Pages (7 results)
TopAbout ERG
Our Mission The mission of the Energy and Resources Group is a sustainable environment and a just society. ERG is a collaborative community of graduate students, core faculty, nearly 200 ... Continue Reading »
Who We Are
A Brief History of ERG For thirty years, the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at the University of California, Berkeley has provided its outstanding graduate students and exceptional faculty the ... Continue Reading »
Courses
All Course Offerings Please note: This is a full list of ERG course offerings; not all courses are offered each term. For current course offerings, please refer to the online ... Continue Reading »
Analysis & Control (EMAC) Energy Modeling
The Energy Modeling, Analysis and Control (EMAC) group addresses the engineering and techno-economic challenges to decarbonizing electric power systems. Our work ranges from applied to theoretical. Much of our work focuses on building new control and optimization frameworks to facilitate the operation of low carbon grids.
Faculty by Primary Interest
Areas of Interest Climate Change ERG COREDavid AnthoffDavid Anthoff is an environmental economist who studies climate change and environmental policy. He co-develops the integrated assessment model FUND that is used ... Continue Reading »
Summer Instructors 2023
The Energy and Resources Group summer instructors understand the complex and interdisciplinary nature of sustainability. All have significant experience teaching and/or professional experience in the subject areas of their courses. ... Continue Reading »
Affiliated Faculty
ERG has a small core faculty but a much larger group of affiliated faculty. Affiliated faculty are based in other departments on campus or at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, ... Continue Reading »
Faculty (1 results)
Top
Duncan Callaway
Associate Professor, ERG Chair
Dr. Callaway’s teaching focuses on power systems and energy efficiency. His research can be categorized in three areas: modeling and control of aggregated storage devices; power management; and system analysis of energy technologies and their impact.
Students (5 results)
Top
Kwabena Owusu Sarfo
MS
Kwabena Owusu Sarfo is a Master’s student at the Energy and Resources Group. Kwabena interests includes, energy system modeling and analysis, decarbonizing electric power grids, and renewable energy integration research. ... Continue Reading »
Ana Santasheva
MS
Ana Santasheva is a Master’s student at the Energy and Resources Group. Santasheva’s interests includes, exploring how to leverage new tools, technologies, policies, and consumer engagement to help us predict and ... Continue Reading »
Anna Mazur
MS
Anna Mazur is a Master’s student at the Energy and Resources Group. Mazur interests includes developing new facilities and strategic planning of generation portfolios, revising outdated policies like capital cost ... Continue Reading »
Stephen Stack
MA
Stephen is a Masters student at the Energy and Resources Group. His work focuses on the social, economic, and political dimensions of the clean energy transition. He is currently working ... Continue Reading »
Cristina Crespo Montanes
MS, PhD
Focusing on innovations in renewable energy infrastructure and the potential impacts of such technology in the energy markets, my main interest lies in mechanisms to enhance reliability of fully renewable ... Continue Reading »
Alumni (33 results)
Top
Victor Reyes
MS
Hola! I’m Victor Reyes, a Mexican MS candidate. I have a BS/BA in Engineering with a concentration on Sustainability from the University of San Diego. My main interests are electric ... Continue Reading »
Priyanka Mohanty
MS
What are the Best Practices for Rapid and Just Energy Transition? (MS ’22) Priyanka earned her Masters of Science with the Energy and Resources Group. At ERG, she works on ... Continue Reading »
- China
- climate
- development
- economics
- environmental justice
- Green New Deal
- India
- Indonesia
- Low-Carbon Transport
Arthur Mallet Dias
MS
Promoting Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development: A Review and Evaluation of Enterprise Facilitation (MS ’22) Arthur is interested in using sustainable innovation as a framework for designing new businesses, services, and ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- development
- energy
- Entrepreneurship
- Environmental / Climate Equity
- Impact Investing
- local economic development
- sustainable communities
- Sustainable Innovation
Sangcheol Moon
MA
Sangcheol is interested in feedstock resources and materials loop modeling under the scenario of institutional regulation to support circular economy, Industrial ecology, green chemistry, and the design and implementation mechanisms ... Continue Reading »
Nick Clarke
MA
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 ... Continue Reading »
Sara Mulhauser
MPP, MS
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 ... Continue Reading »
Jonathan Lee
MS, PhD
The Cost of Reliability in Decentralized Solar Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (MS ’18); Energy Management in Community Microgrids (PhD ’22) Jonathan studies transitions in electric power systems and electricity markets, ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- development
- energy
- RAEL
- renewable energy integration
- rural electrification
- solar energy
- sustainable energy development
Gordon Bauer
MS, PhD
Operation, Cost, and Environmental Impact of Self-Driving Electric Taxi Fleets (MS ’18) Transportation has long been dominated by the personal gasoline-powered automobile, but breakthroughs in electric vehicles, shared mobility, and ... Continue Reading »
Felipe Castro
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, ... Continue Reading »
- computational optimization
- EMAC
- energy policy
- industrial organizations
- mathematical programming
- microeconomics
- operations research
- Power Systems
Yoshika Crider
PhD
Yoshika has a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. She combines methods from environmental engineering and public health to study safe water and sanitation, with a focus ... Continue Reading »
Anna Brockway
MS, PhD
New challenges facing electric power systems: Integrating technical realities and policy goals (PhD ’22) Anna Brockway is a PhD from the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. She holds ... Continue Reading »
- climate adaptation
- economics
- electricity grid
- electricity markets
- energy
- Energy System Modeling
- renewable energy integration
- renewable energy policy
- solar energy
- utility business models
José Daniel Lara
MS, PhD
Modeling and Simulation of Electric Power Systems with Large Shares of Renewable Energy (PhD ’22) Jose Daniel was born in San José Costa Rica, received his B.Sc. and Licentiate in ... Continue Reading »
- development
- economics
- energy
- energy policy
- Energy System Modeling
- Optimization
- power systems operation
- power systems planning
- RAEL
- transportation
- water
Jessie Knapstein
MPP, MS
Energy policy wonk trying to craft and institute economically efficient policy to promote the use of renewable energy technologies and reduce our emissions.
Julia Szinai
MPP, MS, PhD
Julia studied economics and Spanish at UC Berkeley as an undergraduate, and realized her interest in energy and environmental issues while a research assistant at the UC Energy Institute. After ... Continue Reading »
- climate change
- demand response
- electric system planning
- electric vehicles
- energy policy
- energy water nexus
- renewable integration
Rachel Golden
MPP, MS
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 ... Continue Reading »
- climate change
- development
- economics
- energy
- environmental justice
- Equity and Access
- Grid flexibility
- renewable integration
Cyrus Wadia
MS, PhD
"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.
- investigating the resource economics of new material systems for photovoltaics
- nanocomposite photovoltaics
- novel PV device fabrication using aqueous chemistry of nanoparticles
Sintana Vergara
MS, PhD
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 ... Continue Reading »
- adoption of Point of Use water treatment technologies
- biodiversity
- drinking water treatment technologies and applications in the developing world
- industrial ecology
- life cycle analysis
- solid waste management in U.S. and developing countries
- waste conversion technologies
Thomas Starrs
MA, PhD
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 ... Continue Reading »
- impact of legislation and regulation on energy technology development
- renewable energy - particularly wind and photovoltaics
Gregory Nemet
MA, PhD
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)
- carbon/hydrogen transition
- climate change
- Distributed Generation
- energy R&D
- G.I.S.
- scenario planning
- technology policy
Fernando Manibog
PhD
A Rural Energy Survey and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Renewable Energy Technologies for a Philippine Island Community (’82 Ph.D.)
- reforms and private sector development in developing country electricity sectors
- rural and renewable energy in developing countries
Robert Jourdain
MS
Some Limitations of the ‘Appropriate Technologies” for Peasant Agriculture (’78 M.S.)
Evan Jones
MA
Financial Incentive Policies to Promote End-Use Solar Technologies in a Restructured Electricity Industry: Comparing the Costs (’97 M.A.)
- ecological economics
- political economy of development
- renewable energy policy and business development
- sustainable development
Frank Carroll
PhD
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)
Renee Kuriyan Wittemyer
MA, PhD
"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.
- information and communication technologies and development
- rural development in India
- technology adoption in developing countries
- technology/society relationships
Kent Anderson
MS, PhD
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. ... Continue Reading »
Grace Wu
MS, PhD
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 ... Continue Reading »
- ecological economics
- GIS
- land use impacts of energy systems
- renewable resource assessment
- spatial statistics
- water-energy nexus
Rebekah Shirley
MS, PhD
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.
Daniel Sanchez
MS, PhD
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.
Andrea Mercado
MS
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 ... Continue Reading »
Benjamin Mandel
MPP, 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 ... Continue Reading »
Anne-Perrine Avrin
MS, PhD
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 ... Continue Reading »
- Energy economics
- Energy modeling
- Nuclear desalination
- Nuclear energy
- Planning electric power systems in developing and emerging countries
- RAEL
- water-energy nexus
Nkiruka Avila
MS, PhD
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 ... Continue Reading »
News (22 results)
Top
Argues ERG’s Dan Kammen California Must Accelerate Carbon Neutrality Goal
June 17, 2022
In an op-ed published in the Los Angeles Times, ERG’s Dan Kammen pushes for California to set a more ambitious carbon neutrality goal, and suggests that this plan should mobilize ... Continue Reading »
Farbes ERG Alums Williams
February 3, 2021
A new article, "Carbon-neutral pathways for the United States," published in the open-access journal AGU Advances by ERG alums Jim Williams, Jamil Farbes, ERG alum and adjunct professor Margaret Torn, and others found that "reaching zero net emissions of carbon dioxide from energy and industry by 2050 can be accomplished.
ERG Adjunct Professor Margaret Torn Conducts Vital Research on Carbon Dioxide Removal
January 26, 2021
ERG adjunct professor Margaret Torn was featured in EurekAlert for her contributed work on a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) primer. The article cites the research as a valuable resource on CDR technologies and policies, and how such strategies can help create a serious plan to address climate change. "Atmospheric CO2 concentrations are already 50% over historic natural levels - 270 ppm (parts per million) in pre-industrial times vs 414 ppm today," Torn stated. "To slow climate change and avoid its worst impacts, climate scientists tell us that we need to restore atmospheric CO2 concentrations to about 350 ppm or less. To do that, we need CDR technologies and policies to remove excess CO2 from the atmosphere."
Rausser College’s Fall Breakthroughs Magazine Features ERG Professor Isha Ray and PhD Student Valeri Vasquez
December 29, 2020
In the latest fall 2020 issue of Breakthroughs magazine, ERG professor Isha Ray was interviewed on her work in social equity and inclusive activism, and ERG PhD student Valeri Vasquez was featured on her project of using computational models to research how genetic technologies might work as public health interventions. "Equity and inclusion have always motivated me, in both research and teaching, and I’ve served as an equity adviser in my department for many years," Ray states in her interview. "My field research has always focused on social justice, particularly in communities that are neglected and marginalized and with people struggling to be included as full citizens. You would think that, in this century, clean, affordable drinking water wouldn’t be such a huge ask, but apparently it is."
ERG Almnus Daniel Sanchez Interviewed in “Breakthroughs” on Climate Change Solutions
May 29, 2020
ERG Alumnus Daniel Sanchez was recently featured in Breakthroughs, the magazine of the Rausser College of Natural Resources, for his work as a Cooperative Extension specialist. Along with other featured specialists, the article focuses on their work on "tackling climate change's impacts on Californians."
Yoshika Crider’s Investigation on Chlorination Technology in Sandec News
September 10, 2019
ERG grad student Yoshika Crider's work on improving water systems in Rural Nepal through chlorination technology is highlighted in SANDEC's annual publication.
Noah Kittner and Dan Kammen Argue for Solar and Wind Over Hydropower in Nature Article
May 16, 2019
Recent ERG alum Noah Kittner (MS ’15, PhD ’18) and professor Dan Kammen, along with Stanford postdoc Rafael Schmitt and UC Berkeley professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Matt ... Continue Reading »
Isha Ray Comments on Issues Facing Clean Water Technology Implementation
February 11, 2019
In a recent article from Knowable Magazine, ERG faculty Isha Ray provides input on why many water filtering and purification technologies fail to produce significant impacts on community health in ... Continue Reading »
Campus and Alumni Mourn the Passing of ERG Professor Gene Rochlin
November 28, 2018
It is with a very heavy heart that I have to pass on the news that University of California Berkeley Energy and Resources Group (ERG) core faculty emeritus Gene Rochlin passed away this weekend.
Energy by Whom? With ERG Alumna Nikky Avila
November 26, 2018
Nikky Avila (PhD ’18) was recently featured on the podcast “Somebody Call a Doctor.” Avila discusses how distributed energy technologies are disrupting conventional electricity planning paradigms and enabling social innovation. She ... Continue Reading »
Mileva ERG Alumni Deshmukh
September 12, 2018
ERG alumni Ranjit Deshmukh, Ana Mileva, and Grace Wu recently published their research on alternatives to the hydroelectric power Inga III Dam in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The ... Continue Reading »
Emission-Free Neighborhoods? The Oakland EcoBlock Project Pioneers Residential Sustainability
February 14, 2018
The College of Environmental Design (CED) at UC Berkeley spotlighted the innovative Oakland EcoBlock project this week, lead by CED professor Harrison Fraker and ERG chair Dan Kammen. The project, ... Continue Reading »
ERG’s EcoBlock Project Selected by Scientific American as a World Changing Idea for 2017
November 28, 2017
The Oakland EcoBlock Project is an urban sustainability experiment that focuses on reducing the footprint of a typical neighborhood block. As a mini-grid system for shared energy and water in ... Continue Reading »
Paper Authored by PhD Candidate Noah Kittner and Professor Dan Kammen Published in Nature Energy
August 16, 2017
Noah Kittner and Dan Kammen's new paper, "Energy storage deployment and innovation for the clean energy transition," was published in Nature Energy on July 31, 2017
RAEL and GRID Alternatives Partner for Off-Grid Solar
August 1, 2016
Solar Industry Magazine has announced a partnership between the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) and nonprofit solar installer GRID Alternatives. RAEL is a unique new research, development, project implementation, and community ... Continue Reading »
THIMBY House Project Is Well Underway!
June 28, 2016
The Tiny House in My Backyard (THIMBY) is an interdisciplinary team of UC Berkeley graduate and undergraduate students working together to design and build an affordable, off-grid, 100% solar-powered “tiny” ... Continue Reading »
ERG’s Energy Research Featured in Multiple News Outlets
May 25, 2016
“Research at the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory [ERG Professor Daniel Kammen’s lab] at the University of California Berkeley highlights that while cities currently contribute to global climate change by ... Continue Reading »
ERG PhDs in National Geographic: SWITCHing to a Low-Carbon Future
March 3, 2016
ERG PhD students Diego Ponce de Leon Barido and Josiah Johnston published a blog post in National Geographic on renewable energy investments in Nicaragua.
ERG Summer Courses Available
February 28, 2016
ERG is offering four of its most popular courses this summer! Enroll Today!
Apte & Team Find Alarming Pollution Levels
November 26, 2014
ERG alum measures air quality while riding rickshaws in Delhi.
What if it’s not that “green”?
October 22, 2014
NBC interview of Dr. Kammen on new technology not meeting green expectations.
ERG PhD awarded as Ashoka Fellow
April 21, 2014
Fermin Reygadas receives top international award for social entrepreneurs.
Topics (2 results)
TopAnna Mazur
MS
Anna Mazur is a Master’s student at the Energy and Resources Group. Mazur interests includes developing new facilities and strategic planning of generation portfolios, revising outdated policies like capital cost ... Continue Reading »
Katherine Blumberg
MS
The Emissions Impact of Transit Technology Options for the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (04 MS)
- Brazil
- China
- diesel
- ecotaxes
- fuels and planning for clean transportation
- Mexico
- retrofits
- technologies
- transit