Author: Schatz Center

  • Schatz Fellow joins panel on inclusivity at American Solar Energy Society conference

    Schatz Fellow joins panel on inclusivity at American Solar Energy Society conference

    This August, Schatz Energy Fellow Thalia Quinn presented for a panel discussion on Broadening Access to Solar: Jobs, Careers, and Futures, at the American Solar Energy Society’s 47th annual conference in Boulder, Colorado. Panelists discussed paths for the solar energy field to increase inclusivity and the economic opportunities of underrepresented communities. Thalia shared her recent journey from undergraduate work in chemical engineering into the field of renewable energy. Moderated by Annie Lappé, the panel also included representatives from Grid Alternatives, the American Association for Blacks in Energy, Power52, SolarWorld, and Sandia Labs.

    Conference talks included the estimated locational value of solar, progress in electric vehicle costs compared to combustion engines, solar resource and solar cost/benefit webtools, and current events in solar policy. The conference closed with a discussion of policies designed to increase the deployment and ease of procuring solar energy in the Interior West region. Jessica Scott described achievements and lessons learned from Vote Solar campaigns: recently, Nevada legislature submitted a ballot initiative pushing for a higher renewable portfolio standard (RPS), which would increase the state’s RPS from 25 percent by 2025, to 40 percent by 2040.

  • October 18 lecture: Local water innovation through community-university partnerships

    October 18 lecture: Local water innovation through community-university partnerships

    This talk will share inspiring solutions for water collection, storage, treatment, and conservation that have been created by community engagement.

    Lonny Grafman has worked on and led teams for hundreds of domestic and international projects across a broad spectrum of sustainable design and entrepreneurship — from solar energy to improved cookstoves, micro-hydro power to rainwater catchment, and from earthen construction to plastic bottle schoolrooms. Throughout all these technology implementations, he has found the most vital component to be community. His first book shares stories and strategies for communities coming together To Catch the Rain.

    Grafman is an engineering instructor at HSU; the founder of the Practivistas summer abroad, full immersion, resilient community technology program; the project manager of the epi-apocalyptic city art project Swale; the Chief Product Officer of Nexi; Managing Director of the BlueTechValley North Coast Hub; and the President of the Appropedia Foundation, sharing knowledge to build rich, sustainable lives.

    The Sustainable Futures Speaker Series at Humboldt State creates interdisciplinary discussion, debate, and collaboration around issues related to energy, the environment, and society. Fall 2018 lectures are held on Thursdays from 5:30-7 pm in HSU Siemens Hall 108 (with the exception of Catherine Sandoval’s talk on November 1, which will be held in the Native American Forum / BSS 162).

  • Quality Matters: a new report from Lighting Global

    Quality Matters: a new report from Lighting Global

    The Lighting Global Quality Assurance Program works to ensure that solar products sold around the globe meet established quality standards for product durability, representation of product performance, and warranty. To obtain quality verification, manufacturers may submit products for testing at laboratories in the Lighting Global network.

    Pico-solar products include lanterns and simple systems with a peak PV module power up to 10 watts. These small systems encompass 85% of the global cumulative sales of off-grid solar devices. Although more than 30 million quality assured off-grid solar products have been sold globally over the past eight years, the sales numbers for products that do not undergo quality verification (hence are “non-QV”) is even higher. Field observations and customer experiences indicate that non-QV products typically underperform compared to the standards established by Lighting Global.

    In order to ascertain the actual performance of these devices, Lighting Global laboratories recently tested 17 pico-solar non-QV products that are top-sellers in Ethiopia, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria and Tanzania. Products were purchased direct from market retailers.

    Key results:

    All 17 evaluated products failed to meet the Lighting Global Quality Standards for pico-PV products.

    • 94% of the tested products fail to meet the Standards due to one or more deficiency that
      affects product durability.
    • 88% of the tested products inaccurately advertise product performance.
    • 88% of the tested products do not include a consumer-facing warranty.
    • 76% of the tested products would require significant changes to product design and
      components to meet the Quality Standards.

    The Lighting Global Quality Assurance team issued the report this August as part of the Technical Notes series. Chris Carlsen (a Schatz Center alumnus) led the effort in collaboration with team members from CLASP, the Schatz Center, World Bank Group regional lighting programs, and the Lighting Global network of test labs.

    Read the complete report on the Lighting Global website…