Pages (3 results)
TopAnalysis & 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 ChangeEcologyEnergyGovernanceWaterInternational Climate Change ERG CORE David Anthoff David Anthoff is an environmental economist who studies climate change and environmental policy. He co-develops the integrated assessment model ... 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 »
Students (2 results)
TopPortia Awuah
MS
Portia is a MS student in the Energy and Resources Group. She is interested in extending energy access to areas without electricity. As an Electrical and Electronics engineering bachelor’s degree ... Continue Reading »
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 »
Alumni (22 results)
TopArthur 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
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
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
Matthias Fripp
MS, 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)
Michael Cohen
MS, 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."
- EMAC
- energy
- Energy System Modeling
- Integration of renewable electricity into power systems
- Video Gaming for Education
Isa Ferrall
MS, PhD
Decentralized solar energy systems for electricity access: historical context and comparisons of reliability (MS ’18); Quantitative approaches to energy justice: examining fair access to reliable electricity (PhD ’22) Isa earned ... Continue Reading »
- data sharing
- decentralized energy systems
- development
- energy
- RAEL
- rural electrification
- solar innovation
- sustainable 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 »
Joseph Rand
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 ... 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
Britt Shaw
MS
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.
- Africa
- development
- economics
- Emerging Markets
- energy
- Energy Access
- Off-Grid Power
- renewable energy integration
- water
- water-energy nexus
Jim Williams
MS, PhD
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 ... Continue Reading »
- acid rain
- Arctic haze
- China
- comparative religion
- cosmology
- dissidents and outlaws
- economic globalization and cultural survival
- fuel-cell powered vehicles
- global change
- over the last ten years: speech synthesizers
- science and politics
- the theory and practice of Utopia
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
Zachary Norwood
PhD
A Better Steam Engine: Designing a Distributed Concentrating Solar Combined Heat and Power System (’11 PhD)
- biofuel emissions
- distributed concentrating solar combined heat and power
- renewable energy vehicle conversions
- rural electrification
- urban waste to fuel
David Marcus
MA
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 ... Continue Reading »
Donna Green
MA, PhD
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)
- climate change and equity concerns
- gender and technology issues
- globalization
- regional hierarchies and power structures
- renewable energy technology transfer especially of photovoltaic systems in Thailand
- sustainable energy use - focused in rural areas of Southeast Asia
Michaelangelo Tabone
MS, PhD
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, ... Continue Reading »
- data inference
- Integration of renewable electricity into power systems
- pollution from electricity generation
- residential energy efficiency
Jessica Reilly
MS, PhD
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 ... Continue Reading »
- climate adaptation
- coastal resilience
- GIS
- international development
- narratives as science
- renewable energy mapping
- rural resources
- Science communication
- visual media
Autumn Preskill
MS, PhD
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 ... Continue Reading »
- energy distribution & management policy
- mathematical programming approaches to energy problems
- Renewable energy usage
James Nelson
PhD
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. ... Continue Reading »
Alison Koppe
JD, MS
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 ... Continue Reading »
- administrative law
- Distributed Generation
- PURPA
- Renewable energy law and policy
- residential PV permitting
- shared solar
- the Clean Air Act
Ranjit Deshmukh
PhD
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 ... Continue Reading »
- demand response
- energy access and micro-grids in developing countries
- energy markets
- Energy modeling
- Power Systems
- renewables integration
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 (29 results)
TopERG Research Shows Reliability of Independent Solar Power in Sub-Saharan Africa
October 18, 2018
Nature Energy recently published research by ERG PhD Student Jonathan Lee and Professor Duncan Callaway quantifying the cost of reliability for decentralized solar and battery systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. Their ... Continue Reading »
WA Solar Powered “Net-Zero Community” on Lopez Island
March 6, 2018
ERG alumni Chris and Chom Greacen explain the vision and execution that brought to life the Common Ground community on Lopez Island, WA. Read about the project’s origins and objectives, efficiency ... Continue Reading »
ERG Professor Callaway – Solar Power in Africa
April 3, 2017
ERG Professor Duncan Callaway comments on renewable energy in Africa, noting the advancements in solar technology in Crescent Vale News.
Solar Power Expansion Could Pose Ecological Risks
October 22, 2015
Postdoctoral scholar, Rebecca Hernandez, discusses her study on the ecological footprint of solar power development with Scientific American.
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 »
California could power itself three to five times over with solar
March 17, 2015
ERG postdoctoral fellow Hernandez with Hoffacker and Field from Stanford publish in Nature Climate Change.
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 »
Wind and Solar Energy Potential in The Democratic Republic of Congo – New ERG Study
October 2, 2017
Image: Renewable Riches: How Wind and Solar Could Power DRC and South Africa (2017) Ana Mileva, Ranjit Deshmukh, and Grace Wu discuss The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) position to harness ... Continue Reading »
ERG Graduate Students Deshmukh and Wu: Can Wind and Solar Fuel Africa’s Future?
November 4, 2016
ERG Graduate Students Ranjit Deshmukh and Grace Wu's research on renewable energy in Africa was highlighted in a news article in Nature.
ERG PhDs: Making Powering Africa a Reality
January 28, 2016
ERG PhD students Ranjit Deshmukh and Grace Wu share their research on Africa's leap toward clean and affordable energy with World Policy.
Proposed state fee would end solar savings
November 1, 2015
ERG professor Dan Kammen looks at impacts of proposed new CPUC rules.
but scientists say the work’s just begun. Obama’s Clean Power Plan is finally out
August 5, 2015
ERG Professor Daniel Kammen was featured in two magazine publications regarding Obama's Clean Power Plan and the impacts it might have on the U.S. population.
CAL-RAE to pilot solar solar microgrid design in rural Uganda
May 2, 2015
PhD candidate Jalel Sager, Austin Cappon (ERG minor) and Jonathon Lee to pilot solar microgrid design this spring
ERG Alum on the Executive Mansion’s Solar Installation
May 28, 2014
Watch White House scientists, including Dr. Cyrus Wadia (ERG MS'06, PhD'08), talk about the White House's shift toward renewables.
Earthweek Features ERG Professor Margaret Torn’s Lead Research on Net-Zero Emissions
March 23, 2021
ERG adjunct professor Margaret Torn was recently featured in Earthweek for her leading research in how the U.S can reach zero net emissions of carbon dioxide in 2050 by shifting energy infrastructure to operate mainly on renewable energy. “It means that by 2050 we need to build many gigawatts of wind and solar power plants, new transmission lines, a fleet of electric cars and light trucks, millions of heat pumps to replace conventional furnaces and water heaters, and more energy-efficient buildings,” Torn states.
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.
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
ERG-led THIMBY Wins Categories in Tiny House Competition
October 25, 2016
The Tiny House in My Backyard (THIMBY) team won several categories in the 2016 Sacramento Municipal District Tiny House Competition.
ERG Alumni: Leaders at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
June 30, 2016
Two articles on the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory website featured the current work of ERG alumni Ryan Wiser (M.S. '96, Ph.D. '02) and Andrew Jones (M.S. '07, Ph.D. '12).
A unique moment in history for “sustainable energy for all”
March 26, 2015
ERG team study showing how off-grid power can improve equality in energy access published in Nature Climate Change. Interview with lead author Peter Alstone.
Now is the Time to Start a Community Microgrid: ERG’s Dan Kammen on the Growing Accessibility of Renewable Energy
April 13, 2022
ERG’s Dan Kammen was featured in a recent Popular Science article discussing how more communities are beginning to generate their own power using renewable energy from microgrids. With the increased accessibility ... Continue Reading »
ERG Dan Kammen Addresses Texas’ Recent Electric Grid Failure
March 23, 2021
In a recent San Francisco Chronicle article, titled "Why the massive power outages in Texas are so much worse than California's summer blackouts," features ERG professor Dan Kammen discussing how such energy outages have highlighted a similarity between California and Texas. “What is so interesting here is that like in California — extreme weather (for us, fires) — has stressed an old, outdated and ‘not smart’ grid,” Kammen stated. “Without well-integrated solar, wind, AND energy storage our grids are vulnerable.”
On Science— Kammen Explores the Industrial Drivers of a Low-carbon Economy
September 24, 2019
In an recent article on Science, Kammen contributes insight on the possibilities of harnessing renewable energy through various techniques.
Misplaced Praise – How Kosovo Took a Step in the Wrong Direction
March 13, 2018
The U.S. government recently congratulated the government of Kosovo for signing a contract with American multi-national corporation Contour Global to build a new 500 MW coal-fired power plant. Kosovo highlights ... Continue Reading »
ERG PhD Lara Speaks at TEDx Pura Vida 2017
March 6, 2017
Last week, ERG PhD student José Daniel Lara spoke in Costa Rica at the TEDx Pura Vida 2017 event. Lara’s talk focused on the urgency for Costa Rica to integrate solar energy ... 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 Alum Receives Microsoft Grant for Ugandan Micro-grid Systems
June 27, 2016
New Sun Road is a California technology company directed by ERGie Jalel Sager (MS’11 , PhD’15). They are committed to implementing solutions to climate change and global energy poverty, provide ... Continue Reading »
Sarawak May See the End of Mega Dams
July 1, 2015
As an alternative to the current Baram Dam project, Professor Daniel Kammen presented the benefits of using renewable energy instead of mega hydro-dams at a press conference held at Kuching, Sarawak, East Malaysia.
NSF & More ERG Awards: Switzer Fellowships
May 14, 2015
3 current Switzer fellows, 2 more NSF fellows, and more. See the list of awards ERG students have received.
Topics (1 results)
TopRobert Grace
MS
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)
- "green" power in competitive electricity markets
- electric industry restructuring
- energy and environmental regulation and policy
- solar power
- wholesale and retail competitive electricity markets
- wind power