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If you like to learn more about future German energy concepts, take your time to order this book.

Nachschlagewerk und Entscheidungshilfe für Bauherren und Modernisierer

Zur ISH 2011, der Weltleitmesse für Gebäude-, Energie- und Klimatechnik sowie erneuerbare Energien in Frankfurt am Main, präsentiert die Viessmann Group die zweite aktualisierte Auflage des Werks, nachdem die Erstauflage bei Interessierten wie Fachleuten auf großes Interesse stieß und bereits vergriffen war.

Der Autor Jürgen Petermann, geboren 1935 in Hamburg, studierte Philosophie, Literaturwissenschaft und Journalistik.

1961 begann er als Autor beim Norddeutschen Rundfunk, von 1963 bis 2001 war er Leiter des Ressorts Wissenschaft und Technik beim Nachrichtenmagazin „Der Spiegel“. Er lebt und arbeitet als freier Journalist in Hamburg.

Er ist Herausgeber des Buches „Sichere Energie im 21. Jahrhundert“, das beim Verlag Hoffmann und Campe erschienen ist.
 
Buch Jürgen Petermann
„Energie Zukunft. Effizienz und erneuerbare Energien im Wärmesektor“, 2. Auflage 252 Seiten 29,50 Euro zuzüglich Versandkosten.

Autor von „Energie Zukunft“ ist Jürgen Petermann, langjähriger Leiter des Ressorts Wissenschaft und Technik beim Nachrichtenmagazin „Der Spiegel“. Zu den Co-Autoren zählen fachkundige Journalisten und prominente Wissenschaftler, darunter

1. Prof. Dr. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber (Potsdam Institut für Klimafolgenforschung, PIK),
2. Prof. Eberhard Jochem (Fraunhofer Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung, ISI),
3. Prof. Claudia Kemfert (Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, DIW) sowie
4. Stephan Kohler, Vorsitzender der Geschäftsführung der Deutschen Energie-Agentur (dena).

Uploaded on Dec 18, 2009

Picture: Aerial view of Energiepark Morbach (photovoltaics and wind generators), near Morbach, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The picture was taken August 3, 2007 from a plane that was about to land at Frankfurt Hahn airport (Formerly Hahn Air Base).

This property served as a Non-Nuclear Munitions Storage Area for the United States Air Force from the 1950's through the early 1990's. The Energiepark property is situated near the small towns of Wenigerath, Gonzerath, Heinzerath and Morbach. The wind turbines are Vestas V80-2MW units.

Read more about Morbach in German language.

Cristal Union: Our status as an agricultural cooperative, our drive towards the long-term management of the assets of our 5,000 planters and our culture of industrial optimization explain and shape our long-standing commitment to sustainable development.

The production of organic and sustainable fuels, investments to reduce our energy consumption or to consume biomass energy to replace fossil fuels, carbon assessments and life cycle analyses conducted for the past several years, agronomics support to well-managed agriculture… are a few examples.

Source: http://www.cristal-union.fr/

Le salon Énergie Habitat de Colmar, qui s’est ouvert vendredi, se poursuit aujourd’hui et demain. Sur plus de 16 000 m², ce rendez-vous accueille 300 exposants, et quelque 20 000 visiteurs sont attendus en quatre jours.

Plusieurs conférences sont notamment prévues aujourd’hui (« Bois-énergie, l’énergie renouvelable de demain » à 11 h, « Quand les ondes électromagnétiques parasitent les effets des compléments alimentaires » à 13 h, « Les téléphones portables, ordinateurs, tablettes sont-ils dangereux pour la santé ? » à 14 h, « Votre relation énergétique avec votre habitat » à 15 h, « Rénover votre maison avec le programme Je rénove bâtiment basse consommation » à 16 h et « Comment décorer son intérieur avec les principes feng shui » à 17 h) et demain (« L’architecture bioclimatique, clef pour de réelles économies d’énergie et de confort » à 14 h et « Votre relation énergétique avec votre habitat » à 15 h).

Y ALLER Parc des expositions à Colmar, aujourd’hui de 10 h à 19 h et demain de 10 h à 18 h. Tarif : 5 € (prévente à 4 € sur energiehabitat-colmar.fr), gratuit aujourd’hui et demain pour les moins de 15 ans et les étudiants, et demain pour les plus de 60 ans sur justificatif. Parking gratuit, restauration sur place.

I've been looking at bioenergy information from Germany based on this travel plan. Information in Finnish language.

Picture: The Better Living Show 2013

I've been there, but it's a long time ago. We used to travel by car from Vancouver to Portland, and the other way around, with Esko Venalainen

Also learned about new activites through an event posting from one of our contributors last week. Portland is ready for its close-up when it comes to the “greening” of global fashion.

In September 2005, Portland turned heads when Portland Fashion Week made history by becoming the first fashion week of its kind to exclusively devote itself to eco-conscious production ethics, as well as launch a stand-alone fashion show spotlighting eco-chic designs and artisans.

Some of the featured visionaries included the Green Loop Boutique: featuring green brands predicated on "an alignment of style and sustainability, a fusion of aesthetics and ethics."; Saffrona: an evening wear and swimwear brand lined and stabilized entirely from organic cottons, bamboo and seaweed and are hand-washable to promote Detox ethics; and a green makeup team led by Inspired Makeup Artistry and internationally acclaimed makeup Artist Kristen Arnett.

Beyond its choice of eco-conscious collaborators, Portland Fashion Week was catalytic that year in fusing eco-ethics into its event production.

From using 80% post-consumer recycled paper and soy-based ink to utilizing energy-efficient LED lighting into a handful of its features, Portland Fashion Week was already beginning to make waves that would later ripple across international waters.

Read more about The Better Living Show 2013

In 1861, Félix Nadar invented a battery operated flash lamp, one of the first artificial lights in the history of photography, and brought his camera into the Paris’ sewers and catacombs.

He used 18-minute exposures and, as models, wooden mannequins dressed in the garb of city workers.

Parisians had heard of the vast subterranean networks underlying their streets and Nadar brought this  lattice to light. The inventive photographer  was born in April 1820 in Paris (though some sources state Lyon).

He was a caricaturist for Le Charivari in 1848. In 1849 he created the Revue comique and the Petit journal pour rire. He took his first photographs in 1853 and in 1858 became the first person to take aerial photographs.

He also pioneered the use of artificial lighting in photography, working in the catacombs of Paris. Underneath Paris is a parallel universe of tunnels, caverns, bones – and party venues.

Putting a few obstacles in its way may well boost its creativity. Some people think it's a good idea to challenge our working environment with deliberate invonvenience. Why isn't the idea of "ease of use" such a good thing?

Why would anyone make their work more difficult than it already is? Our brains respond better to difficulty than we imagine.

Desireable difficulties are not such a bad thing at all. Sometimes it's only when difficulty is removed that we realize what it was doing for us. Numerous studies  have now found that when classroom material is made harder to absorb, pupils retain more of it over the long term, and understand it on a deeper level

You might think that any tool which enables a writer to get words on a page would be an advantage. But there may be a cost to such facility.

We might produce a better a better result while meeting a terrible resistance. Think about it. You have to face the first years of your life when you tried to get over your very first writers block.

What was it, when you couldn't write at all? Did you ever think about the tension of the first time compared to when your writing became a little bit more fluent?

Remove the resistance and you're likely to produce a much better result.

Some researchers think that handwriting  does activate more of the brain than beyboard writing, including areas responsible for thinking and memory.

Let us all sing a song about growing opportunities in Africa. There are multiple possibles in the field of forest industry development and energy production.

Cameroon has a lot of opportunities in renewable energies being Africa's greatest hydroelectric potential after the Democratic Republic of Congo and having conditions favoring solar and wind energies.

Cameroon has an abudant potential in solar energy especially in its northern part. According to resent studies, the wind potential of Cameroon is significant and economically exploitablein the western regions of Cameroon.

At the moment, several investors are already in Cameroon to harness to the solar energy potential. The Chinese company Huawey is planting public solar lights from Yaounde to Soa, a university town on the outskirts of the capital.

The wood industry contributes up to 8 per cent to the Cameroonian gross national product (GNP) and generates close to 165 000 direct jobs.

However, more than half of Cameroon's wood is illegally exported.

Legal action has been taken to reduce illegal timber exploitation. Other things are on the move as well:

1. giant and mini hydropower projects
2. mini hydro power plants in 25 localities
3. rural electrification projects
4. small communities will be electrified
5. modern electricity services such as lighting, audiovisual and guality health health care

Within the projects, there is also training for locals to maintain the projects and the creation of small businesses related to the hydroelectric energy technology.

PICTURE: Helge V. Keitel, KK-Net, Finland (2013)

Biomassa collection system.

We're planning a trip to France and one of the goals is to update our information about biomass and bioenergy production. Take a look at this presentation in FRENCH language: Le bois, une énergie en développement.

SOURCE: Downloaded by ADEME 17.10.2011 | Le chauffage au bois est une énergie renouvelable, il est devenu très performant, et le rejet de gaz carbonique est quasi nul. Cela représente en France la 3ème source d'énergie. Il y a cinq ans, Cécile a choisi le chauffage au bois et elle ne le regrette pas. La chaudière chauffe cette demeure du XVIIème siècle qui fait près 300 m2 ainsi que la piscine et l'eau sanitaire.

Partenariat ADEME / La maison France 5.
Réalisation : Carine Roy.
Production: HL Production.
Diffusée sur France 5.
Septembre 2011 (moins d'infos)

Published on Sep 18, 2012 | La biomasa como fuente de energía renovable, es un recurso natural que la naturaleza pone a nuestro alcance para ser utilizado como fuente de energía, tanto para la obtención de agua caliente y calefacción en el hogar, como para la producción de electricidad a gran escala.

My Spanish bioeconomy, bioenergy, and wood focused journey continues. Take a look at the video describing the wooden bicycle.

Published on Jul 3, 2012 Basado en los 'maestros españoles de la madera', volviendo a las formas y materiales tradicionales y mostrando la experiencia de creadores de vanguardia que producen artículos únicos y hacen de la madera su material de trabajo.

SOURCE: Bioenergy in Spain

Biotechnology offers a wide range of tools to the bioenergy industry. Through them, new energy production technologies can be created, for the efficient utilization of biomass and energy crops.

These energy production technologies could include:

1. Biological optimization of bioethanol production
2. Biological production of hydrogen
3. Development of energy crops with advanced properties

Energy production from biomass coming from several sources is already a reality in Spain. Private companies, as well as the government and technological centers, are strongly pushing for bioenergy future development.

Spain has talented researchers in the bioenergy field:

• IREC (Energy Research Institute of Catalonia)
• Bioenergy Group, University of Seville
• Spanish Biomass Technological Platform (BIOPLAT)

INVEST IN SPAIN offers, without charge, an integrated investment support service!

PICTURE: Lions Club Sotkamo, Finland (2013)

Lions Club Sotkamo has been established in 1965. We serve the community of 10 000 people living in Sotkamo / Vuokatti region in the eastern part of Finland.

We work together on a local, national and international level to secure childrens and youths healthy life and development. We provide help and support for families, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Lions Club activity offers our members a chance to participate in a social community, to develop as humans, improve leadership skills and make contacts in homeland and abroad. Our motto is: ”We serve”.

KUVA: Google Maps, Ammerschwihr, France (2013)

Sure, we used to live at 5 th Division Blindé in Ammerschwihr, France. We still have friends in the area. Irja and myself decided today to reach out for people we happen to know.

I'll be writing about important locations in France and other Central European countries in my upcoming postings.

We did stay at the Hotel Catalonia Gran Via. It was a good choice and Irja selected it based on good reviews on Internet.

Another reason was its central location. Most of the vital city services were at a walking distance.

Madrid does have a modern and functional subway and urban transit system. It was easy and cheap to move around.

We also used taxi; a great way to practice Spanish language.

The Madrid City Tour started from the other side of the street at Gran Via 14. It's an eye-opening experience to take the tour.

The city and its surroundings can be viewed in a few hours.

Madrid is smaller than Paris - the city that never sleeps. We certainly started to like the city.

This year we will most probably travel to Spain or / and France.

The Rain in Spain didn't hit us during our three weeks stay in Madrid. It was warm, the weather was hot, it was even hotter in Toledo, but we survived.

The sun was shining every single day. Hot, hot, hot...

PICTURE: Helge V. Keitel, Sotkamo, Finland (2012)

It takes time, energy, effort, and determination to get into a new market. We also need a great product and service to survive and even more to make a break-through.

Most of hope that the "success formula" would describe something easy and predictable. That never happens - at least not to my knowledge.

Those who succeed have to work hard; "long hours" is a part of the menu.

Take Beatles, Rolling Stones, Apple Computer, Nokia, Microsoft, General Motors, or Starbucks, all these companies had their ups and downs.

There is no "quick fix" to my knowledge. If you know a better way, an easy road, let me know.