A Field Guide to the ERGies: The geographic range of ERGies is worldwide, and they occupy a remarkably high number of niches. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica, across a large elevational range, and in habitats ranging from dense urban areas to the countryside. Their vocalizations are correspondingly diverse, ranging from the rather formalized, sometimes repetitive, lecture style when they display in university classrooms to a more spontaneous and unpredictable variety of alarm calls when they sense danger to their habitat or to the planet. Some ERGies are accepted as “silverbacks” (sometimes referred to in the literature as Deans, Department Chairs, or Executive Directors) by the pack they associate with, while others appear solitary, though no less active. They are all readily approachable by their own kind, though curiously they have been known to react rather aggressively if approached by outsiders who either deny or deify science. Mating behavior is characterized by a disproportionate number (compared to other species) of inter-tribe pairing. Snout-vent lengths are not distinguishable from those of the wider population of Homo sapiens, of which ERGies are believed to be a distinct subspecies.
Greater than the Sum of Their Parts? Political Impacts of State Climate Policies in the Face of Partisan Polarization (MA/MPP ’17) Dan completed concurrent degrees at the Goldman School of Public Policy and the Energy and Resources Group. He came to Berkeley after working for seven years in energy consulting at Tetra Tech and philanthropy […]
Fly Ash-Coated Foam Glass Pellets as a Lightweight Concrete Aggregate: A Potential Market for Recycled Glass (’87 MA)
Taking the Man Out of Manufacturing: Drivers and Components of Industrial Sector Low-Carbon Transformation (PhD ’17) Nate Aden completed his PhD at the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley and is a Research Fellow with the World Resources Institute’s Climate and Energy Program. Nate’s research is focused on industrial energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in […]
The Role of the Inspector in Enforcing Pesticide Regulations: An Analysis of the San Joaquin County Agriculture Commission (’86 MA)
The Strategic Value of Load Management in Competitive Electricity Markets: The Case of California (’99 MS)
Peter’s research focus areas are information technology approaches to energy development, understanding markets for demand-side energy technology, and energy technology policy. Outside of academics, he contributes to the Lighting Global program, which supports the market for modern off-grid lighting in the developing world. Peter’s work for Lighting Global includes technical and engineering support, policy development, […]
A Case Study of Education, Understanding, Concern, and Action: Recycling and Consumption at UC-Berkeley (00 MA)
Rot is Hot: Home Composting in Alameda County (91 MA) Research Interests: How do we make the shift to sustainable economy and society? Compost, ride a bike, eat, buy, and grow organic food. The search continues for new ways to promote this shift, and have FUN!
Consumer Desire and the Environment: The Case of Light Trucks (98 MS)
Energy and Materials Implications of Passive Solar Heating Technologies (77 M.S.) Conservation vs. Energy Supply: An Economic and Environmental Comparison of Alternatives for Space Conditioning of New Residences (87 Ph. D.)
The ‘Third Bank’ of the Lower São Francisco River: Culture, Nature and Power in the Northeast Brazil 1853-2003 (’06 PhD)
Traffic and Transit in Beirut, Lebanon (’10 MS)
Population Exposure to Vehicular Emission in Megacities (MS, ’08) Human Exposure to Urban Vehicle Emissions (PhD, ’13)
Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles, Climate Change, and Energy Security: The Cost-Effectiveness of an Emerging Technology (’07 MS)
Regulation of Environmental Impacts of Hydroelectricity Production: The United States and Costa Rica (89 MS)
Designing and Adapting Appropriate Socio-Technical Systems for the Renewable Energy Transition (PhD ’18) Nkiruka has expertise in solar grid integration and climate policy in California, and in electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. She draws from engineering and urban planning disciplines to envision how the renewable energy transition could lead to equitable socio-technical […]
Designing and Adapting Appropriate Socio-technical Systems for the Renewable Energy Transition (PhD ’18) Anne-Perrine is a PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group and a research fellow within the energy company Areva. In the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, her research focuses on long-term capacity expansion planning for the power sector in China, and […]
Comparing The Risk Profiles of Renewable and Natural Gas Electricity Contracts: A Summary of the California Department of Water Resources Contracts (’02 MA)
Justifying Climate Policy Choices: New Approaches to Uncertainty, Risk & Equity (’05 PhD)
Fuel from the Savanna: The Social and Environmental Implications of the Charcoal Trade in Sub-Saharan Africa (’05 PhD)
The Role of Small Reservoirs in Rural Livelihoods: A Study in Brazil’s Preto River Basin (MS ’06) Just Water? Social Disparities and Drinking Water Quality in California’s San Joaquin Valley (PhD ’11)
A Survey of Utility Experience with Real Time Pricing: Trends and Implications (04 MA)
Changing Strategies in Utility Regulation: The Case of Energy Conservation in California (87 PhD)
Algorithms for, and Applications of, Global Terrain Analysis (PhD ’20) Richard applies computational and mathematical techniques to better understand the complex interface of society and the environment. His work includes developing (a) in silico models to exlore ecoevolutionary interactions over long time scales and (b) high-speed algorithms for understanding landscape use and evolution. A recipient […]
Practitioner Perspectives Matter: Public Policy and Private Investment in the U.S. Electric Power Sector (PhD ’10)
A Framework for Characterizing the Health Footprint of our Energy Choices (’11 MS)
The Role of Information in Developing an Effective Occupational Health Strategy (79 MS)
Expertise and Uncertainty in Environmental Regulation: An Analysis of California’s Smog Check Program (02 PhD)
Resource Endowments of the San Francisco Bay Region Prior to European Settlement: Baseline Data, Interpretation, and Observations Relevant to the Potential for Environmental Restoration (80 MA)
Dipti got her Masters at ERG in 2008. Since then, she went back to India working with communities displaced by dams. She also fought for water justice in California, working with Native American tribes on access to water for traditional ceremonies and with Latino farmworkers across the California Central Coast on access to clean drinking […]
The Road from Kyoto Begins in The Home: Energy Indicators for Households (00 MA)
Economic Valuation of the Environmental Impacts of the Kayraktepe Dam/Hydroelectric Power Plant in Turkey: An Exercise Contingent Valuation and Benefit-Cost Analysis (’95 M.S.) Prospects for Local Community Participation in the Management of the Goksu Delta Protected Special Area in Turkey (’98 Ph.D.)
The Costs of Environmental Degradation (’78 M.S.) Emission Sources Contributing to Acid Precipitation in the Western United States (’86 Ph.D.)
Distributed Generation: Customer Adoption Model (99 MS)
Organic Waste Recovery in the San Francisco Bay Area: Changing Regulatory and Market Conditions (90 MA)
The Emissions Impact of Transit Technology Options for the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (04 MS)
Flatland Hydrology Model: A GIS-based Water Flow Model for Irrigated Lands (98 MS)
Community Wind Power Ownership Schemes in Europe and Their Relevance to the United States (01 MA)
Obstacles to Marine Protected Area Designation from Political and Socioeconomic Perspectives (05 MS)
Targeted Efficiency: Using Customer Meter Data to Improve Efficiency Program Outcomes (PhD ’14) Sam’s works focuses on tools to scale up and improve the performance of energy efficiency programs in support of renewable energy integration and climate mitigation goals. His work combines insights from building science, behavioral sciences, and engineering to interpret patterns in building […]
Uncle in the Valley: State Capacity and Rural Restructuring in the Tennessee Valley (’94 M.A.) New South, New Nature: Regional Industrialization and Environmental Change in the Post-New Deal American South (’02 Ph.D.)
A Pilot Study Investigating the Association Between Lead in Children’s Blood and Lead in Drinking Water and a Review of Lead Policy Concerning Drinking Water (89 MS)
Understanding California Water Markets: A Look at Transfers from 2000 to 2009 (’11 MS)
Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel: Modeling the Carbon Emissions Consequences of a Transition to Low-Quality and Synthetic Petroleum Sources (’05 MS) Greenhouse gas impacts of declining hydrocarbon resource quality: depletion, dynamics, and process emissions (’08 PhD)
Implementation of Solar-Reflective Surfaces: Materials and Utility Programs (93 MS)
Who Will Cry for the Ice? An Examination of Conceptual Understanding of Climate Change through Metaphor (05 MS)
The Health and Safety Implications of Increased Coal Production and Utilization Under the 1978 National Energy Act: An Assessment Two Years After Passage (80 MS)
Estimates of the Achievable Potential For Electricity Efficiency Improvements in U.S. Residences (93 MA)
Energy Conservation Through Daylighting of Buildings (79 M.S.)
Energy Price Increases and Low-Income Americans (80 MA)
Zach’s research focuses on household water access, treatment and use. He draws on data collected in the field, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative sources. Zach is ultimately interested in the balance between sustainability, equity, health and livelihoods and he hopes his work will contribute to good water policies which reflect end-user preferences. His PhD will […]
From Technology to Impact: Understanding and Measuring Behavior Change Associated with Improved Biomass Stoves (’11 MA)
From Comfort to Kilowatts: An Integrated Assessment of Electricity Conservation in Thailand’s Commercial Sector (90 PhD)
Renewable Energy Systems in Rural Eritrea – Concepts for Three Wind-Powered, Village-Scale, Clean Development Mechanism Projects (MA ’05) Building an International Administrative Law of Expertise: Law and Science in the International Regulation of Trade, Health and the Environment. (PhD ’13)
The Near-Term Potential for Simultaneous Improvements in the Fuel Efficiency and Emissions of U.S. Automobiles (89 MA)
An Exploration of Ecofeminism (92 MS)
Samuel Carrara holds a Bachelor Degree and a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering (Major: Energy and Mechanical Plants) and a PhD in Energy and Environmental Technologies, all from the University of Bergamo, Italy. After working as an engineer in the gas turbine field, he is now a researcher at Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), Milan, […]
Farm-level Agricultural Energy Technologies in an Egyptian Village: Engineering and Socio-Economic Characteristics and Consequences in the Context of the Political Economy of Food Security (94 PhD)
Energy and Economic Optimization of Conduction-Dominated Buildings (86 PhD)
Mind the Gap: Bridging Strategies for Universal Energy Access (PhD ’19) Since graduating as an electronics engineer in 2004, JP Carvallo has been working, studying, and researching different aspects of the energy field. His current interests relate to varied topics in sustainable development for less industrialized economies, with a geographical focus in Latin America and Asia. […]
Wind generation: A step towards energy independence on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua (MS ’08) Exploring the role of information in development policy and practice in the fields of rural electrification, climate change mitigation, and fishing economics on Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast (PhD ’12)
Soil Organic Matter Storage and Turnover Along Granite and Basalt Climate Transects in California Uplands (04 PhD)
On Rate Regulation in Modern Electricity Sectors (PhD ’17) Felipe was a Ph.D. Candidate with ERG. His research seeks to improve the understanding and organization of energy systems, leveraging methods, and concepts developed in fields including operations research, microeconomics, and industrial organization. Felipe’s work puts a particular emphasis on the development and application of data […]
The Sagebrush Rebellion in California and the West: An Analysis of a Red Herring (’84, MS)
Dr. Chafe works at the intersections of public health, air pollution, climate change, and energy use. She holds a PhD from the Energy and Resources Group (ERG), as well as an MPH from UC Berkeley. She has been a researcher/consultant for entities such as the World Health Organization, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, […]
Municipal Energy Production in California (85 MA)
Prospects for Replacement and Shutdown of Russian Weapons-Plutonium Production Reactors (95 MS)
Managing Stormwater Pollution in San Francisco Estuary (95 MS)
Painting the Perfect Ecolabel: An Initial Framework for Comparing Ecolabels in the Paint Sector (’11 MS)
Is it Worth it? A Comparative Analysis of Cost-Benefit Projections for State Renewables Portfolio Standards (’06, MS)
The Use of Lead in Printed Circuit Board Assembly: A Look at Exposures, Monitoring and Hazard Communication (97 MS)
Economic Assessment for the Donghan Village-scale Biomass Gasification Energy Supply System in China (03 MS)
Global Efforts to Improve Access to Safe Water: Debate, Discourse, and Data Gaps Leading up to the Millennium Development Goals (MA ’08) The Politics of Pipes: The Persistence of Small Water Networks in Post-Privatization Manila (PhD ’13)
Traditional Ecological Knowledge: An overview of an academic field and its implications to on-the-ground conservation of lightly managed ecosystems (04 MS)
At times the problem of understanding phenomena is one of seeing. That is why Danielle explores new ways of demystifying complexity through visual representation. She seeks new techniques to illustrate often-forgotten, yet fundamental dependencies between human society and the natural world. One such technique is terrestrial laser scanning (also known as LIDAR), which she used to create a 3-D model of her ecological study site in the Sierra Nevada. This along with her seedling research seeks to inform the uncertain future of resource management.
A Discrete-event Simulator to Determine if Public Transit Buses Go Battery Electric Today (MA ’20) A native of Utah, Nick holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Westminster College in Salt Lake City. He has focused his career on real-time environmental monitoring, previous working at Oberlin College and Lucid on energy and resource monitoring. Prior […]
Assessing Instream Flow Standards Under Climate Change Implications for State-Level Policy in the U.S. (MS/MPP ’17) Rebecca completed a Master’s degree in both the Energy and Resources Group and the Goldman School of Public Policy (MA/MPP). Her research interests focus on the sustainable use of water resources, integrating work in ecology, equity, and climate change […]
Reducing Poverty in Northeast Cambodia (’01 MA) A Watershed for Equity (’07 PhD)
New Justifications for Traditional Types of Water Projects (With an Analysis of the New San Clemente Project Proposal for the Carmel River, Monterey County, California (89 MS) Biological Invasion in the San Francisco Estuary. A Comprehensive Regional Analysis (plus Appendix A Introduced Species in the Estuary) (96 PhD)
Michael Cohen puts the power and complexity of the grid into students' hands via a video game. We asked Michael about his innovative project and his unique experience at ERG. "In addition to developing the game itself, I am working with teachers at local high schools to develop curriculum around it and try it out with their students this year. I hope to not only create a solid educational product but also gain some insights into how technology can be used to support learning about complex systems in general."
Measured Energy Savings and Economics of Retrofitting Existing Single-Family Homes: An Update of the Beca-B Database (91 MA)
The UV-Tube as an Appropriate Water Disinfection Technology: An Assessment of Technical Performance and Potential for Dissemination (02 MA)
Sustainable Finance for Sustainable Energy: Private Sector Solar Rural Electrification (MA 01)
Feasibility and Carbon Implications of Algae Derived Liquid Fuels (’07 MS)
Derivation of Plant-Soil Relationships for Dose Assessment on Bikini Atoll (76 MA)
A Demand-Side Planning Case Study of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (87 MA)
Global Markets, Local Politics, and Military Industrialization in Brazil (92 PhD)
Tribal Participation in Water Quality Management: The Potential for Conflict or Regional Cooperation (89 MA)
Comparison of the Capabilities of the ORNL and CEC Residential Energy Consumption Forecasting Models (81 MS)
Dry Deposition of Nitric Acid at Blodgett Forest (’03 MS) A Class of Spatial Models with Applications to Abundance Prediction (’07 PhD)
The Effect of Exterior Surface Absorptivity and Emissivity on Energy Use in Residential Buildings (81 MS)
Impact of Agricultural Practice on Regional Climate in a Coupled Land Surface Mesoscale Model (04 MS)
Fuel Use and Emissions in the USSR: Factors Influencing CO2 and SO2 (93 PhD)
Andrew does applied empirical research at the intersection of international development and the environment. His goals center on the provision of rigorous evidence to inform policies aimed at enabling sustainable human development in a carbon-constrained and warming world. His PhD work centers on a randomized-controlled trial on the impact and adoption of biochar – a […]
Implementing Building Standards for Energy Efficiency: An Inter-Organizational View with Examples from Jamaica (91 MS)
Lara is interested in the relationship between social inequalities and the environment, including how environmental and social stressors interact to impact health. Her work seeks to better understand the disproportionate burden of pollutants and climate change risk faced by low income communities of color in the U.S., and to develop tools to help policy-makers address […]
Getting Serious About Water Wheeling in California: Learning from the Experience of the Natural Gas and Electric Industries (01 MS) Research Interests: Removing impediments to water markets and transfers in the Western U.S. Focused on how experience in restructuring of the natural gas and electric industries can encourage more active water markets. In particular studying […]
California Building Energy Standards: A Local Perspective (81 MA)
Zubair is a Master’s student who researches water policy and management of international river basins, and is particularly focused on hydro-politics of the Indus basin. He has researched the relationship between water discharge and land use patterns in upper Jhelum watershed, international water agreements (especially the Indus Waters Treaty), and conflict over distribution of water […]
Sustainability of Micro-grids and Solar Home Systems: Evaluating Means for Rural Electrification in Africa (’06 MS) Uncertainties in the Value of Bill Savings from Behind-the-Meter, Residential Photovoltaic Systems: The Roles of Electricity Market Conditions, Retail Rate Design, and Net Metering (’13 PhD)
Effects of Feebates on Vehicle Fuel Economy, Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Consumer Surplus (’89 MA)
Residential Air-Conditioning in Northern Mexico: Impacts and Alternatives (’93 M.A.)
The Geopressured Geothermal Resource of the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast: A Technology Characterization and Environmental Assessment (’80 M.A.)
Complexification and Organizational-Institutional Design: The Case of the U.S. Radioactive Waste Program (’80 M.A.)
Appliance Standards Transplantation: Applicability of a United States-based Energy Efficiency Standards Model in Costa Rica (’01 M.A.)
Towards Developing Agroforestry Systems for Smallholders: a Case Study from the Sarapiquí Canton, Costa Rica (MS ’99)
India’s Low Carbon Electricity Futures (PhD ’17) Ranjit’s research efforts largely focus on addressing the clean energy and energy access challenges in developing nations. As part of both the International Energy Studies group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and ERG, Ranjit is developing models of the Indian national power system to analyze policies and […]
A Computable General Equilibrium Model of Energy in the California Economy (’84 Ph.D.)
The Industrial Ecology of Household Refrigerators: Product Life and the Demand for Materials and Energy (’99 MA) Public Policies, Private Choices: Consumer Desire and the Practice of Energy Efficiency (’08 PhD)
“Incentive Regulation” of Nuclear Power Plants by State Public Utility Commissions: Program Design for Safety and Economic Efficiency (’87 M.S.)
Navajo Hegemony: Formation and Expansion of the Navajo State (’98 MS)
REDD Hot: How One Community Defends its Forest One Carbon Credit at a Time (MS ’14) Tanya was born and grew up in Bulgaria. She came to ERG after a career in Army medicine and an environmental science degree from University of London. For her masters project, she is interested in how environmental protection laws […]
Climate and energy policies; the science of climate change and the relationship between happiness and consumption.
Tomorrow’s Clean and Fuel-Efficient Automobile: Opportunities for Cooperation Between Industry and Policy-Makers (91 MS)
Valuing Co-benefits of California’s Climate Policy: Industrial Facilities and Public Health (MA ’18) Alex Dolginow is a Master’s degree candidate interested in understanding appropriate design and conditions for ‘environmental markets,’ such as trading of carbon, water, and conserved land. He hopes to combine economic, policy, and technical approaches to analyze such markets in places like […]
Where the Sky is the Right Color: Scale and Air Pollution in the Big Bend Region (PhD ’10)
Of Microbes and Membranes: Towards more Efficient Wastewater Reclamation Results from a Pilot Study and an Assessment of Water Reuse Planning Issues. (00 MS)
Opportunities for North American Development Bank Investment in Air Quality Improvement Along the U.S.-Mexico Border (’02 M.A.)
Commoditizing Carbon: Social and Environmental Implications of Trading Carbon Emissions Entitlements (MA 94) The Agrarian Question and the Institutionalization of Groundwater Exchange in Gujarat, India (PhD 98)
Community-based Environmental Protection: Watershed Restoration in the Waimanalo Ahupua’a (’00 M.S.)
Climate Change Impacts on Community and Ecosystem Properties: Integrating Manipulations and Gradient Studies in Montane Meadows (’00 Ph.D.)
Planning a Bioenergy Future: Understanding uncertainty in biomass resource assessment in China (MS ’08)
Seeing Like a Sagebrush – Measuring and mapping spatial heterogeneity, self-similarity and local vegetation structure (’03 MS) Territorial Affairs: Turning Battlefields into Marketplaces in Postwar Laos (’11 PhD)
Economic, technological, and policy aspects of integrating renewable energy into existing electricity systems using innovative demand response strategies.
Quantitative Analysis and Community Decision-Making: A Case Study of Palo Alto’s Organic Waste Management Decision (’09 MS)
Design and Simulation of a Novel Hybrid Cooling Cycle for Steam Electricity-Generating Stations (’86 Ph.D.)
Lowering Energy Bills in American Indian Households: A Case Study of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (’98 M.A.)
Katie’s interests are in community forestry, natural resource conflict management, cultural dimensions of ecosystem management and place studies. She graduated with a BA in Anthropology from Davidson College (2010) and focused undergraduate research on sense of place in Southern Appalachian coal communities. Katie previously worked as a field educator for the Teton Science Schools in […]
The Joint Effect of Uncertainty and Inequality on Global Climate Policy (PhD ’20) Frank grew up on the central New Jersey coast, completing a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in Environmental Policy & Sustainability from the Richard Stockton College. He went on to earn an M.A. from Columbia University’s Climate and Society Program, […]
Prospects for Cogeneration in the Office Buildings of San Francisco (’82 M.S.)
Identifying Priority Government Investments from AB32 Cap & Trade Revenue (MS, ’10)
Energy in a Developing Country: The Peruvian Case (’80 M.A.)
A Renewable Energy in Vehicles (REV) Mandate: Establishing a Zero Carbon Energy Standard for California Automobiles (MS ’08)
Modeling the Consequences of Accidental Releases of Radioactivity from Fusion Reactors (’83 M.S.) Radiological Hazards of Fusion Reactors: Models and Comparisons (’85 Ph.D.)
Transportation Energy Use in Bolivia: Environmental Implications, Policy Perspectives (MS ’96)
Evaluating the Use of Tradable Particulate Emissions Permits to Improve Air Quality in California’s San Joaquin Valley (98, MS) The Ends of Uncertainty: Air Quality Science and Planning in Central California (03, PhD)
The System of Rice Intensification: Lessons from South India (MS ’07) Measuring and moderating the water resource impacts of biofuel production and trade (PhD ’12)
Nuclear Safety: A Proposal to Improve Off-Site Safety Precautions of Commercial Nuclear Power Plants (’87 MS)
Trends in Electricity Consumption, Peak Demand, and Generating Capacity in California and the Western Grid 1977-2000 (’02 MS)
Sustainability Indicators as Tools for Local Government Decision Making (’06 MA)
Adventures in Journalism (01 MA)
Is All Research Created Equal? Institutional Credibility and Technical Expertise in Environmental Policymaking at US EPA (02 PhD)
Common Resources, Private Benefits: Shifting Access in Mexico’s Community Forests (’08 MS)
California Building Energy Standards: A Local Perspective (81 MA)
Comparative Guide to Emerging Diagnostic Tools for Large Commercial HVAC Systems (01 MS)
The Iranian Consortium and the Death of the International Petroleum Cartel Case (81 MS)
Electric Efficiency in Mexican Households: Implementation Issues and Savings Potential (96 PhD)
Now You See It, Now You Don’t: The metastable defect in boron-doped czochralski silicon (’03 MS) Optimal Investment in Wind and Solar Power in California (’08 PhD)
Water Access in a Changing City: Evaluating Reliance on and Value of Public Borewells in Hubli-Dharwad, India (MS, ’13)
Enabling Investments in Energy Efficiency: A study of energy efficiency programs that reduce first-cost barriers in the residential sector (’09 MA)
Julian’s interests lie in the relationships between water use and economic development, focusing on modeling and governance. Mr. Fulton’s previous research includes water use in the transportation sector, conservation strategies among California utilities, and European flood management policy. He recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship in the Netherlands and holds an M.S. in Civil and Environmental […]
Policies and Programs to Support Solar Water Heating Systems: An Analysis with a Case Study Of a Municipal Solar Utility in Santa Clara, California (00 MS)
Experiments and Modeling of the Soil-Gas Transport of Volatile Organic Compounds into a Residential Basement (’88 M.S.) Toward Resolving Model-Measurement Discrepancies of Radon Entry into Houses (’93 Ph.D.)
Diesel Particulate: An Evaluation of Data on the Carcinogenic Risk and Policy Implications (83 MS)
Pollution in the San Joaquin River: The Potential For Widespread Impacts (87 MS)
The Distribution of Air Pollution, By Income and Race (’90 M.S.) Race, Class, and Outdoor Air Pollution: The Dynamics of Environmental Discrimination from 1970-1990 (’93 Ph.D.)
Dimitry currently works as a Program Manager on Facebook’s Global Impact Partnerships Team. Prior to Facebook, Dimitry was a graduate student at ERG where he worked on market assessment for off-grid energy in Kenya, microgrid finance in developing economies, and public-private partnership development for universal electrification in South Sudan. Overall, Dimitry has nearly a decade […]
Questioning Inevitability of Energy Pathways: Alternate Energy Scenarios for California (’02 MA) Public Service or Commodity Goods? Electricity Reforms, Access, and the Politics of Development in Tanzania (’08 PhD)
Shifting Environmental Trends: A Life-Cycle, Consumption-Based Approach to Environmental Indicators (’04 MA) Rule by Aesthetics: World-Class City Making in Delhi (’10 PhD)
Alcohol Fuels from Biomass in Brasil: A Comparative Assessment of Methanol and Ethanol (83 PhD)
A Global Review of Cookstove Programs (’10 MS)
Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plants: the US, W. Germany and Canada (83 MA)
The Relationship Between Primary Aluminum Production and the Damming of World Rivers (93 MA)
Environmental Consequences of Hydroelectric Development: The Issue of Size (’80 M.S.) Regional Water Availability and Global Climatic Change: The Hydrological Consequences of Increases in Atmospheric CO2 and Other Trace Gases (’86 Ph.D.)
Renewable Energy Certificates and Project Development: A Case Study of the Rosebud Wind Turbine’s Success (’09 MS)
Urban Water’s Hydra: Stormwater’s Problematization in LA (MA ’14) Measuring Drinking Water Affordability and Sustainability (PhD ’20) At ERG, Jess (PhD 2019) co-developed metrics for water affordability in the state’s first human right to water tracking tool with CalEPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Jess has also conducted research in ecological economics and sustainability […]
Residential Energy Demand Analysis: Theory and Practice (85 MA)
Achieving Long-term Climate Goals in the US: Unlocking the Potential of High-Efficiency Electric Technology in Our Homes and Buildings (MS/MPP ’16) Rachel is interested in advancing policies that can help integrate large amounts of renewable energy and electric vehicles onto the grid. As such, she studies mechanisms that increase flexibility on the load and resource […]
Technical Performance and Cost-Effectiveness of Conservation Retrofits in Existing U.S. Residential Buildings (83 MS)
Measuring Energy Efficiency: A Critique of the Energy-GNP Ratio (95 MA) Avant Le Deluge: An Investigation on Some Neglected Dimensions of Electricity Restructuring in California (’06 PhD)
Dynamics of Biodiversity and Human Carrying Capacity in the Senegal Sahel (97 PhD)
Life of Sugar: Developing Lifecycle Methods to Evaluate the Energy and Environmental Impacts of Sugarcane Biofuels (PhD ’11)
Investigating Innovation Practice: Cross-disciplinary Studies in International Development (PhD ’18) As a NSF, Chancellor’s, and InFEWS Fellow in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG), Pierce investigates frameworks, methodologies, and contexts for evaluating innovation for social change. By understanding how socially-minded organizations integrate, support, and channel innovation-incentivizing processes to generate value for end consumers, he characterizes […]
When Is Small Beautiful? Approaches to Decentralized Hydropower Projects in Nepal (94 MA)
Intermittent Minimum-NOx Dispatch of Electric Power Systems as an Ozone-Control Tactic: A Case Study of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (93 MS)
International Investment in Kenyan Solar PV Rural Electrification: Scaling-up or Damaging a Market? (01 MA)
Toxic Trouble in Fruitvale: An Exploration of Education in Science-Based Societal Issues (87 MS)
Community Context and Technology Options in the Yurok Tribal Electrification Project (’97 MS) The Marginalization of “”Small is Beautiful””: Micro-Hydroelectricity, Common Property, and the Politics of Rural Electricity Provision in Thailand (04 PhD)
Energy Conservation Retrofits in Public Housing: An Analysis of Their Energy Savings and Cost-Effectiveness (85 MS)
Renewable Energy Technology Systems for Remote Area Electrification in Indonesia: A Critical Review of Technology Transfer (’00 M.A.) Power Games: The Political Use of Solar Technology in Northern Thailand (04 PhD)
The Global Environment, A Curriculum for Secondary Schools (’90 M.S.) The Energetics of Advanced Integrated Wastewater Pond Systems (’98 Ph.D.)
California Radioactive Wastes Inventory (79 MA)
Improving Efficiency in Electric Motors and Motor Drives in Commercial Buildings (87 MS)
The Effects of Transmission Pricing on the Cost of Electricity from Renewables (96 MS)
An Introduction to the SAI Airshed Grid Model and Its Application to California’s South Coast Air Basin (’82 M.S.) Nitrogen Cycling in a Subarctic Alaskan Watershed: The Role of Lichens and the Potential Effects of Acid Deposition (’87 Ph.D.) Links: Personal Website
Combining Super-Efficient Appliances with Off-Grid Solar Photovoltaics (12 MS)
Weltanschauung in the People’s Republic: Implications for Offshore Oil Development in East Asia (79 MS)
An Historical Approach to the Problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (’86 M.A.)
Evaluating the Market Niche: Why Long-Term Rural-to-Urban Inter-Regional Markets for Water Have Not Formed in California (’96 Ph.D.)
Economic Benefits of Controlling Sulfur Oxide Emissions from Stationary Sources (’77 Ph.D.)
A Critical Analysis of the Environmental Impact Assessment for Costa Rica’s Siquirres Hydroelectric Project (MS ’97) Can Household Consumers Save the Wild Fish? Lessons from a Sustainable Seafood Advisory (PhD ’10)
Achieving Grassroots Participation in Agricultural Development: Lessons from One Organization in Guatemala (’94 M.S.)
Policies for an Ecological Civilization: China, Carbon, and Economic Reform (PhD ’19) Cecilia is a PhD candidate at ERG. Her dissertation uses economic modeling and social science to critically analyze several of China’s flagship energy and climate policies. She is a research affiliate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s China Energy Group, where she works […]
Cultivating Partnerships: Pest Control and The Use of Integrated Pest Management on Small Farms in San Joaquin County, California (MS ’97) Contact: ehansen@downstreamstrategies.com ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: What have you been working on recently that most excites you? Please describe your work. In 2018, I was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates, and my first […]
The Impact of a Federal Grazing Fee Increase on Land Use in El Dorado County, California (’93 M.A.)
Statistical Methods for Quantifying the Effect of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation on Wind Power in the Northern Great Plains (’07 MS)
Decision Support for Multi-benefit Urban Water Infrastructure (PhD ’18) Sasha Harris-Lovett received a PhD from the Energy and Resources Group in 2018. Her dissertation research focused on urban water and wastewater management, decision analysis for socio-environmental problems, and collaborative environmental planning. She is dedicated to making science accessible to students, policy-makers, and community members. She […]
Understanding and Reconciling Global Temperature Records (PhD ’19) Zeke is an energy systems analyst and data scientist with a strong interest in climate science and policy. He is currently the VP of Energy Science at Essess, Inc, an energy efficiency startup that develops vehicle mounted thermal imaging systems, a research scientist at Berkeley Earth, and […]
Electric Transmission Service Provision: A Case Study of Southern California Edison Company (’91 M.A.) Disconnect: A Transaction Cost Analysis of California Electric Power Industry Restructuring (’99 Ph.D.)
Evaluation of World Bank Public Participation Policies-Lessons for the Clean Development Mechanism (’02 MS) Carbon Offsetting: An Efficient Way to Reduce Emissions or to Avoid Reducing Emissions? An Investigation and Analysis of Offsetting Design and Practice in India and China (’10 PhD)
Atoms for the Poor: Nuclear Power in the Philippines (’80 M.S.) Non-Proliferation Regimes in Northeast Asia (’89 Ph.D.)
An Extension of Cline’s Global Warming Benefit-Cost Model (’96 M.A.) A Scenario of Economic Well-Being, Ecological Integrity and Social Equity for the 21st Century (04 PhD)
Gang’s research work focuses on energy modeling, energy economics, energy and climate policy, coal and power sectors and their key role in both the global energy supply and in international climate policy framework. He also studies the interdisciplinary aspects of global climate change and the development of lower-carbon energy sources. He was a research associate […]
(Re)Distributing Pollution: Exposure Implications for Distributed Electricity Generation in California (’02 MS) Redistributing Pollution: Exposure Implications of a Shift Toward Distributed Electricity Generation in California (’06 PhD)
Engineering and Economic Optimization of Cogeneration Bottoming Cycles (’82 M.S.)
Effects of Critical Peak Pricing on Residential Electricity Use in California (’06 PhD)
Science and Value Judgement in the Toxic Impact Evaluation of Products, Processes, and Companies (’96 M.S.) Toxic Equivalency: Addressing Human Health Effects in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (’99 Ph.D.)
The Display of Fusion-Reactor Radiological Hazards (’90 M.S.)
Science and the People: The Use of Technical Information about Air Pollution by Local Environmental Groups (’97 M.S.)
Determinants of Sediment Toxicity in San Francisco Bay (’93 M.S.)
Optimal Renewable Power and Synergism on the Western Interconnect (’09 MS)
Renewable Energy Landscape of Indigenous Nations in the United States, Canada, and Australia (MS ’12) Lindsay is from Teec Nos Pos, Arizona located on the Navajo Nation. She’s interested in developing renewable energy projects for economic development that adheres to core philosophies by a Nation. Lindsay’s research work includes effective regional electricity planning in the […]
A Design for the Suppression of Convection Heat Transfer in Windows: Theory, Models, Experiments, and Application Tradeoffs (’79 M.S.)
The Importance of Cultural Understanding in International Organizations: A Comparative Study of the IBWC and the BECC (’98 M.A.)
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Unearthing the Metaphors in the Garbage Dump (’96 M.A.)
Getting Electricity Prices Right: The Importance of Real-Time Pricing Tariff Design (03 MS)
US Electric Utility Industry Restructuring: Issues for Native American Tribes (’96 M.A.)
Economic Theory, Natural Resources and Intergenerational Equity (’90 Ph.D.)
NOT ALL DR CREATED EQUAL: Assessing the Role of Backup Generation in Demand Response (MS ’12)
Inter-Annual Climate Variability and Carbon Uptake in a Young Forest Ecosystem (99 MS) Carbon Financial Risk in the International Greenhouse Gas Market (03 PhD)
With 10+ years of international field experience, 5+ in water and sanitation, as well as project management and professional development in higher ed, I aim to create a better society and environment for all.
Comparing the Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Biomass, Wind, and Natural Gas Electricity Generation (’99 M.S.)
The Incorporation of Water Marketing into California’s Water System (’94 M.S.)
Quick Wins for Climate: A Gas-Specific Framework for International Mitigation Policy (MS ’08) Nuances of Climate Change Mitigation: Four Different Goals and Approaches in the Climate Boxes Framework (PhD ’12)
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: ARNE JACOBSON Ph.D. 2004 Professor in the Department of Environmental Resources Engineering at Humboldt State University From his post at Humboldt State University, Arne Jacobson passionately extends his PhD research addressing the real-world barriers to providing clean energy for poor people in developing countries. In so doing, he plays a critical role […]
Reshaping the relationships in Ungula’s electricity sector: the advent of the prepay meter (MS ’15) Presumptions and Precarity: Probing Electricity Infrastructure (PhD ’20) Veronica Jacome is a PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) and holds a BS in Engineering Physics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At ERG, Veronica focuses on the […]
Ready-to-use? Bridging the Climate Science Usability Gap for Adaptation (PhD ’19) Kripa’s research interests are in the field of climate change adaptation and climate-resilient planning. Her PhD focuses on improving the ‘usability’ of climate science for adaptation decision-making, particularly for water resources management and agricultural planning. She uses qualitative and participatory research methods to understand […]
Worldwide Status of Energy Standards for Buildings (’93 M.S.) Building Change: Effects of Professional Culture and Organizational Context on Energy Efficiency Adoption in Buildings (’98 Ph.D.)
Mitigation Banking: Protecting Resources or Minimizing Enforcement Costs? (’87 M.S.) Population Differentiation in Tree-Ring Growth Responses of White Fir (Abies Concolor) to Climate: Implications for Predicting Forest Responses to Climate Change (’93 Ph.D.)
Trade and the Choice of Environmental Law (’03 MS) A Seasonal Perspective on Regional Air Quality in Central California (’08 PhD)
“FuelBelts”: Shelterbelts for Fuelwood Production on Small/Marginal Farms in India (87 M.S.)
A Hierarchical Concept of Industrial Ecology: Scale, Values and the Paper Industry (’98 M.S.)
Josiah Johnston grew up in a rural part of the Ozark Mountains. He is great at construction and swinging a pick. Between college and grad school he lived in Baltimore for five years. When Josiah left for grad school, he was a tenured researcher in a genetics lab and had a seat on the board […]
Energy Efficiency Codes for Commercial Buildings (’90 M.S.)
Biofuel Boundaries: Estimating the Medium-Term Supply Potential of Domestic Biofuels (MS ’07) Land use change is a critical influence on the climate effects of climate policies (PhD ’12)
Chris Jones is lead developer at the CoolClimate Network, an applied research consortium at UC Berkeley’s Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory that supports the development of comprehensive, socially integrated carbon footprint management tools and programs for individuals, schools, businesses and communities. His primary research interests intersect the fields of industrial ecology, environmental psychology, and climate […]
Financial Incentive Policies to Promote End-Use Solar Technologies in a Restructured Electricity Industry: Comparing the Costs (’97 M.A.)
Some Limitations of the ‘Appropriate Technologies” for Peasant Agriculture (’78 M.S.)
Victoria became interested in food systems through her work on biofuels, first as an engineer at a biodiesel plant, and most recently at the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels. Victoria received MS and BS degrees in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin (02, 04). At ERG, she hopes to investigate enabling factors for […]
Economic Aspects of the Brazilian Alcohol Program (’85 M.A.)
China’s Carbon Challenge (MS ’07) Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in China: Growth, Transition, and Institutional Change (PhD ’11)
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Potential of Residential Gardens and Climate Friendly Diet Choices (12 MS)
Assessing Diesel Particulate Matter Pollution in West Contra Costa County (’05, MS)
A Comparative Analysis of Global Warming Policies for California’s Electricity Sector (06, MS)
Irreversibility and Learning in the Context of Global Climate Change (’04 PhD)
Environmental policy making; balancing short-term pressures with long-term needs; climate changes policies; economics; decision analysis; ecology.
Joe’s broad research interests include sustainable consumption and pro-environmental behavior change. His dissertation explores the linkages between psychological well-being and the environment, arguing that happiness and sustainability are synergistic concepts and that delving into how people use their time is a practical means of concurrently pursuing both goals. Joe’s own happiness has historically been pursued […]
Can Energy Markets Work for Rural Development? An Analysis of World Bank/GEF Rural Electriciation Projects in Sri Lanka (’03 MA) Developments after a Disaster: The Tsunami, Poverty, Conflict and Reconstruction in Sri Lanka (’08 PhD)
Point-of-Use Ultraviolet Water Disinfection: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Safe Water for Rural Households of Baja California Sur, Mexico (’07 MS)
Technology and Rural Industrialization Deep in China’s Hinterlands: A Study of Technology Transfer in Rural Industries in Qinghai Province’s Haidong Prefecture (’96 M.S.)
Analysis of the Performance and Cost Effectiveness of Nine Small Wind Energy Conversion Systems Funded by the DOE Small Grants Program (’82 M.S.)
Continuous Demand Response: Using Loads to Manage Real-Time Energy Imbalance on the Electricity Grid (’11 MS)
Aquarian Transitions: Technological Change, Environmental Uncertainty, and Salmon Production on North America’s Pacific Coast (’00 Ph.D.)
Local Negotiations in Hazardous Waste Incinerator Permitting: A Comparison of Economic and Communication Models in Four Case Studies (’96 Ph.D.)
Drought resilience of maize-legume agroforestry systems in Malawi (PhD ’12)
Carbon Emissions Embodied in Manufacturing Trade and International Freight of the Eleven OECD Countries (’96 MS)
The Urban Landscape and Personal Travel Behavior: Logit Analysis of Spatial Variables to Reduce Automobile Travel (’95 M.S.)
Social Cost of Imported Oil: Korean Context (’84 M.A.)
Ecological Consequences of the Cooling Requirements of Electrical Power Generation (MS ’77)
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Ann Kinzig Ph.D. ’94 Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University Perhaps more than most alumni, Ann Kinzig’s intellectual path has traversed ERG’s interdisciplinary bounds, grappling with the physical, life and social science aspects of the world’s ecological and social problems during, and especially after, her time at ERG. […]
Science-Policy Interface in the Case of Climate Change and California Water Management (MS ’04) A Risk Analysis for Water Resources Under Climate Change, Population Growth and Land Use Change (PhD, ’10)
A Strategy for Predicting Watershed Acidification (PhD ’90)
How Important is Modern Energy for Micro-Enterprises? Evidence from Rural Kenya (’06 MS) Expanding Access to Off-grid Rural Electrification in Africa: An Analysis of Community-based Micro-grids in Kenya (’09 PhD)
Energy Systems Integration and Innovation for a Clean Energy Transition (PhD ’18) Noah is an MS/PhD student at ERG. After graduating with a BS in Environmental Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, Noah was a Fulbright Fellow at the Joint Graduate School for Energy and the Environment in Thailand researching technical and policy aspects of solar electricity […]
Energy policy wonk trying to craft and institute economically efficient policy to promote the use of renewable energy technologies and reduce our emissions.
A Simplified Spreadsheet Model for Assessing the Load and Energy Impacts of Demand-Side Programs for Selected Residential Appliances (’86 MS) Energy Efficiency Choices in New Office Buildings: An Investigation of Market Failures and Corrective Policies (’90 PhD)
Reduce, Reuse, Regulate: Repurposing the Clean Air Act to Limit Power Plants’ Carbon Emissions (MS ’14) Alison will graduate in Spring 2014 with an ERG M.S. and a J.D. from Berkeley Law. She’s interested in using legal tools to instigate the clean energy revolution, including novel applications of existing law (especially the Clean Air Act […]
A Comparison of Carbon Cycling in Native Perennial and Exotic Annual Grass Communities in Northern Coastal California (’09 PhD)
Electrical Load Management in Malta: A Preliminary Assessment (’88 M.A.)
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for China: Multi-Lateral Recommendations and Local Initiatives: A Case Study of Automobile Pollution in Beijing (’00 M.S.)
Preliminary Report on an Inventory of Energy Conservation Potential in California: The Cement Industry (MS ’79)
Industrial Cogeneration in the California Food Processing Industry: An Analysis of the Potential and Barriers (’77 M.S.)
Large Commercial Firm Investment in Energy-Efficient Buildings Retrofits (’97 M.S.)
A Review of EPA’s Evaluation of the Environmental Impacts of New Source Performance Standards for Fossil Fuel Power Plants (’78 M.A.)
"23% fewer women than men are online in developing countries. If no concerted effort is taken, that internet gap is going to grow. When women see role models—people doing things—it enables them and empowers them to think, 'Well, I can do that as well.' And, accessing the internet and using technologies exposes them to an entirely new world," says ERG Alum, Dr. Renee (Kuriyan) Wittemyer. She is Intel's Director of Social Impact.
Political Opportunities and Framing Processes in Resistance to Uranium Mining: The Joar Case (’08 MA)
Multiattribute Ranking Systems for Pesticides (’95 M.S.)
Point-of-Use Ultraviolet Water Disinfections: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Safe Water for Rural Households of Baja California Sur, Mexico (’07 MA)
The Global Carbon Cycle and Atmospheric Oxygen (’83 M.S.) The Role of the Biosphere in the Global Carbon Cycle: Evaluation Through Biospheric Modeling and Atmospheric Measurement (’87 Ph.D.)
Sources of Trace Metal Emissions to California Fresh Surface Waters (’84 M.S.)
Modeling Adaption to Sea Level Rise Under Uncertainty (MS ’19) Catherine received a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College, with a minor in Environmental Studies. Prior to coming to ERG, she worked on issues related to U.S. energy policy and integrated assessment modeling at the Joint Global Change Research Institute. At ERG, she is interested […]
Air Pollution and Social Justice in California (’91 M.S.)
Implications of Electricity Pricing Based on Marginal Cost: The Case of Korea (’88 M.A.)
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: SHARAD LÉLÉ Ph.D. 1993 Senior Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (Bangalore) Sharad Lele never intended to become an academic. And even though his resume is chock-full of scholarly publications, he still believes that applying the interdisciplinary academic knowledge gained at ERG defines ERG’s crucial role. After all, he says, […]
Greenhouse Gas Property – Introducing an Adaptable Climate Policy for an Uncertain World (MS ’07) Characterizing & Responding to Uncertainty in Climate Change (PhD ’11)
Adaptive Management of Riparian Systems: Lessons Learned and Implications for Small Scale Efforts (MS ’05)
Harnessing Financial Motivation to Drive Transportation Electrification: a Resource for Electric Utility Regulators (MA ’19) Michelle is a concurrent degree student at the Goldman School of Public Policy and the Energy Resources Group. Prior to graduate school, she worked in political, legal, and regulatory advocacy at the Natural Resources Defense Council and NextGen Climate America. […]
Morgan’s research focuses on hydrology and water resources, the effects of land use and climate change on human health and the environment, human-environmental system dynamics, and environmental data science. Her background includes training in physical hydrology and eco-hydrology, environmental and earth system science, and applied statistics, including causal empirical methods and spatiotemporal data analysis and […]
Introducing a Mandatory Market Share for Renewable Electricity Generation in China: Design Considerations and Market Implications (MA ’01) From Technology Transfer to Local Manufacturing: China’s Emergence in the Global Wind Power Industry (PhD ’05)
NGO-Led Rural Electrification in Cuá-Bocay Nicaragua (’94 M.A.)
Ore Wars: Access to Strategic Materials, International Conflict, and the Foreign Policies of States (’87 Ph.D.)
What Is a Low-Energy House and Who Cares? (’94 M.S.)
Energy Use and Conservation in China’s Residential and Commercial Sectors: Patterns, Problems, and Prospects (’92 M.A.)
(De)Constructing the California Water Plan: Science, Politics and Sustainability (’94 M.S.)
Inside Out: the Power in Data-Centric Private Governance (PhD ’20) Inspired by ecological economics, Niklas is focused on global governance of production and consumption. At ERG, he is combining data analysis with case studies to examine the apparel industry’s attempt to improve environmental outcomes and to acquire political legitimacy. Niklas is a part of a […]
Developing Country Microgrids: A Case Study Approach to Best Practices (MA, ’13)
Hongyou is a concurrent MS-MPP student in ERG and the Goldman School of Public Policy. She also works at the China Energy Group of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Her research focuses on industrial energy assessments, industrial energy efficiency, low carbon policies, and introducing international best practices to China. Her previous work also include tool […]
Jason is interested in optimization and control of distributed energy resources to support renewable energy integration into the electricity grid. He works at Lawrence Berkeley National lab researching wholesale electricity market integrated demand response and electric vehicles, particularly to provide fast reliability services. He graduated with from University of Michigan with an MS in Natural […]
Saving Energy with Information Technology: Tools for Affecting Human Behavior (’08 MS)
Minding Electron Leakage: How Utility Regulation Can Improve Upstream Energy Efficiency (MS ’14) Ben is a concurrent MS-MPP degree student in ERG and the Goldman School of Public Policy. His primary area of focus is the spread of technologies and policies that promote energy efficiency. Ben also works in Berkeley Lab’s Heat Island Group, which […]
Local Governments and Solar Energy: The San Francisco Example (’83 M.A.) Organizing for Rural Energy Development: Improved Cookstoves, Local Organizations, and the State in Gujarat, India (’90 Ph.D.)
A Rural Energy Survey and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Renewable Energy Technologies for a Philippine Island Community (’82 Ph.D.)
The Economic Costs and Potential of Increased Water-Use Efficiency in California’s Residential Sector (’02 M.A.)
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT This ERG alumni spotlight features one of the first ERG graduate students, David Marcus (MA’77), and is written by ERG alumna, Sarita Sarvate (MS’78). The piece is the first of a series of stories on the achievements and journeys of alumni, showcasing their life after ERG. Small is Beautiful by Sarita Sarvate (MS’78) One summer […]
Getting from Here to There: Infrastructure Requirements for a Hydrogen-Vehicle Future (’96 M.A.)
Intermittent Electrical Dispatch Penalties for Air Quality Improvement (’93 Ph.D.)
Adrienne works on climate change adaptation and mitigation in the public and private forests and wild lands of California. She is interested in understanding how the natural resources in these areas, particularly water, are affected by climate change. How can we manage our forests and wild lands in order to reduce both the magnitude of […]
Exposure to Motor Vehicle Emissions: An Intake Fraction Approach (02 MS) Inhalation of Vehicle Emissions in Urban Environments (05 PhD)
Peter Marsters is a Master’s candidate at ERG focusing on the environmental impacts of unconventional fossil fuel developments. He came to ERG from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado where he focused on water issues related to unconventional fossil fuel development. His previous experience includes several years at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s China […]
Development at the Center: Lessons from Zuni (’99 M.S.)
Qualitative Analysis: The Method and Its Use in Modeling the Influence of Space on Ecosystems (’86 M.S.) Forest Succession and Climate Change: Coupling Land-Surface Processes and Ecological Dynamics (’90 Ph.D.)
Constant Connectance and Constraint in Community Food Webs (’89 M.S.) Effects of Scale on Food Web Structure (’91 Ph.D.)
Wind-Generated Electric Power in the Soviet Union: Geographical and Technical Prospects (’91 MA) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Russia: Perspectives and Problems of International Technology Transfer and Investment (’95 Ph.D.)
Hydrogen as an Energy Carrier: Modeling of Electrolytic Hydrogen Production Systems (’04 MS)
Sustainable Energy Scenarios for Rural Mexico: An Integrated Evaluation Framework for Cooking Stoves (’90 M.S.) Socioeconomic and Environmental Implications of Fuelwood Use Dynamics and Fuel Switching in Rural Mexico (’95 PhD)
Citizen Participation in Water Quality Regulation: Evaluating the Total Maximum Daily Load Process at Sonoma Creek (’05, MA)
Local Planning for the Offshore Oil and Gas Boom in Santa Barbara County (’85 M.S.)
Electricity Load Management in Bolivia: Background and Prospects (’92 MS) Solar Adoption and Energy Consumption in the Residential Sector (’12 PhD)
Questioning Sustainability: Environmental and Social Aspects of Reforestation in Northwestern Costa Rica (’97 MA) Environmental Enforcement and the Rule of Law in Brazil (’04 PhD)
En La Tierra de Los Gigantes: The Mexican Energy Monopolies and Their Impact on Electricity Privatization (’97 M.S.)
Demand-Control Strategies in Commercial Buildings: Technical and Economic Issues (’85 M.S.)
Supply Curves of Conserved Energy (’82 PhD)
Andrea graduated from UC Merced with a BS in Applied Mathematics on Engineering Mechanics and a minor in Writing. During her time at UCM, Andrea interned for UCM Facilities as a Building Efficiency Intern aiding in UCM’s goal to meet a Triple Zero Challenge of zero net energy, emissions, and waste by 2020. Since graduation, […]
A High Technology-Low Energy Demand for Western Europe (’81 M.S.)
Residential Energy Use and Conservation in the United States (’82 M.A.)
The Determination of Hydrogen Ion in Precipitation and Dilute Surface Waters by Means of H+-Selective Glass Electrodes (’83 MS) The Role of Sediments in Generating Alkalinity in Three Subalpine, Low-Alkalinity Lakes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California (’90 PhD)
Quantifying the Effects of Riparian Vegetation on River Meander Migration (’00 PhD)
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions, System Flexibility Requirements, and Drivers of Storage Deployment in the Western North American Power System through 2050 (PhD ’14) Ana’s PhD research is in modeling electricity systems with high penetration levels of intermittent renewable energy to identify technological and policy alternatives for cost-effective emission reductions. While her work focuses on the […]
Measuring California’s Energy Service Affordability (MS ’19) Christian is fascinated by energy end-uses’ effect on communities’ economic and political well-being. While his formal scientific background is in biorenewable resources, his focus is on the sustainable development of holistic energy solutions based on socioeconomic, geographic, and natural resource characteristics for communities both domestic and developing abroad. […]
Wind Energy in Indian Country: Turning to Wind for the Seventh Generation (MS ’06)
Overcoming Deterrents to Energy Conservation Investment in Public Housing (’87 MS)
Environmental Justice? An Analysis of Air Pollution and Power Plants in California (’04 MA) Bordering on Water Management: Ground and Wastewater in the United States-Mexico Transboundary Santa Cruz Basin (’09 PhD)
Using Computer Simulations to Test the Reliability of PRISM (’91 M.S.)
Building a Warmer Vernacular in the Western Himalaya (MS, ’09)
Sunlight Through the Clouds: Economic and Environmental Effects of Centralized and Dispersed Photovoltaic Power Systems in Electric-Utility Applications (’83 Ph.D.)
Reducing Photovoltaic System Costs by Use of Energy-Efficient Appliances (’85 M.A.)
Energy Needs in an Internet Economy: A Closer Look at Data Centers (’01 MS)
Resource Utilization and Degradation: An Integrated Analysis of Biomass Utilization Patterns in a Garhwal Hill Village, Northern Uttar Pradesh, India (’85 MS) From Forest to Agroforest: Land-Use Dynamics and Crop Successions in the Western Ghats of Kerala, South India (’90 PhD)
Nuclide Migration Consequence Analyses for High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal: What Are They Likely to Prove? (’78 M.S.)
Reconstructing Reliability: Confidence in Nuclear Weapons under Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship (’99 M.A.)
Opportunities for Basinwide Cooperative Management of Water Resources in the Verde River Basin, Arizona (’89 M.S.)
Everyday Transformations of Food to Waste: What and Why Food is Discarded in U.S. Households (PhD ’19) From digging through trash to looking inside of people’s refrigerators, Laura researches household-level food waste in the United States with a focus on measurement and behavior. In addition to examining the questions of “what?” and “how much?,” her […]
From Livelihoods to Labels: Assessing the Contribution of Organics to the Sustainability of Small Family Farming with Participatory Multi-Criteria Indicators in a Community in Brazil (’08 PhD)
Biomass as an Energy Resource: An Economic and Environmental Investigation (’82 PhD)
From Environmental Security to Peacemaking: A Case Study of the Nile River Basin (’10 MS)
Sustainable Energy Options for Kosovo – An Analysis of resource availability and cost (MS ’13)
Battery Energy Storage Technology Adoption & Electric Utility Structure (MS ’19) Sara is an architect who delved into distributed generation while developing fuel cell projects for Bloom Energy. She became interested in the energy industry in general, and specifically the regulatory and finance conditions that make markets more open to uptake of innovative technologies. While […]
An Evaluation of Air Quality in Buenos Aires, Argentina (’93 M.S.)
Health, Hygiene and Safe Drinking Water: A Process Documentation of an Education and Technology Intervention in the Behram Slum, Mumbai, India (06 MS) “Don’t Think of ‘Waste’ Water”: Evaluation and Planning Tools for Reuse-Oriented Sanitation Infrastructure (09 PhD)
Aftermath of the First Oil Crisis in Japan (’86 MA)
Contaminated Sediments and Dredging in San Francisco Bay: Assessing and Managing Ecological Impacts (’89 M.S.)
Scenarios for Deep Carbon Emission Reductions from Electricity by 2050 in Western North America Using the SWITCH Electric Power Sector Planning Model (PhD ’14) Jimmy Nelson is a graduating Ph.D. student in the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California at Berkeley and a Link Energy Fellow. His graduate work was performed in […]
Can Policy Stimulate Innovation in Low–Carbon Energy Technologies? The Case of Wind Power in California, 1975 through 2001 (04 MA) Policy and Innovation in Low-Carbon Energy Technologies (07 PhD)
Petroleum Revenues in the Norwegian Economy: Oiling the Wheels of Change? (’84 M.A.)
Erica’s niche is fire, particularly in the ecologically sensitive region of French Polynesia. She has already been trained as a physicist, but her curiosity draws her to ecology. ERG has become a unique place for Erica to explore her aspirations in the biological sciences alongside those who have successfully trekked through similar transitions. Read in her own words how Erica has fine-tuned her fascinations while at ERG.
Genes, Information, & Property (MA ’02) Academic Cartography Understanding the Directions of Modern Biological Science (’07 PhD)
Measuring Solid Waste to Realize the Potential of Source Reduction (’90 M.A.)
A Framework for Energy Policy Decisions in Less Developed Countries (’82 MA)
A Better Steam Engine: Designing a Distributed Concentrating Solar Combined Heat and Power System (’11 PhD)
State, Industry, and the Environment in Vietnam: Obstacles and Opportunities for Industrial Development (’95 M.S.) Community-Driven Regulation: The Political Economy of Pollution in Vietnam (’99 Ph.D.)
Reducing GHG Emissions through Municipal Action: Designing a Decision Support Tool for Californian Communities (’11 MS)
Carbon Capital: The Political Ecology of Carbon Forestry and Development in Chiapas, Mexico (’10 PhD)
Development and Tests of Two Null Theories of Ecological Communities: a Fractal Theory and a Dispersal Assembly Theory (’04 PhD)
Monkgogi (who goes by MK) was born and raised in Botswana and recently graduated cum laude with her BA from Scripps College in Environment, Economics, and Politics. Personally, MK has worked extensively with and for underrepresent students in higher education through numerous leadership roles, mentorships, and volunteering opportunities. Access to and visibility of underrepresented students […]
Education, Public Issues, and Everyday Relevance: Making the Links in the Development of a Middle School Life Science Curriculum (99 MA) Grounds for Action: Community and Science in Environmental Justice Controversy (05 PhD)
Global Warming Effect Applied to Electricity Generation Technologies (’03 PhD)
Sanitary History: Madras in the Nineteenth Century (’00 M.S.)
Strategies for Nepal’s Hydropower Development (’97 M.S.)
Irrigation reform in the Philippines: Irrigation management transfer and the vicious cycle of irrigation management (’04 MS)
Uncertainties in Cost-Benefit Analysis of Chlorofluorocarbon Use (’85 M.A.) Toxic Groundwater Pollution:Understanding the Politics and Organizational Process of Regulatory Response (’92 PhD)
Environmental Pollution and Cancer in California: Evaluating the Significance of Risks under Proposition 65 (’88 M.S.)
State-Level Regulations Effectiveness in Addressing Global Climate Change and Promoting Solar Energy Deployment (PhD ’17)
Feasibility of Competition in a Developing Country Electricity Market: A Case Study of Maharashtra State (India) (’03 MS) Competition, regulation, and Energy Efficiency Options in the Electricy Sector: Opportunities and Challenges in Developing Countries (’06 PhD)
A Comparison of Measured and Calculated Evapotranspiration in a Sub-Alpine Meadow Ecosystem (’95 M.S.)
California Policy Should Distinguish Biofuels by Differential Global Warming Effects (’06 MS) Life Cycle Regulation of Transportation Fuels: Uncertainty and its Policy Implications (’10 PhD)
Demand-side Knowledge for Sustainable Decarbonization in Resource Constrained Environments: Applied Research at the Intersection of Behavior, Data-mining, and Technology (PhD ’18) Links: Personal Website Life at ERG Blog Posts ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Ph.D. 2017 During his time as an ERG Ph.D. candidate, Diego worked on developing information and communication solutions and ubiquitous data products for reducing […]
Responses to Environmental Injustice in the Siting of Hazardous Waste Facilities: Public Participation and Legal Strategies (’92 M.S.)
Groundwater Contamination in Santa Clara Valley: Protecting Public Health in the Face of Technical Uncertainty (’86 M.A.)
Autumn Petros-Good received her B.S. in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College in 2009, and her M.S. from ERG in 2011 and her PhD from ERG in 2015. She worked on characterizing the potential for energy storage to change the electricity landscape, and has previously worked with the Nature Conservancy on investigating the relationship between large-scale […]
Knock on Wood: Nature and the Fictitious Commodity in Oregon’s Douglas-Fir Region (’99 Ph.D.)
Going Green Bites Back: The Intended and Unintended Consequences of the New Corporate Environmentalism (’98 M.A.)
Recycling as an Alternative to Disposal: A Study of Waste Paper Recovery in the Commercial Sector in San Francisco (’83 M.A.)
The Implications of Time-of-Use (TOU) Electricity Rates Upon California’s Grid Load, GHG Emissions, Costs, and Potential for the Electric Space Heating and PEV Market (MA ’14)
Global Environment and Energy End Use in China (’93 MS)
An Evaluation of the Triple Bottom Line Business Case For Reshoring Manufacturing (MS ’14) Emily Quesada received her B.A. in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. She subsequently served as Marketing and Graphic Design Manager at 3 Phases Energy, now known as 3Degrees. In that capacity, she helped businesses and utilities communicate their environmental […]
Microbial Communities in Confiers of Klamath National Forest (MS ’19) I’m a first years master’s student and received a B.S. & B.A. from UC Berkeley in Integrative Biology and Molecular Environmental Biology. Prior to coming to ERG, I worked on quantifying rates of nitrogen fixation by bacteria associated with conifer foliage in Western U.S. forests. […]
The Role of Renewable Energy in Global Warming Mitigation: A Critique of Trusted Assessments (’92 M.A.)
Berkeley Energy Market Analysis Phase I: The Demand for Energy Conservation and Renewables (’81 M.A.)
Economics of Lifecycle Analysis and Greenhouse Gas Regulations (’09 PhD)
Energy Storage Systems to Support Increased Wind Penetration in California (05 MS)
Environmental, Economic, and Social Trade-Offs of Hydropower Relicensing (MS ’16) Joseph is interested in the social, environmental, and economic trade-offs in energy development, and in particular the social conflicts arising around utility-scale wind farm siting and hydropower relicensing. His master’s research focuses on the relicensing of the Yuba River Development Project, a large hydropower project […]
Can Co-ops become Energy Producers too? Challenges and Prospects for Efficient Co-Generation in India’s Co-Operative Sugar Sector (’05 MS) Fluid Hegemony: A Political Ecology of Water, Market Rule, and Insurgence at Bangalore’s Frontier (’10 PhD)
Health Issues Surrounding the Medfly Eradication (’84 M.S.)
Arctic Haze: Characteristics, Sources and Institutional Options (’87 M.S.)
Jess studies the impact of and adaptation to climate change on Latin America’s coasts. Currently, she travels on her 39-foot sailboat, Oleada, down the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America, through the Panama Canal, and into the Caribbean to document local climate knowledge through GIS mapping and personal narratives. You can follow her journey […]
The Distribution of Prime Farmland in the Periphery of Urban Areas in the San Joaquin Valley: Implications for Regional Planning (’91 M.S.)
Point-of-Use Ultraviolet Water Disinfection: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Safe Water for Rural Households of Baja California Sur, Mexico (MS ’07) From Efficacy to Sustained Use. A Comprehensive Evaluation of an Ultraviolet Water Disinfection System for Rural Households in Mexico (PhD ’14) Fermin Reygadas is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Fundacion Cantaro Azul, a non-profit organization […]
Disincentives for Energy Conservation in the Electric Energy Sector of Djibouti, East Africa (85 MS) Markets, States and Environmental Policy: The Political Economy of Charcoal in Senegal (’90 Ph.D.)
Post-fire channel response: A comparison between the 1977 Marble Cone Fire and 2008 Basin Complex Fire on the upper Carmel River (’09 MS)
Some Thoughts on Innovation in Energy Technology (’82 M.S.)
John Romankiewicz is an MS/MPP candidate in the Energy & Resources Group and Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. He is the VP of Membership for the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative and a leader of the Cleanweb Berkeley community, through which he has organized clean energy hackathons on campus. Prior to grad […]
Private Sector Participation in the Global Water Sector: An Analysis of Stakeholder Perspectives and an Assessment of Rules and Guidelines: Governance Issues and the Regulatory Authority (04 MS)
Creating a Smooth Pathway From Innovation to Commercialization within the California Public Interest Energy Research Program (’01 M.S.) Research Interests: Performance of policy and technical analyses to increase awareness of global warming in a solutions oriented campaign to reduce energy use in California. We are pressuring public entities to increase the use of energy efficiency, […]
Yang is in the concurrent degree program with ERG and the Goldman School of Public Policy. Her background is in electrical engineering and worked for several years in the power electronics industry. She’s interested in socially responsible investing and how investors can calculate and compare the GHG emissions footprint of companies. She’s also working on […]
The Social and Historical Context of Chemical Defoliation of Cotton (’91 M.A.)
Western Coal Exports to the Pacific Rim Countries of Japan, Taiwan and Korea (’82 M.A.)
Deforestation from Coca Plantations and REDD+: Can REDD+ change the dynamics of coca plantations and become the new peaceful strategy to overcome “The war on drugs” in Columbia? (’10 MA)
Formerly a freelance writer and founding director of the Vietnam Green Building Council (2007-2009), Jalel remains a board member and international coordinator for Green Cities Fund (its NGO parent). In 2012 he co-founded the Southeast Asia – Renewable and Adaptive Energy (SEA-RAE) group at Berkeley. At ERG he has designed a class on ecological economics; […]
Addressing Water Consumption of Evaporative Coolers with Greywater (’12 MS)
Regulation of the Polish Power Industry and Sulfur Dioxide Emissions, 1988-1992 (’94 M.A.)
Global Climate Change and Ecosystem Carbon Storage: An Experimental Investigation of Ecologically-Mediated Feedbacks to Climate in Montane Meadows (’98 Ph.D.)
Daniel L. Sanchez holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Energy and Resources. He is interested in quantitative analysis to inform public policy, focusing on bioenergy and climate policy. His past research focused on design, deployment, and commercialization of bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) technologies. Daniel has previously held positions with the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), Green for All, and the California Public Utilities Commission.
Miscellaneous Electricity Use in U.S. Residences (’97 M.S.)
Privatization of Thailand’s Power Sector: From Public Monopoly to Competition (MA, 99)
Exploring the Impacts of ASEAN Energy Cooperation on the Renewable Energy Development and Policy Implementation of the ASEAN Members (MS ’14)
Potential Sources of Bias to Farm Size in Agricultural Research (’85 M.S.)
Leaking Carbon: Calculating Carbon Dioxide Emissions Leakage in the Era of Global Trade Liberalization: A Case Study of Indonesia (’96 MA)
Dynamic Simulation of the Tritium Inventory in the Magnetic Fusion Power Plant (’90 M.S.)
An Algorithm for Determining the Cost-Effectiveness of New Window Design (’78 M.S.)
Predicting the Impact of Transportation Control Measures on Pollutant Emissions and Energy Consumption (’93 M.S.)
Shop ‘Till We Drop: A Historical and Policy Analysis of Goods Movement in the U.S. (MS ’11) Transportation Behavioral Data and Climate Change (PhD ’20) Laura studies the environmental impacts of transportation in the developed world. She focuses on new methods of data collection and analysis to better understand the various levers behind driving behavior, […]
An Assessment of Hydrologic and Geomorphologic Alteration on the Lower Stanislaus River (00, MS)
Little Fish in a Big Pond: Small Customers in Competitive Electricity Markets (’98 M.S.)
Classes of Ecotoxicological Tests: Their Advantages and Disadvantages for Regulation (’81 MS)
Green Gold: The Science, Politics and Business of Harnessing the World’s Biological Riches for Novel Pharmaceuticals (’01 PhD)
Childhood Asthma: A Literature Review (’98 MS)
Quantitative Health-Risk Assessment of Indoor Air Pollutants: A Comprehensive Framework for Analysis, and Application to Radon-222 (’85 M.S.)
The Potential of Wind Power and Energy Storage in California (’06 MS)
Landing on the Sun! How to Make Residential PV Price-Competitive in the U.S. with Lessons Learned in Germany (MS/MPP ’12) Socio-Economic and Engineering Assessments of Renewable Energy cost Reduction Potential (PhD ’17) Joachim (Jo) Seel completed his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group. His research focuses on electricity market design and on the integration […]
Charcoal from Fuelwood Plantations in Brazil’s Eastern Amazon Region: A Feasibility Study (’91 M.S.)
The Impacts of Real-Time Selling and Net Metering on Life-Cycle Costs for Residential Fuel Cell Systems (’01 MS)
When the Pit Fills Up: Fecal Sludge “Management” in Urban India (PhD ’18) Sharada’s research is focused on recovery of nutrients, primarily Phosphorous, from human waste, particularly septage, and their reuse in Indian agriculture. His work focuses on understanding policies and regulations that encourage businesses to facilitate reuse of septage as fertilizer. He is interested […]
At ERG, I am exploring the barriers to renewable projects that are stalled or abandoned in emerging markets and potential solutions. By striving to answer that question, I hope to help move electricity sector development forward — especially in East Africa.
Ecosystem and Plant Community Consequences of Climate Warming in a High-Altitude Meadow (’97 PhD)
Material Flows of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle (’78 M.S.)
Decarbonizing Residential Space and Water Heating in California (PhD ’17) Imran Sheikh is interested in creating business-led solutions to environmental problems, with a particular focus on energy efficiency. His current research interests are around using smart meter and internet-connected thermostat data to better target energy efficiency investments. Prior to graduate school he was a consultant for […]
A Microclimate Model to Investigate Greenhouse Warming of a Sub-Alpine Ecosystem (MS, ’92) A Modeling Study of Experimental Warming of a Sub-Alpine Meadow (PhD, ’98)
Straw into Gold: The Promise of Anaerobic Digesters on California Dairy Farms (’85 MS)
Understanding feed’s climate impacts on beef production through the lens of three different beef production systems in the United States (MS, ’12)
Patenting the sacred: the opposing symbolic meaning of taro in Hawai’i (’07 MS)
An Empirical Assessment of the California Utilities’ Energy Efficiency Programs (’09 MS)
Rebekah Shirley believes that there is more than one path to a bright, energy secure future. Developing nations strive to connect more and more of their communities to energy. Many have emulated the fossil fuel intensive model of developed nations, but Rebekah believes that this is not necessarily the only way.
Understanding Urban Food Access (’05 MS) Governing Change: An Institutional Geography of Rural Land Use, Environmental Management, and Change in the North Coastal Basin of California (’10 PhD)
The Impacts of Deforestation upon Rural Women in Developing Countries: Patterns of Concern in Recent Development Literature (’93 M.A.)
Alana Siegner received her B.A. from Tufts University in Environmental Science and International Relations, and served as an AmeriCorps National Teaching Fellow in Boston for two years after graduating from college. At ERG, she is a food systems and climate change education researcher, uniting her interests in education and environmental studies through sustainable food system […]
The world is witnessing a rapid advance in renewable energy with China as one in the forefront. However, adding enough renewable energy to satisfy China's growing power needs is quite complex. ERG Ph.D. candidate, Froy Sifuentes, focuses on the challenges of integrating wind power to help make China's grid cleaner. Read on and learn more about Froy and his work (and fun) at ERG.
Participatory Methods in Rural Development: ‘Bottom-Up’ or only ‘Close-To’ Development? (’94 M.A.) The Political Economy of Decollectivization: A Study of Differentiation in and Among Black Thai Villages Of Northern Vietnam (’99 Ph.D.)
Mind the Gap. Public-Private Financing Mechanisms for Bridging Valleys of Death and Accelerating Transition to a Clean Economy (MA, ’10)
ACG and INBio: Diverging Approaches to Saving, Knowing and Using Costa Rica’s Biodiversity (’99 MS)
Integrated Assessment: A Case Study of Mobile Sources of Air Pollution (’79 M.S.)
Indoor Air Pollution in China (Compilation of a Database of Results of Research 1982-1991; with an Application to Residential Energy Supply Options in Shenyang, Liaoning Province) (’92 M.S.) Energy Efficiency in Chinese Industry: Positive and Negative Influences of Economic System Reforms (’96 Ph.D.)
Hydrogen Sulfide, Oil and Gas, and People’s Health (’06, MS)
Facets of Biological Conservation: Appropriate Ecology, Policy, and Ethics for Ensuring the Perpetuity of Biodiversity (’09 PhD)
Subsurface Controls on Carbon Dynamics in a Changing Arctic Ecosystem (PhD ’18) Terrestrial Biological Carbon Dioxide Removal: An Ecological Perspective (MS ’12) Lydia’s research takes her to the Alaskan Arctic, where she studies soil carbon turnover and greenhouse gas emissions. Her primary interests are mechanisms of soil carbon stabilization, soil microbes, and methane. She loves […]
Energy for the Development of Sierra Leone (’82 M.S.)
Ida Sognnaes is a PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group. She is originally from Norway and came to Berkeley for the first time as part of her five year MSc in Applied Mathematics and Physics where she focused on Renewable Energy and Climate Science. She wrote her Master thesis with John Harte in […]
The Water and Energy Nexus: Estimating Consumptive Water Use from Carbon Capture at Pulverized Coal Plants with a Case Study of the Upper Colorado River Basin (’10 MS)
Definitions for Recycling and Methods of Measuring Recycling in Santa Clara County, California (’88 M.A.)
The Renewable Robin Hood: How Taking from Natural Gas Producers and Giving to Energy Consumers Softens the Economic Impact of a Renewable Portfolio Standard (03 MA)
Towards A New Regulatory Paradigm For the Electric Power Industry (MA, ’13)
Data Center Energy Efficiency: Granular Monitoring and Organizational Communication (’08 MS)
Wilderness, Race, and African Americans: An Environmental History from Slavery to Jim Crow (’05 MA)
Legislative Incentives and Energy Technologies: Government’s Role in the Development of the California Wind Energy Industry (’87 M.A.) Regulating Innovation and Competition in Emerging Technology Markets: The Effects of Utility Participation in the Market for Remote Photovoltaic Systems (’96 Ph.D.)
Accuracy of Home Energy Rating Systems (’97 M.S.)
Utility Financial Incentive Program: A Financial Incentive Scheme Designed to Stimulate Greater Levels of Conservation Achievement by Investor Owned Utilities (’82 M.A.)
The Effect of Simplifying the Building Description on the Numerical Modeling of its Thermal Performance (93 MS) Radiant Cooling in US Office Buildings: Towards Eliminating the Perception of Climate-Imposed Barriers (97 PhD)
Private Cost of Public Action: Costs to Western Coal Producers of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (’82 M.S.)
Biomass Electricity in California (’06, MA)
Comparative Power Analysis of the California Electric Utility Industry Deregulation Process (’97 M.A.)
Greenhouse Gas Abatement Supply Curves for California’s Transportation Sector (MS ’08) Interactions of Water and Energy Mediate Responses of High Latitude Terrestrial Ecosystems to Climate Change (PhD ’12)
Material Flows of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle (79 MS)
Adversary Proceedings and Nuclear Policy: The Windscale Inquiry of 1977 (’79 MS)
Michaelangelo Tabone (MS 2012) is a PhD student in ERG advised by Dr. Duncan Callaway. His research focuses on applying novel statistical methods to topics in energy analysis. Most recently, he completed a project for the CPUC predicting the flexibility needs of power systems that contain significantly large amounts of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation. He […]
International Environmental Agreements, With Three Examples (’78 MA)
Elif is interested in the economics of nuclear power, air pollution from electricity generation, and decarbonization of the transport sector. She holds a BS in Earth Systems from Stanford University and an MSc in Environmental Economics from the London School of Economics, where she studied as a Fulbright fellow. Links: LinkedIn Research: Society, environment and […]
Unocal Corporation’s SCRAP (South Coast Recycled Auto Project): An Experiment in Corporate Environmental Initiative (’91 MS)
Energy and Society: Beyond the Bounds of Conventional Analysis (’88 PhD)
Regulation of Automobiles in the European Community (’93 MS)
Water Quality Monitoring for Effective Regulatory Enforcement: A Review of Options for the NPDES Program in the San Francisco Bay Region (’90 MA) Redefining Environmental Management Problems: The Shift in Dredging Management in San Francisco Bay 1967-1994 (’95 PhD)
Monica obtained her Masters in 2015 from the Energy and Resources Group. She is interested in electric vehicle adoption, alternative energy policy, and sustainable energy development. Her research involves modeling the dollar value of grid services provided by electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging equipment infrastructure markets. Monica works part-time at the California Public Utilities […]
Organizational Approaches to Wasteland Development: Structural and Functional Aspects of Three Indian NGOs (’89 MA)
The Silver Bullet with Brown Baggage? Scenarios of the Emissions Impacts of Demand Response in California (05 MS)
Integrated Assessment of Environmental Impacts: A Regulatory Approach to the Problem (’79 MA) The Potential Effects of Acid Deposition on Aquatic Ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada, California (’83 PhD)
The Threats to Biological Diversity in California (’90 MS) Environmental Controls Over Methane Flux from Ecosystems and the Potential for Feedbacks with Climatic Change (’94 PhD) See Faculty Profile
Money Talks, But What Can it Say? Bridging the Economic and Philosophic in Wilderness Values & Valuation (98 MA) Conflicting Values, Contested Terrain: Mormon, Paiute and Wilderness Advocate Values of the Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument (02 PhD)
Appropriate Technology and Soft Energy as Perspectives on Technology – Society Interactions (’86 MA)
E85, Flex-Fuel Vehicles, and AB 1493: Integrating biofuels into California’s vehicular greenhouse gas regulations (06 MS)
Life on the Margin: Fulsse Herding Practices and the Relationship Between Economy and Ecology in the Inland Niger Delta of Mali (’92 Ph.D.)
Turkey: A Perspective from the Energy Point of View (’88 M.S.)
Transfer of State-Owned Energy Resources in California (’87 M.A.)
The Geopressured Geothermal Resource of the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast; A Technology Characterization and Environmental Assessment (’80 M.S.)
Improved Cookstoves in Michoacán, México: A Search for an Integrated Perspective that Promotes Local Culture, Health, and Sustainability (’04 MS) Missing Links: Demystifying Alternative Energy Use and Improving Decision Making for Increased Off-grid Electrification in Colombia (’08 PhD)
Kern County, California–A Potential Contributor to Acid Deposition (’83 MS)
Why do POUs Fail? Barriers to the Adoption of Point of Use Water Treatment Technologies (’07 MS) Transforming trash: reuse as a waste management and climate change mitigation strategy (’11 PhD)
Consolidation as a Solution for Central Valley Water Woes: An Exploratory Study in Tulare County (’13 MS)
The Effect of Intensive Organic Matter Utilization on Soil Quality: Protecting the Soil Resource Without Giving Up On Biomass (’83 M.S.) An Analysis of an Ethanol-Producing Solar-Bioconversion Process Using the Microalga Dunaliella sp. as the Biomass Crop (’87 Ph.D.)
Grid-Connected Photovotaics: A Comparison of Three Siting Strategies (’90 M.A.) Cultural Factors in Technology Adoption: A Case Study of Electric Utilities and Distribution Automation (’95 Ph.D.)
Daylighting Potential in Commercial Buildings (MS, ’78)
"In a sense, we’re going through a transition here. The industry is going through a transition that we’re only seeing the beginning of,” says Dr. Cyrus Wadia (PhD’08). Cyrus knows about transitions. He has been a policy advocate, business entrepreneur and scientific innovator for clean energy and human welfare prior, throughout and since his time at ERG. He has not only observed but has been part of the change in the world’s switch to solar. His multiple hats and his work on the frontline edge of policy, economics and science made him a perfect fit for the interdisciplinary program at ERG.
Residential Indoor Air Quality and Air Infiltration (’82 MS)
The Zuni Sustainable Energy Project: Implementing a Photovoltaics Credit Program in a Traditional Economy (’01 M.A.)
Policy Analysis of Electricity Pricing (’81 M.A.)
Classification of Biomass Fuels for Fouling & Slagging Using Principal Component Analysis (’96 M.S.)
Comparison of Constraints on Coal and Biomass Fuels Development in China’s Energy Future (’97 Ph.D.)
Competing in the California Power Market: Bonneville’s Struggle to Overcome the Barriers (’86 M.A.)
Case Study of Energy Efficient Building Retrofit: 40 West 20th Street–Headquarters of the Natural Resources Defense Council (’90 M.S.)
Electricity Consumption in California for Residential Heating and Cooling (’77 M.S.)
Justin’s background in botany and agroecology informs his research in perennial crop farming systems and woody biomass coppice. Most recently he has been researching tropical fodder bank systems in South America. Justin previously studied at The Colorado College (BA), and The University of Plymouth (MSc). He worked as a vegetation ecologist in various parts of […]
Plastics Recycling: A Peek at the Future (’87 M.A.)
Population Growth, Global Warming, and the Carbon Externality to Childbearing (’95 M.S.)
Closing the Material Loop: Investigating the Dynamics of, Motivations for, and Obstacles to Material Recycling through a Case Study on Product Recovery and Demanufacturing in the Computer Industry (’99 MS) Greening Under the Radar: Mid-range Analysis of Environmental Practitioners as Agents in Corporate Change (’08 PhD)
Public Participation and the Hazardous Waste Management Planning Process in Alameda County (’89 M.S.)
Transmountain Water Diversions in the Colorado Rockies (MS, ’96)
The Hands that will Build our Energy Future: Administrative and Labor Capacity for Building Energy Efficiency Policies In China and India (MA ’11)
M.S. 1986 – A Vehicular Power Plant Application of the Monolithic Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Ph.D. 1995 – Fan-Lizhi’s Big Bang: Science and Politics in Mao’s China ERG alumnus Jim Williams, now a professor at the University of San Francisco, is a global thought leader in the area of low-carbon energy systems. At USF his focus is on […]
Government Policies and Programs for the Promotion of Residential Energy Conservation, An International Perspective (87 MS)
Land Capability Classification on the West Coast of South Africa (’98 MS)
Environmental Quality, Economic Growth, and Democracy: A Theoretical and Empirical Examination of the Linkages (’02 PhD)
Alternative Windpower Ownership Structures: Financing Terms and Project Costs (’96 MS) Public Goods and Private Interests: The Role of Voluntary Green Power Demand in Achieving Environmental Improvements (’02 PhD)
Maggie’s research focuses on reducing the environmental impacts of transportation by decreasing both the amount that people drive and the per-mile emissions of personal vehicles. Her work focuses on California’s ground-breaking laws to cut the greenhouse gas impacts of driving. Maggie holds an M.S. in Energy and Resources and a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College. […]
In the tradition of Barad and Haraway, I practice Science and Technology Studies (STS) “from the inside”, drawing on my own natural science training to inform the theoretical frameworks I develop. My interdisciplinary outlook is grounded in training, publication, and research in hydrology, aquatic ecology, and fluvial geomorphology, as well as in social science and […]
Daylight Availability: Review & Analysis of the Literature up to 1979: Relevance to Daylighting Design in the U.S.: Suggestions for Futher Data Collection and Treatment (’79 MA)
NGO Perceptions of Geologic Sequestration (MA ’07) Perspectives on Carbon Capture and Sequestration in the United States (PhD ’11)
The Role of Socioeconomic Analysis in California Marine Protected Area Planning (03 MS)
Impacts of Student-Led Service Learning Water Project in Rural Cameroon (MS’16) A graduate of Georgia Tech with a B.S in mechanical engineering. A selection of her work includes drilling water wells in Central America, designing solar systems for Yellowstone National Park, and water distribution systems in Cameroon. She began her work in fecal sludge as […]
Ohio Industrial Electricity Rates: Is the Price Right? (MS ’19) Peter is interested in investigating the market and regulatory barriers to technological solutions to renewable energy generation, net-zero buildings, and sustainable manufacturing. He is a research assistant at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab contributing to projects on electric grid load forecasting and commercial building demand […]
Supply Curves of Conserved Energy for California’s Residential Sector (’80 M.S.)
Land Use in Renewable Energy Planning (PhD ’18) Inspired by the possibility of ecologically-bounded growth, Grace is interested in water and land use impacts of energy technologies; water management that sustains agriculture, energy production, and biodiversity; and the role of policy analysis in decision-making. She is currently merging life cycle assessment, GIS, and optimization methods […]
Integrated-Gasification-Combined-Cycle and Its Future Market Penetration in China (’95 M.S.)
Regional Hydrologic Interdependence and Electric Power System Planning: The Pacific Northwest, California, and the Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie (’84 M.S.)
Acid Deposition and Forest Nutrient Cycles: An Analysis of Changes in Soil Chemistry over Time on Camels Hump Mountain in Northern Vermont (’88 MS)
Taming the Tibetan Landscape: Chinese development and the transformation of agriculture (03 PhD)
Seeds of Change: Making High School Climate Change Education Transformative (’05 MA)
Challenges and Opportunities for Corporate Fleet Transitions to Lower-Carbon Fuels (MS ’14) Svetlana is interested in the intersection of public policy and corporate social responsibility, as well as in the psychology of sustainable behavior. During the summer of 2013, she consulted for a large company’s sustainability department as a member of the Environmental Defense Fund […]
Urbanizing China: Residential Energy Implications and the Role for Energy Efficiency Standards (MS, ’09)
Management of a Contaminated Groundwater Basin in California’s San Gabriel Valley (’88 M.S.)
Water Management: A Complete Guide for Households (’88 M.S.)
Sustainable Biofuels: Designing Indirect Land Use Change Regulations that are Compatible with International Trade Law (MS ’08)
Delivering Energy Efficiency to Middle Income Single Family Households (MA ’11)
Shifting Agricultural Subsidies to Promote Biomass Utilization (’04 MS)
Social and Ecological Prospects for Second-Growth Forestry in the Mattole Valley (Humboldt County, California) (’90 M.S.)