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The 2011 Buildings Energy Data Book includes statistics on residential and commercial building energy consumption. Data tables contain statistics related to construction, building technologies, energy consumption, and building characteristics.

The Building Technologies Program within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy developed this resource to provide a current and accurate set of comprehensive buildings- and energy-related data. The Data Book is an evolving document and is updated periodically.

An informal workshop focused on the implications of the US Billion Ton Update1 for understanding bioenergy sustainability was held at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee 28-30 September 2011. The workshop was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Biomass Program and the Center for BioEnergy

Author(s):
Virginia Dale

Biofuels are promoted in the United States through aggressive legislation, as one part of an overall strategy to lessen dependence on imported energy as well as to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases (Office of the Biomass Program and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 2008). For example, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) mandates 36 billion gallons of renewable liquid transportation fuel in the U.S. marketplace by the year 2022 (U.S. Government, 2007).

Author(s):
Emily Newes, Daniel Inman, Brian Bush

This review on research on life cycle carbon accounting examines the complexities in accounting for carbon emissions given the many different ways that wood is used. Recent objectives to increase the use of renewable fuels have raised policy questions, with respect to the sustainability of managing our forests as well as the impacts of how best to use wood from our forests. There has been general support for the benefits of sustainably managing forests for carbon mitigation as expressed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007.

Author(s):
Lippke, Bruce

Microalgae are receiving increased global attention as a potential sustainable “energy crop”for biofuel production. An important step to realizing the potential of algae is quantifying the demands commercial‐scale algal biofuel production will place on water and land resources. We present a high‐resolution spatiotemporal assessment that brings to bear fundamental questions of where production can occur, how many land and water resources are required, and how much energy is produced.

Author(s):
Wigmosta, Mark

Indicators are needed to assess environmental sustainability of bioenergy systems. Effective indicators
will help in the quantification of benefits and costs of bioenergy options and resource uses. We identify
19 measurable indicators for soil quality, water quality and quantity, greenhouse gases, biodiversity, air
quality, and productivity, building on existing knowledge and on national and international programs
that are seeking ways to assess sustainable bioenergy. Together, this suite of indicators is hypothesized

Author(s):
McBride, Allen

This paper presents an overview of 67 ongoing certification initiatives to safeguard the sustainability of bioenergy. Most recent initiatives are focused on the sustainability of liquid biofuels. Content-wise, most of these initiatives have mainly included environmental principles. Despite serious concerns in various parts of the world on the socio-economic impacts of bioenergy production, these are generally not included in existing bioenergy initiatives. At the same time, the overview shows a strong proliferation of standards.

Author(s):
J. van Dam , M. Junginger , A.P.C. Faaij

The paper discusses the importance of standards for sustainable bioenergy production. Sustainability of bioenergy production is crucial if bioenergy is supposed to contribute effectively to climate change mitigation. First, a brief overview of current bioenergy policies and of initiatives and legislation for bioenergy sustainability are given. Then, the authors show that under free market conditions undersupply of sustainable bioenergy will prevail. Two types of market failures are identified: information asymmetry and externalities in bioenergy production.

Author(s):
Renate Schubert

The biofuel boom has raised great expectations regarding renewable, domestic and carbon-free bioenergy sources but at the same time has led to concerns about the adverse environmental and socio-economic implications such as land-use competition, deforestation and market distortions. In this context, bioenergy systems have to demonstrate their environmental sustainability, economic viability and societal acceptability compared with fossil fuels and alternative energy sources.

Author(s):
Jürgen Scheffran

Rising energy prices, geopolitics as well as concerns over increasing oil prices, national security, and the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on global climate change are driving large-scale efforts to implement bioenergy alternatives. Biomass fuels offer many new opportunities, but if not managed carefully, they may also carry significant risks. Biomass in this context is non-fossil material of biological origin from forest, energy crops, agriculture and different kind of wastes. Markets for energy generated from biomass are expanding at a fast pace.

Author(s):
Svetlana Ladanai , Johan Vinterbäck

Forest biomass is increasingly being considered as a source of sustainable energy. It is crucial, however, that this biomass be grown and harvested in a sustainable manner. International processes and certification systems have been developed to ensure sustainable forest management (SFM) in general, but it is important to consider if they adequately address specific impacts of intensified production and harvesting methods related to forest fuels.

Author(s):
Inge Stupak , Brenna Lattimore , Brian D. Titus , C. Tattersall Smith

Environmental impacts associated with the use of fossil fuels, rising prices, potential limitations in supply and concerns about regional and national security are driving the development and use of biomass for bioenergy, biofuels and bioproducts. However, the use of biomass does not automatically imply that its production, conversion and use are sustainable. Conflicts between various ecosystem services (economic production of food, fodder and fuels, biodiversity, social and cultural values, etc.) that are provided by fertile land are increasing as well.

Author(s):
A. Markevičius , V. Katinas , E. Perednis , M. Tamašauskienė

Concerns about CO2 emissions and fossil fuel supplies have enhanced interest in using crop residues for biofuel production; however, maintaining soil organic C (SOC) through residue return is vital for maintaining soil productivity. Our objectives were to simulate long-term SOC dynamics using CQESTR and to examine the effect of residue harvest on SOC stocks under disking (DT) and conservation tillage (CS). A long-term study in the mid-Coastal Plain region of South Carolina was used to simulate four residue harvest rates (0, 50, 66, and 90%) during two harvest periods.

Author(s):
H. T. Gollany , J. M. Novak , Y. Liang , S. L. Albrech , R. W. Rickman , W. W. Wilhelm , P. G. Hunt

Corn (Zea mays L.) stover was identified as a renewable non-food agricultural feedstock for production of liquid fuels, biopower, and other bioproducts, but it is also needed for erosion control, carbon sequestration, and nutrient cycling.

Author(s):
Wally W. Wilhelm , Jane M. F. Johnson , Dave T. Lightle , Douglas L. Karlen , Jeff M. Novak , Nancy W. Barbour , David A. Laird , John Baker , Tyson E. Ochsner , Ardell D. Halvorson , David W. Archer , Francisco Arriaga

Advanced biofuels will be developed using cellulosic feedstock rather than grain or oilseed crops that can also be used for food and feed. To be sustainable, these new agronomic production systems must be economically viable without degrading the soil and other natural resources. This review examines six agronomic factors that collectively define many of the limits and opportunities for harvesting crop residue for biofuel feedstock in the midwestern United States.

Author(s):
Wally W. Wilhelm , J. Richard Hess , Douglas L. Karlen , Jane M. F. Johnson , David J. Muth , John M. Baker , Hero T. Gollany , Jeff M. Novak , Diane E. Stott , Gary E. Varvel

Application of biochar to highly weathered tropical soils has been shown to enhance soil quality and decrease leaching of nutrients. Little, however, is known about the effects of biochar applications on temperate region soils. Our objective was to quantify the impact of biochar on leaching of plant nutrients following application of swine manure to a typical Midwestern agricultural soil. Repacked soil columns containing 0, 5, 10, and 20 g-biochar kg− 1-soil, with and without 5 g kg− 1 of dried swine manure were leached weekly for 45 weeks.

Author(s):
David Laird , Pierce Fleming , Baiqun Wang , Robert Horton , Doulgas Karlen

Biochar, a co-product of thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic materials into advanced biofuels, may be used as a soil amendment to enhance the sustainability of biomass harvesting. We investigated the impact of biochar amendments (0, 5, 10, and 20 g-biochar kg− 1 soil) on the quality of a Clarion soil (Mesic Typic Hapludolls), collected (0–15 cm) in Boone County, Iowa. Repacked soil columns were incubated for 500 days at 25 °C and 80% relative humidity.

Author(s):
David A. Laird , Pierce Fleming , Dedrick D. Davis , Robert Horton , Baiqun Wang , Douglas L. Karlen

To be sustainable, feedstock harvest must neither degrade soil, water, or air resources nor negatively impact productivity or subsequent crop yields. Simulation modeling will help guide the development of sustainable feedstock production practices, but not without field validation. This paper introduces field research being conducted in six states to support Sun Grant Regional Partnership modeling.

Author(s):
Douglas L. Karlen