Articles for July 27, 2009
ENERGY NEWSBRIEFS is a weekly current awareness service provided by the
Washington State University Extension Energy Program Library and written
by Angela Santamaria, WSU Energy Library Manager, to assist users in tracking
developments in the energy field. To view past issues or to subscribe
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BIOFUELS
"Oxidation Stability in Biodiesel: A Brief Review of Current Technology" was jointly authored by Raj Shah, Director, Koehler Instrument Company, Devinder Mahajan, Co-chair of Chemical Engineering, State University of New York at Stony Brook, et al. Five methods to test the oxidation stability of biofuel are reviewed: Rancimat EN 14112, high-pressure differential scanning calorimetry, photochemilluminesence, ASTM D4625, and ASTM D2274. See this article in Biodiesel Magazine, July 2009, at http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=3541&q=&page=all.
"Winds of Change: German Biodiesel Industry Faces Challenges," by Susanne Retka Schill, Assistant Editor, Biodiesel Magazine, reviews the state of Germanys rapeseed-based biodiesel from the standpoints of the current recession, competition from U.S. soy-based biodiesel, ever-changing laws regulating the industry, and more. See this article in Biodiesel Magazine, July http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=3534&q=&page=all.
BUILDINGS
"The U.S. Building Technologies Program: Moving to Marketable Zero Energy Buildings" was written by Richard Karney, ECBS Executive Committee Member for USA. This is an in-depth article on the work of the U.S. Building Technologies Program in three well-described programs: Emerging Technologies, Residential Building Integration, and High Performance Commercial Buildings. To view this article in ECBS News [Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems News, an International Energy Agency semi-annual newsletter], go to http://www.ecbcs.org/newsletters/ , and select either the "standard" or "press quality" version of issue #49, June 2009.
GREEN BUILDINGS
The following three articles, all written by Charles Redell, Associate Editor, Sustainable Industries, appeared in the July 2009 issue of the same journal:
1. "Building Labels Could Yield Higher Returns" briefly describes the legislation from California and Washington State, both leaders in the effort to label commercial buildings. A national requirement for labeling is, currently, under Congressional consideration. See this article at http://www.sustainableindustries.com/greenbuilding/46406267.html.
2. "Seattle Releases Green Remodeling Guides" highlights the citys effort to assist commercial building owners in greening their properties to attract tenants. The ten guides comprise the series to which the article links: Quick Guide to Tenant Improvement. View this article at http://www.sustainableindustries.com/greenbuilding/48560942.html.
3. "Starbucks Commits to Green Building" explains what the company will do with new and existing buildings in need of remodeling as part of its overall sustainable strategy. The buildings component is recognized by the company as a long-term cost-savings measure. See this article at http://www.sustainableindustries.com/greenbuilding/49128537.html.
RENEWABLES
"Study Suggests Wind Power Potential Is Much Higher Than Current Estimates" is a July 16, 2009, NY Times blog by John Lorinc. The reason for the revised thinking about this is that estimates of wind power potential have been based on 50 ft. high towers. However, 100 ft. towers are becoming the norm. The new estimated numbers for the potential are astonishing. See this article, which links to the six PDF-page Harvard study on which it is based, at http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/study-suggests-wind-power-potential-is-much-higher-than-current-estimates/.
The following two articles appeared in the May/June 2009 issue of Distributed Energy:
1. "Turbines Running on ... Renewables," by David Engle, is a six web-page article that includes discussion of a number of fuel options for driving turbines such as natural gas, biofuels, and wind. It settles on hydrogen from biomass explaining its advantages and challenges. It refers to feed-in tariffs, well-established in Europe, as a mechanism to support the transition to renewables. See this article at http://www.distributedenergy.com/may-june-2009/turbines-running-renewables.aspx.
2. "Uninterrupted and Renewable," by Carol Brzozowski, is a five web-page article on employing renewable sources of energy in data centers and other facilities requiring uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). The experiences of S&C Electric and GE to secure cleaner UPS illustrate some current limitations and challenges. A lengthy review of promising approaches and difficulties rounds out the article. See this article at http://www.distributedenergy.com/may-june-2009/uninterrupted-and-renewable.aspx.
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