Technology development for the production of biobased products from biorefinery carbohydrates—the US Department of Energy’s “Top 10” revisited

23 Stereocontrol of Lactide ROP 6164 231 Isotactic Polylactides 6164 232 Syndiotactic Polylactides 6166 233 Heterotactic Polylactides 6166 3 Anionic Polymerization 6166 4 Nucleophilic Polymerization 6168 41 Mechanistic Considerations 6168 42 Catalysts 6169 421 Enzymes 6169 422 Organocatalysts 6169 43 Stereocontrol of Lactide ROP 6170 44 Depolymerization 6170 5 Cationic Polymerization 6170 6 Conclusion and Perspectives 6171 7 Acknowledgments 6173 8 References and Notes 6173

Controlled ring-opening polymerization of lactide and glycolide.

An overview of the recent developments in polylactide (PLA) research.

Poly(lactic acid) modifications

Most of the carbon-based compounds currently manufactured by the chemical industry are derived from petroleum. The rising cost and dwindling supply of oil have been focusing attention on possible routes to making chemicals, fuels, and solvents from biomass instead. In this context, many recent studies have assessed the relative merits of applying different dedicated crops to chemical production. Here, we highlight the opportunities for diverting existing residual biomass--the by-products of present agricultural and food-processing streams--to this end.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/337/6095/695.full.pdf

Valorization of Biomass: Deriving More Value from Waste

The most commonly adopted rate treatment for residential solar systems connected to the grid is net metering, or, as it is also known, net energy metering. This article discuss how net metering is often considered the go-to incentive for residential PV systems, but it has certain limitations for both utilities and users.

/pdf/the-value-of-solar-rate-designing-an-improved-residential-3fm7txvz7x.pdf

The ‘Value Of Solar’ Rate: Designing an Improved Residential Solar Tariff

Increasing numbers of customers are installing solar photovoltaic systems on their homes and businesses. As module and system costs decline, customer demand grows, and more businesses organize around the solar opportunity, it is time to revisit the tariff structure under which these systems integrate with and operate on the electric grid. This article details a novel approach to a distributed solar tariff, called the “Value of Solar” tariff (“VOST”), that addresses important utility and customer issues, and offers some significant improvements over traditional net metering approaches.

/pdf/the-value-of-solar-tariff-net-metering-2-0-3md57v0dhw.pdf

The Value of Solar Tariff: Net Metering 2.0

Green power certification: Environmental and consumer protection benefits of the Green-e programme

The word virtual suffers from a recent spate of immense over-use. To add clarity to my own thought, I consulted a dictionary. My old edition, not edited for current usage, says: 
Virtual—existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact, form or name. From medieval English—virtual—effective, powerful. From Latin—virtus—capacity, virtue. [American Heritage, 1973]

Karl R. Rábago

Papers

The ‘Value Of Solar’ Rate: Designing an Improved Residential Solar Tariff

The Value of Solar Tariff: Net Metering 2.0

Green power certification: Environmental and consumer protection benefits of the Green-e programme

Being Virtual: Beyond Restructuring and How We Get There