acid gave rise to enough force to produce electrical charges.

Voltage: electrical potential of an object. The difference in voltage between two points linked by a conductor produces the circulation of an electric current. It is measured in volts (V). The terms potential, electromotive force (emf), and voltage are often used interchangeably. The household voltage in Buenos Aires is 220 V.

Voltmeter:an instrument that measures differences in voltage by drawing electric current through a known resistance in a parallel circuit.

Watt: unit of power drawn by a device such as a radio or television. It is the energy consumed by the device and is calculated by multiplying the voltage by the current.

Weber: unit of magnetic flux in the international electrical system.

Wind energy: kinetic energy of the air, created by wind and captured by windmills attached to wind turbines. Also used as a term for the generation of electricity in wind farms. Generation of electricity using the speed of the wind to turn the generator sails in particularly windy regions.

Wind power station: an electricity generation plant where generators are driven by harnessing the force of the wind. Usually they can generate between 5 kW and 300 kW.

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