Article written by Arne Jacobson and Stephen Kullmann Thin film solar photovoltaic (PV) modules are emerging as a lower cost alternative to the more conventional crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV modules. Amorphous silicon...
Recent posts
Schatz CenterA Message from the Director
As Richard Engel reports in this issue’s lead article, the Schatz Center is turning more attention to biomass energy. We’ve come to realize that biomass must play an important role in a renewable energy and carbon...
Peter LehmanGraduate Studies in Energy, Environment, and Society
Article written by Arne Jacobson Note: The title of the program was changed to Energy Technology and Policy, ETaP, in Fall 2011. The curriculum and program remain the same. We are pleased to launch a new and exciting...
SERC & U.S.F.S. Team Up On Biomass Energy
The U.S. Forest Service recently asked SERC to look into the feasibility of using woody biomass as a fuel to replace propane and electricity for space and water heating at the Orleans Ranger District Office in Six...
Richard EngelLearning About Biomass Thermal Gasifiers in India
Article written by Ranjit Deshmukh India’s economy is growing at a tremendous rate, but corresponding rise in energy demand has left the country in a severe power crisis. Blackouts and brownouts are common, with rural...
Spreading the Word About Grid- Connected Solar Electricity
When people ask me, “Does solar work in foggy Humboldt County?” I answer with a resounding “Yes,” adding that the large number of solar electric systems gracing our local rooftops is a good indication that solar works...
Jim ZoellickA Message from the Director
The big news at the Schatz lab is that after 15 years at our present location in the Humboldt State University Annex, we’ve begun the process of building a new facility on the HSU campus. Though our present home...
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Kenya
Article written by Arne Jacobson Kenya is a world leader, on a per capita basis, in the utilization of solar photovoltaic systems. Solar power provides the main source of electricity for more than 5% of Kenya’s rural...
North Coast Energy Alternatives Conference
SERC is proud to be a sponsor of the North Coast Regional Energy Alternatives Conference. The conference is being put on by Plan It Green, a local non-profit organization composed of engineers, planners, builders...
Outreach on the Klamath
This past spring, SERC visited three elementary schools on the Yurok Reservation: Weitchpec Elementary, Margaret Keating School, and Jack Norton School. The goal was to inspire and teach Yurok youth about basic energy...
SERC Helps United Indian Health Services Go Solar
Local health care provider United Indian Health Services (UIHS) recently received a grant from the State of California to install a 40-kW solar electric power system on the rooftops of two wings of UIHS’s Potawot Health...
A Message from the Director
Humboldt County has become a hotbed of renewable energy development. We’ve reported in a past issue that Humboldt County residents have the highest per capita use of grid connected solar systems in California, even...
