Dr. Jola Ajibade is an associate professor of geography and a scholar activist who applies both environmental justice and political ecology lenses to study the intersections of climate risk, urban disasters, resilience planning, coastal management, and societal transformations. Broadly speaking, her research focuses on how individuals, communities, and cities respond to global climate change and their different capacities for adaptation and transformation. In her recent research, she examines how climate adaptation solutions such as managed retreat programs, floating cities, tree planting, blue-green infrastructures, and utopian development projects intertwine with exclusionary planning practices to reproduce structural and historical injustices, thereby exacerbating racial, gender, and class-based inequalities and undermining the capacities of marginalized communities to respond to climatic and socio-economic crises.
In her works, Dr. Ajibade advances ideas about just urban adaptation through embracing feminist, decolonial, and antiracist approaches as well as care ethics that can lead to more just, livable, and sustainable urban futures. Her work also explores unconventional approaches such as partnering with social entrepreneurs, grassroots coalitions, cooperatives, and small businesses in promoting a shareable economy, sustainable lifestyle changes, low-carbon development, and socially just resilience planning in cities. Dr. Ajibade’s work has been featured in many academic journals and media outlets including Science Friday, NPR, Yale Environment 360, Science, New Internationalist, and Vice.
About the series
The Climate and Clean Energy Series is sponsored by the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt. All events are free and open to the public.
For questions or to request technical or accessibility support, please contact schatzenergy@humboldt.edu or call 707-826-4345.
We invite you to join us on Wednesday, March 1, for a symposium on Rural & Tribal Community Resilience: Strategies for Action. This in-person event is part of the SAFE project — a collaboration of the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe, the Karuk Tribe, and the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt.
This day-long symposium will bring together Tribal leaders and community members, students and researchers, local government and state agency representatives, and others working on efforts related to smoke, air, fire, and energy (SAFE), with a goal of enhancing rural and Tribal climate resilience.
Communities across our region are facing increased fire risk and worsening air quality while navigating unreliable energy infrastructure. At the state and federal level, there has recently been an influx of funding to address these needs — and to build the related job skills and workforce capacity within local communities. The SAFE symposium will include speaker and panel discussions of clean energy, cultural fire, and air quality; host microgrid tours and a solar training workshop; and support collaborative group conversations.
This symposium is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Blue Lake Rancheria’s Sapphire Palace from 10 am to 4:30 pm, and will include a complimentary lunch, beverages, and snacks. Hotel information is available via the registration form.
11:00 am – Panel discussion: “Living with Fire and Smoke”
11:40 am – Panel discussion: “Safe Air for Everyone”
12:30 pm – Lunch
1:30 pm – Tours, trainings and workshops, and collaborative discussions
3:00 pm – Presentation: “Progress and Opportunities for Microgrids”
3:30 pm – Panel discussion: “Building Community Energy Sovereignty”
4:00 pm – Closing comments
Lodging:
Lodging for symposium participants is available at the Blue Lake Hotel at a rate of $90 per night for the nights of February 27 and 28, and March 1 and 2. To make a reservation, please call the hotel front desk at (707) 668-9770 x2881 and request the “SAFE Symposium” group rate.
In 2022, the 44 Feet research team conducted a series of workshops with representatives from north coast Tribes, state and local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, scientific experts, the nuclear industry, Pacific Gas & Electric, elected officials, community advisory board members, academia, and the general public. The goals of these workshops were (a) to facilitate a common understanding of climatic and environmental risks to the spent nuclear fuel site on Humboldt Bay and (b) share strategies for managing foreseen and unforeseen hazards to public health and safety, in ways that also aim to protect ecological and cultural values prioritized by Humboldt Bay communities and Tribes.
In deliberating over scenarios that explore a range of probable, unlikely but possible, and desired futures, participants illuminated socially and scientifically relevant action plans that embrace the deep uncertainties underscoring spent nuclear fuel management in the United States. The 44 Feet research team looks forward to sharing the outcomes of these focus groups — many of which highlight optimal pathways for guiding the transition toward a safer and more climate-resilient coastline.
Jennifer Marlow is Assistant Professor of Environmental Law in the Environmental Science and Management Department at Cal Poly Humboldt and founded the 44 Feet Project. Alexander Brown is a Graduate Research Assistant and Master’s Candidate in the Department of Natural Resources Environmental Science and Management Program at Cal Poly Humboldt. 44 Feet is supported by funding from California Sea Grant and CSU COAST. Learn more at 44feetproject.com.
About the series
The Climate and Clean Energy Series is sponsored by the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt. All events are free and open to the public.
Captioning is provided for all talks. To request additional support, please contact schatzenergy@humboldt.edu or call 707-826-4345.
California’s first 100% renewable energy, front-of-the-meter, multi-customer microgrid is now fully operational. Located in Humboldt County, California, the microgrid provides energy resilience for the regional airport and U.S. Coast Guard Air Station.
This microgrid was developed through a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, Pacific Gas & Electric, the County of Humboldt, TRC, The Energy Authority, Tesla, Inc., and Schweitzer Engineering Labs.
Research and development was supported through a $5 million grant from California’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) — a statewide program which invests in scientific and technological research to accelerate the transformation of the electricity sector to meet the state’s energy and climate goals — and by $6 million from the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA), a joint powers agency that provides clean and renewable power to Humboldt County.
A model for resilient, clean energy
“The Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid (RCAM) has ushered in a new and exciting era for the electric grid in California,” says Peter Lehman, Founding Director of the Schatz Center and project lead. “With its successful deployment and the development of new microgrid agreements and tariffs, RCAM has become a role model and beacon to communities across the state who are striving to green their energy supply and bolster their resilience in the face of climate change.”
The Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid features a 2.2-megawatt solar photovoltaic array that is DC-coupled to a 2 megawatt (9 megawatt-hour) battery energy storage system, comprised of three Tesla Megapacks.
During standard blue-sky operations, RCAM generates clean and renewable energy for the North Coast, and participates in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) wholesale energy markets, including the day-ahead, realtime, and ancillary services markets. By storing solar energy during the day and releasing it onto the grid as needed in the evening and during heavy demand periods, RCAM enables greater utilization of solar, supports grid reliability, and creates an economic model for future microgrids.
When a power outage occurs, the microgrid islands from the main grid and energizes the circuit that encompasses the airport, the adjacent Coast Guard Air Station, and several neighboring facilities. RCAM will provide seamless, ongoing electricity for all customers in the microgrid circuit during any local outages.
As the first microgrid in the CAISO market and the first renewable, front-of-the-meter microgrid system in the state, RCAM is building a replicable business model for renewable microgrid deployment.
Meeting critical resilience goals
The regional California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport (ACV) is located in McKinleyville, California, and serves the greater North Coast community with over 50,000 flights per year, including commercial airline, private, and emergency medical flights. Adjacent to the airport, the US Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay provides search and rescue for 250 miles of rural coastline, from the Mendocino-Sonoma county line to the California-Oregon border.
Roads into Humboldt County are frequently closed by fires and mudslides, making air services a critical factor in regional emergency response.
Cody Roggatz, Humboldt County’s Director of Aviation says that “The California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport (ACV) is a lifeline to our community every day by keeping Humboldt County connected to the world alongside our partners at United Airlines, Avelo Airlines, American Airlines, REACH/Cal-Ore Life Flights, US Coast Guard-Sector Humboldt Bay, and many others. RCAM ensures that we can continue to keep that lifeline open through energy resilience, no matter what happens to the power grid.”
Community microgrids: partnering for resilience
Deploying multi-customer, front-of-the-meter community microgrids requires close coordination between the microgrid design team, the electric utility, and an electricity generation partner who can energize the microgrid when needed. Because these microgrids utilize circuitry that is owned and maintained by the utility, their control systems must be responsive to utility commands and safety needs, while maintaining a clear delineation between utility-owned and generation partner-owned equipment. Furthermore, participating in the wholesale market requires that the system also be responsive to market signals.
Design and development of the RCAM project was led by Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt. The Schatz Center’s microgrid research and development focuses on resilient renewable energy solutions for the California North Coast and beyond.
The Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) is the Community Choice Aggregator for Humboldt County, serving 63,000 electric account customers and supporting energy efficiency alongside local, clean and renewable energy solutions. RCEA is responsible for the majority of the Humboldt Bay area’s energy resource procurement, and owns and operates the electricity generation equipment for the microgrid.
PG&E maintains the regional electricity grid, which serves over 16 million people in Northern and Central California, and owns and operates the microgrid circuit.
“An important success of RCAM was how we were able to work through the complex financial, technical, regulatory, business, and operational hurdles facing this project,” says Dana Boudreau, RCEA’s director of Operations and Infrastructure. “This experience will serve us well as we continue to engage our community in building offshore wind energy, supporting more solar and storage capacity, and developing new community microgrids.”
Part of a growing trend
The unique collaboration between RCAM project partners has resulted in both technical and policy innovations. RCAM is the model for PG&E’s Community Microgrid Enablement Program — which provides technical assistance and cost offsets for community microgrid deployment. Additionally, PG&E’s Microgrid Incentive Program, expected to launch later this year, will leverage a $200 million statewide fund dedicated to deploying clean energy microgrids, to support the critical needs of vulnerable populations and disadvantaged communities.
“The Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid represents the culmination of many years of research, innovation, and collaboration by the world’s leading microgrid experts.Thanks to their hard work, microgrids now play a key role in PG&E’s ongoing efforts to harden our electrical system and enhance local grid resilience throughout Northern and Central California,” says Jason Glickman, Executive Vice President, Engineering, Planning and Strategy, PG&E. “We know how much our customers and communities need reliable energy, and this system not only increases local reliability, but it serves as the foundation for a replicable and scalable model for widely deploying multi-customer microgrids across PG&E’s service area, giving communities a new tool to take a more active role in securing their resilience and clean energy goals.”
Next steps for the North Coast
“RCEA’s goal is to provide our customers with 100% carbon-free electricity by 2025, and 100% local carbon-free electricity by 2030. This project is a major milestone for our clean energy and resilience efforts,” says Matthew Marshall, Executive Director of RCEA. RCEA works closely with schools, fire departments, Native American Tribes, and other local agencies to support community resilience across the North Coast.
Renewable energy microgrids are uniquely suited to help rural Tribes and other communities adapt to climate change and simultaneously mitigate future climate impacts. The Schatz Center is partnering with a number of Tribes in Northern California to support their clean energy, resilience, and climate response efforts.
Cal Poly Humboldt also recently began design of a renewable energy microgrid to support campus resilience through clean generation. This microgrid will be part of the university’s sustainability framework, and will enable students in engineering, environmental sciences, and other programs to gain hands-on experience with innovative climate-friendly technologies.
Learn more about RCAM and other microgrids being developed by the Schatz Center: schatzcenter.org/microgrids
Explore RCAM and the Redwood Coast Energy Authority’s programs and request an RCAM site tour: redwoodenergy.org/rcam/
Explore PG&E’s Community Microgrid Enablement Program: pge.com/cmep
About the Schatz Center
Since 1989, the Schatz Center has produced groundbreaking, renewable energy solutions that reduce climate change and pollution while increasing energy access and resilience. Located on the campus of Cal Poly Humboldt, the Schatz Center’s research efforts include microgrids, offshore wind, off-grid energy access, carbon life cycles, clean transportation, and more. The Center works closely with state agencies, local government, and Tribal nations in California, as well as with the World Bank Group, CLASP, IKEA Foundation, and others to support international energy access and resilience. Learn more at schatzcenter.org
About RCEA
Established in 2003, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority is a local government joint powers agency whose members include the County of Humboldt, the seven cities within the county, and the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District. The Energy Authority’s purpose is to develop and implement sustainable energy initiatives that reduce energy demand, increase energy efficiency, and advance the use of clean, efficient, and renewable resources available in the region. For more info, visit redwoodenergy.org
About PG&E
PG&E, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
We invite you to join us on Wednesday, June 22 as we celebrate the completion and successful commercial operation of the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid.
Join us to learn about:
Project innovations: grid integration, energy market participation, and more
Next steps for California microgrids, including the Cal Poly Humboldt campus microgrid and Tribal energy resilience programs
Workforce development and student training opportunities
Schedule of activities:
10:00 am — Gates open
10:30-11:30 am — Main event
12:00 pm — Microgrid tour (rsvp required)
How to attend:
Main event: All are welcome! Please park in the main lots (unless otherwise instructed onsite) and then head to the front of the terminal, where staff will be giving directions. The microgrid is located on the south side of the airport along Baadsgaard Avenue. Carpooling is highly recommended to limit site congestion.
Noon microgrid tour: We have limited spaces available for a public tour of the microgrid after the main event. Tour registration is available via the Redwood Coast Energy Authority website, where you can also find information about upcoming public tour dates.
The Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid is California’s first completely renewable, front-of-the-meter, multi-customer microgrid. It is the product of a collaborative partnership between the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, the County of Humboldt, Pacific Gas & Electric, Schweitzer Engineering Labs, Tesla, Inc., TRC, and The Energy Authority. Many local and regional contractors also contributed to this groundbreaking effort. We are grateful for your work, and look forward to celebrating with you all.
This microgrid project was funded by the California Energy Commission’s EPIC program and the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, and was supported by a loan from the US Department of Agriculture.
Midnight system testing at the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid
Thanks to the California Energy Commission for its leadership in supporting innovative, clean energy projects across the state! The EPIC program is now entering its 10th year, with over $1 billion in funding to date.
We’ve been honored to receive support from the CEC’s EPIC program for a number of projects including:
Learn more about the latest EPIC projects, including the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid, in this year’s EPIC report…
We’re grateful to all of our project partners, whose collaboration is the foundation of our success. Special thanks to the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, PG&E, the County of Humboldt, H.T. Harvey & Associates, and the Blue Lake Rancheria for their ongoing commitment to clean energy solutions for the California north coast.
Join us on Wednesday, May 25 from 1-3 pm Pacific for a webinar on our latest feasibility study for offshore wind development in the Humboldt Wind Energy Area. This transmission-focused study analyzes how much power could be generated on the north coast by offshore wind while remaining within the bounds of the existing regional infrastructure, and describes the corresponding economics.
This research was led by the Schatz Center in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Quanta Technology, LLC, and is supported by funding from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Presenters and panelists will include Arne Jacobson and James Zoellick (Schatz Center), Ali Daneshpooy (Quanta Technology), Aubryn Cooperman (National Renewable Energy Lab), and David Erne (California Energy Commission).
Schedule:
1:00-1:15 pm — Welcome and overview of the Humboldt Wind Energy Area
1:15-2:00 pm — Presentation of findings
2:00-2:45 pm — Panel discussion and Q&A
2:45-3:00 pm — Next steps and closing remarks
For questions about the reports or presentation, or to request accessibility accommodations for the webinar, please contact schatzenergy@humboldt.edu.
Children and youth around the world are among those most affected by the climate crisis and have turned to the courts to seek protection of their fundamental rights. But are courts willing to let them have their day in court?
Andrea Rodgers is a Senior Litigation Attorney at Our Children’s Trust, where she serves as co-counsel on Juliana v. United States and as lead counsel on Aji P. v. State of Washington and Reynolds v. State of Florida. After graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1998 and Arizona State University School of Law in 2001, where she served as co-Executive Editor of Jurimetrics: The Journal of Law, Science and Technology, Andrea clerked for the Hon. John C. Gemmill on the Arizona Court of Appeals. She has served as an Honors Attorney for the U.S. Department of Transportation, In-House Legal Counsel for the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, and Staff Attorney for the Western Environmental Law Center. Her law practice has focused on reducing pollution from industrial agricultural operations, protecting and enhancing instream flows for people and fish, and fighting climate change for young people and future generations.
In this presentation, Jill Lindsey Harrison will present key findings from her book, From the Inside Out, which lifts the veil on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other environmental regulatory agencies to offer new insights into why they fail to reduce harmful toxics and other hazards in our nation’s most environmentally overburdened and vulnerable communities.
Harrison’s research examines the disappointing pace of environmental regulatory agencies’ environmental justice (EJ) programs and policies as a case through which to understand why, despite reducing air and water pollution for the nation overall, government has not protected the communities who suffer the most.
Other scholars have shown that budget cuts, industry pressure, and other factors outside the control of agency staff constrain the possibilities for EJ reforms to regulatory practice. Via extensive staff interviews and team observations, Harrison’s study shows that agencies’ EJ efforts are also undermined by elements of regulatory workplace culture — including everyday ways in which well-meaning staff dedicated to environmental regulation reject EJ reforms as violating what they think their organization does and should do. These interviews also reveal how EJ staff at government agencies endeavor to change both regulatory practice and regulatory culture, from the inside out.
Jill Lindsey Harrison is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on environmental justice, environmental politics, and immigration politics, with a regional emphasis on the United States. Her research covers political conflict over agricultural pesticide poisonings in California, escalations in immigration enforcement in rural Wisconsin, and government agencies’ environmental justice reform efforts, with the thread throughout being an aim to help identify and explain the persistence of environmental inequalities and workplace inequalities in the United States today. Dr. Harrison has written two books, Pesticide Drift and the Pursuit of Environmental Justice (2011) and From the Inside Out: The Fight for Environmental Justice within Government Agencies (2019).
Transportation is the largest sector of greenhouse gas emissions in the US, and shared electric vehicles (EVs) – such as those operating on ridesharing platforms – have the potential to significantly reduce these emissions. In this talk, Sam Arons will discuss Lyft’s industry-leading commitment to adopt 100% electric vehicles by 2030, the challenges of getting there, and why ridesharing is a great first-mover for EVs.
Prior to Lyft, Sam spent 10 years at Google as Senior Lead for Energy & Infrastructure, where he co-led Google’s achievement of 100% renewable energy in 2017, making Google the largest non-utility purchaser of renewable energy on the planet to-date with over 3 GW of wind & solar energy under contract. Before Google, Sam earned a BA in Physics from Williams College and an MS in Energy and Resources from UC Berkeley, where his research focused on wind energy and plug-in vehicles, respectively.
How to attend
We’re holding the fall 2021 series online via Zoom. All events are free and open to the public.
