Author: Schatz Center

On May 13, Schatz Center Director Arne Jacobson will present on proposed changes to the Lighting Global Quality Standards / IEC 62257-13-1. The proposed changes include increased battery and PV safety requirements, and additional labeling and performance reporting requirements. Following the presentation, Dr. Jacobson will be joined by Jit Bhattacharya of Fenix International and Stephan Lux of Fraunhofer ISE for a panel discussion. A Q&A session will close the webinar.

This event is cohosted by Lighting Global and GOGLA, and will be live from 16:30 – 18:00 CEST.

• Click here to join the webinar (scroll to bottom of page).

Lighting Global has opened a call for stakeholder comments on the proposed changes through May 17. The proposed changes and survey response link are included in the document below:

• Call for Comments on Proposed Changes to the Draft Quality Standards Under Review by the IEC – April 2019

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• Learn about our solar products test lab
• Learn about our work with Lighting Global

On Friday, May 3, experts from natural resource and energy agencies, the wind industry, and fisheries and environmental groups will gather in Eureka to discuss how fisheries and wildlife might coexist with offshore wind farms along California’s coast. Mark Severy, Senior Research Engineer at the Schatz Center, will speak about our current wind feasibility analysis for Northern California, funded by the California Ocean Protection Council.

The May 3 discussion is being convened by Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Mark Stone.

Attendance is free and open to the public. The hearing will be held from 11-2 pm at the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center and will be live streamed.

• For additional details and background information, visit the event website (scroll to the bottom for resources).
• Learn more about the Schatz Center’s work with offshore wind…

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Announcement from the
Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture
May 3, 2019 Hearing Background

Senator Mike McGuire, Chair of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture (JCFA), and Assemblymember Mark Stone, Vice Chair, are hosting California’s Fisheries and Wildlife: How will they co-exist with Offshore Wind Energy Development? The hearing will be held Friday, May 3, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center, Room 203, in Eureka, California.

The hearing will provide our legislators, their staff and the public an opportunity to learn more about California’s developing offshore wind energy industry from agency and industry leading experts. The JCFA will also hear testimony from environmental and fisheries leaders about their perspectives and concerns. The presenters will emphasize the need to incorporate fish and wildlife needs during the development process. The hearing will be live streamed and recorded.

Presentations and discussion will focus on why wind energy is important to the State’s energy supply, how to mitigate potential environmental impacts on land and sea, balancing the need for green energy while protecting our environment, and how wind energy and protecting California’s fisheries can be compatible.

The agenda features presentations by state and federal agency and wind energy industry representatives as well as environmental advocates and fishing industry representatives.

Testimony will be provided by representatives of the Bureau of Energy Management, the California Energy Commission, the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Coastal Commission, Principle Power, Schatz Energy Research Center and American Wind Energy Association.

The hearing will also include testimony from the Audubon Society, the Surfrider Foundation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance.

Additional information including links to: the agenda, press releases, articles about the hearing, live stream links, and presenter biographies may be viewed at the committee web site under the “2019 hearings” heading.

The public is welcome to attend and there is no fee for admission. The hearing will include a public comment period.

Please contact Tom Weseloh, Chief Consultant, Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture for more information.

5:30 pm Thursday, April 4 in Founders Hall 118

Humboldt State University has set ambitious climate action goals, including a target to achieve an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to 1990 levels by 2040. This panel will highlight the challenges and opportunities at HSU for reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The discussion will include an overview of energy use patterns on campus, current approaches for reducing energy use and emissions, and possible future strategies to make progress toward the campus’ climate action goals. The panel will be moderated by Schatz Center Director Arne Jacobson.

• Andrea Alstone is an Energy Planner and Analyst in Facilities Management at HSU, where she is responsible for tracking campus energy use and planning for its future. Her prior work on energy issues includes projects at the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and the Schatz Center.
• Morgan King is a Climate Action Analyst in Facilities Management at HSU, where he facilitates climate action and resiliency planning, advises students, and furthers the infusion of sustainability into campus operations and academics. Morgan has over 20 years of experience working in sustainability, environmental education and green workforce development.
• Gwelen Paliaga is the Technical Director within TRC’s Research and Technology Commercialization practice. He has 15 years of experience in commercial building energy efficiency and building science research, with expertise in design and operation of high performance buildings, research and emerging technology, and codes and standards development.
• Oona Smith is a Senior Planner for the Humboldt County Association of Governments — a Regional Transportation Planning Agency — where she promotes public transit, walking, and bicycling. She earned a Master’s degree in International Development Technology from HSU.

The Sustainable Futures Speaker Series stimulates interdisciplinary collaboration around issues related to energy, the environment, and society. All lectures are free and open to the public, and are sponsored by the Schatz Center, the Environment & Community graduate program, and the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences at Humboldt State.

Spring 2019 lectures will be held on Thursdays from 5:30 – 7:00 pm in Founders Hall 118.

• For additional details on upcoming events or to request accessibility accommodations, email serc@humboldt.edu or call (707) 826-4345.
• Sign up for the latest Schatz Center info, including speaker events, on our news page.

5:30 pm Thursday, March 28 in Founders Hall 118

Environmental planner Aldaron Laird specializes in sea level rise vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning, specifically in the Humboldt Bay region. In this lecture, he will highlight the significant changes we might see on Humboldt Bay with just 2.0 meters of sea level rise – which could occur between 2070 and 2100, based on new probabilistic projections. Laird will discuss the associated challenges for land and water use, transportation and utilities infrastructure, and cultural and environmental resources.

Aldaron Laird helped create the first baseline vulnerability assessment of the Humboldt Bay shoreline, and was the lead planner for the Humboldt Bay Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Project. Recently, he authored a portion of the 4th California Climate Change Assessment that described sea level rise vulnerability and adaptation opportunities on the North Coast. Laird serves as co-chair of the Sea Level Rise Initiative at HSU.

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The Sustainable Futures Speaker Series stimulates interdisciplinary collaboration around issues related to energy, the environment, and society. All lectures are free and open to the public, and are sponsored by the Schatz Center, the Environment & Community graduate program, and the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences at Humboldt State.

Spring 2019 lectures will be held on Thursdays from 5:30 – 7:00 pm in Founders Hall 118.

• For additional details on upcoming events or to request accessibility accommodations, email serc@humboldt.edu or call (707) 826-4345.
• Sign up for the latest Schatz Center info, including speaker events, on our news page.

For our final talk in this semester’s Sustainable Futures Speaker Series, Catherine J.K. Sandoval will explore The Native American reservation electricity access gap: a case study of the Yurok Tribe’s energy access leadership and next steps for energy justice and climate change.

Please note that this lecture will be held in the Native American Forum (BSS 162).

Catherine Sandoval is a tenured Law Professor at Santa Clara University, where she teaches energy, communications, antitrust, and contract law. Her research explores the intersection of energy, the environment, telecommunications, and underserved and disadvantaged communities — including the Native American reservation electricity gap and the role of net neutrality in powering energy and forestalling climate change.

Sandoval served as a Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission from 2011-2017, and was the first Latinx person appointed as a CPUC Commissioner. She serves on the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of California Advisory Council, and received the Chamber’s 2016 Warrior Award for her work to improve Native American utility infrastructure access and service. The first person in her family to earn a Bachelor’s, she received a B.A. from Yale University; a Master of Letters in politics from Oxford University, where she was the first Latina to win a Rhodes Scholarship; and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.

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.

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).