Pages (20 results)
TopRenewable & Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL)
RAEL is engaged in projects to develop the science, technology, policy needs and to foster engagements that explore the future of energy, specifically the transition to a low-cabon, environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable energy system.
Analysis & 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.
Undergraduate Minor in Energy and Resources
The Minor in Energy and Resources offers undergraduates basic knowledge and skills to address issues arising from the interaction of social, economic, political, technical, and environmental factors shaping our world. ... 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 »
About ERG
Our Mission The mission of the Energy and Resources Group is a sustainable environment and a just society. ERG is a collaborative community of graduate students, core faculty, nearly 200 ... Continue Reading »
Who We Are
A Brief History of ERG For thirty years, the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at the University of California, Berkeley has provided its outstanding graduate students and exceptional faculty the ... Continue Reading »
Courses
All Course Offerings Please note: This is a full list of ERG course offerings; not all courses are offered each term. For current course offerings, please refer to the online ... Continue Reading »
Give to ERG
Your donation to ERG provides critical funding and academic opportunities for our graduate students. ERG has a 50-year history of outstanding research, teaching, policy advice and scholar-activism. ERG has researched ... Continue Reading »
Core Faculty
The faculty of ERG currently consists of 10 core professors of Energy and Resources and nearly 200 affiliated faculty and researchers holding appointments in a wide range of departments across ... Continue Reading »
Programs
ERG Program Directory The information below is a directory of ERG programs. Please read through and contact us at erggrad@berkeley.edu for graduate program questions and ergdeskb@berkeley.edu for all other questions. ... Continue Reading »
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 »
Concurrent Degree Program (MPP/MA or MPP/MS)
Public Policy & Energy Resources Group Energy and Resources Group (ERG) and the Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) offer a concurrent degree program that integrates the strengths of public policy ... Continue Reading »
ERG Admissions FAQ
Below is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) we receive and their answers. If you don’t find what you need on this page, please email us at erggrad@berkeley.edu. [bs_collapse ... Continue Reading »
Master’s Degree Curriculum Requirements (MA or MS)
The purpose of the ERG Master’s program is to educate the next generation of interdisciplinary leaders. Specifically, students are taught the range of methods and subjects they should be able ... Continue Reading »
Environment & Economics Lab Society
The Society, Environment and Economics Lab works on the economics of a wide range of environmental, energy and resource issues. Our work spans theoretical, empirical and numerical modeling approaches. We engage in rigorous academic research and actively participate in current policy debates.
Sustainability Summer Minor and Certificate
The Minor and Certificate in Sustainability provides a comprehensive understanding of the most pressing issues facing the world today. ERG’s Minor/Certificate program offers a practical and relevant interdisciplinary approach at ... Continue Reading »
Summer Instructors
The Energy and Resources Group summer instructors understand the complex and interdisciplinary nature of sustainability. All have significant experience teaching and/or professional experience in the subject areas of their courses. ... Continue Reading »
Equity Diversity
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at ERG Equity and inclusion are at the heart of our mission to provide education and research for a sustainable and just society. We aspire ... Continue Reading »
Minor/Certificate in Sustainability — Courses
Summer 2022 Curriculum ERG’s minor and certificate require a minimum of five courses and 15 total units of coursework, completed over one or two summers (or for a UC Berkeley ... Continue Reading »
Open Positions
Join the ERG Team The Energy and Resources Group is a collaborative community of graduate students, core faculty, nearly 200 affiliated faculty and researchers across the campus, and over 600 ... Continue Reading »
Faculty (5 results)
TopMeg Mills-Novoa
Assistant Professor
Meg Mills-Novoa is a human-environment geographer who researches the enduring impacts of climate change adaptation projects. She is jointly appointed to the Energy and Resources Group and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management.
- climate change adaptation
- critical development studies
- Deforestation
- Latin America
- participatory mixed methods
- political ecology of global change
- water justice
Youjin Chung
Assistant Professor
Youjin Chung is Assistant Professor of Sustainability and Equity with a joint appointment in the Energy and Resources Group and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management.
David Anthoff
Associate Professor
David Anthoff is an environmental economist who studies climate change and environmental policy. He co-develops the integrated assessment model FUND that is used widely in academic research and in policy analysis.
Daniel M. Kammen
Professor
Daniel Kammen is the Distinguished Professor of Energy with appointments in the Energy and Resources Group, The Goldman School of Public Policy, and the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
- Africa
- Asia
- Energy Access
- Energy for Community Development
- Energy Supply
- Energy Transmission
- Latin America
- Life-cycle Impacts of Transportation
- Low-carbon Energy Systems
- Smart Grid
John Harte
Professor of the Graduate School
John Harte is a physicist turned ecologist. His research interests span ecological field research, the theory of complex systems, and policy analysis. Current interests include applying insights from information theory to the analysis of complex ecosystems and empirical investigation of climate-ecosystem feedback dynamics.
Students (22 results)
TopChelsi Sparti
MS
Chelsi belongs to the Winnemem, Nomtipom, and Nomsus bands of the Northern Wintu people, and is of European settler descent. She carries out collaborative research with Puerto Rican residents to ... Continue Reading »
- climate resilience
- decarbonization
- Disaster Recovery
- energy
- environmental justice
- governance
- policy
- Risk Mitigation
Jesse Strecker
MA, MPP
Evaluating the Role of Labor Unions in the Politics of Decarbonization: Insights from Political Economy and Socio-Technical Transition Studies (MA ’19) Jesse is a student in the concurrent Master’s degree ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- democracy
- development
- ecological economics
- ecology
- economics
- energy
- environmental justice
- governance
- Heterodox Economics
Aaditee Kudrimoti
MS, PhD
Aaditee Kudrimoti is a first year PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group. She completed undergraduate degrees from UC Berkeley in Political Science and Public Policy (go bears!) and ... Continue Reading »
- Agriculture
- citizen science in environmental justice campaigns
- climate
- development
- energy
- Environmental / Climate Equity
- transportation
- water
Stephen Stack
MA
Stephen is a first year Masters student at ERG. He is interested in the economic, political, and social dimensions of the net-zero transition: What are the major obstacles to climate ... Continue Reading »
Alexandra Grayson
MS
Alexandra (she/her) is a first-year Master of Science candidate in the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley. She is particularly interested in furthering procedural environmental justice ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- Climate justice
- EEEJ
- Environmental Economics
- Ocean Technology and Policy
- renewable energy
- urban planning
Eleanor Adachi
MPP, MS
Eleanor Adachi (she/her) is a Master’s student in both the Energy and Resources Group and the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. She is passionate about designing policies ... Continue Reading »
Nica Campbell
MS
Nica Campbell is an MS candidate at Energy and Resources Group. Her research interests include corporate sustainability, environmental justice and policy making mechanisms. At ERG, she explores ways to improve ... Continue Reading »
- Carbon markets
- Circular Economy
- climate
- economics
- Environmental / Climate Equity
- Net Positive
- sustainable communities
Lynn Shiyayo
MS
Lynn is a MS student and researcher in the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research lies at the intersection of transportation, climate, and equity ... Continue Reading »
- Air Pollution Modelling
- climate
- development
- ecology / environmental science
- economics
- energy
- Environmental / Climate Equity
- transportation
- transportation and land use planning
- urban planning
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 »
Aaryaman “Sunny” Singhal
MPP, MS
Aaryaman “Sunny” Singhal is dual-degree student in the Energy and Resources Group and Goldman School of Public Policy at UC-Berkeley. He is interested in water security in the Western United ... Continue Reading »
Julia Longmate
MS, PhD
Julia’s research focuses on the performance and usability of climate model outputs at decision-relevant scales. She received her S.B. in Environmental Engineering from MIT in 2016 where she studied the ... Continue Reading »
Cristina Crespo Montanes
MS, PhD
Focusing on innovations in renewable energy infrastructure and the potential impacts of such technology in the energy markets, my main interest lies in mechanisms to enhance reliability of fully renewable ... Continue Reading »
Hikari Murayama
PhD
Hikari’s research largely focuses on combining remote sensing and machine learning methods to study human impacts on large spatial scales. She was selected to be a Data Science Fellow at ... Continue Reading »
Jess Kersey
MS, PhD
Jess Kersey is a fourth-year PhD student broadly interested in technology, regulation, and policy to improve energy access and climate adaptation efforts across multiple geographies including East Africa, Latin America, ... Continue Reading »
Taryn Fransen
PhD
Taryn Fransen is a PhD student with the Energy and Resources Group and a Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute. Her research interests center on the design and implementation ... Continue Reading »
Kelsey Alford-Jones
MA
Exploring Linkages Between Development Finance and Socio-Environmental Conflict: A Case Study of IDB Lending to Institutions for Energy and the Environment in Guatemala (MA ’20) Kelsey is a PhD candidate, ... Continue Reading »
Jesse Griffin-Carney
MS, PhD
Integrating Fuel-Based End Uses Into a Clean Electric System: Quantifying the Trade Off Between Electrification and Electrically Synthesized Fuels (MS ’20) Jess Carney is interested in understanding how sustainable energy ... Continue Reading »
Anaya Hall
MS, PhD
Modeling Organic Waste Management for Soil Carbon Sequestration in California (MS ’19) Anaya (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at UC Berkeley. She is ... Continue Reading »
Will Gorman
MS, PhD
Effects of Electricity Consumption and Rate Design on Solar Plus Storage-enabled Grid Defection (MS ’19) Will’s primary research interests involve assessing the opportunity for distributed energy resources to participate on ... Continue Reading »
- Demand Side Management
- Distributed energy resources
- economics
- electricity storage
- energy policy
- renewable energy
- transportation
Salma Elmallah
MS, PhD
Characterizing Fairness, Transparency, and Openness in US Wind Project Planning (MS ’19) Salma’s dissertation studies the equity and distributional impacts of residential heating electrification policy and planning, focusing on cities ... Continue Reading »
Dennis Best
MS, PhD
Dennis has focused his career on technology and sustainability policy in emerging and developing economies. His research interests include technology and innovation policy and impacts to resource and rural development, ... Continue Reading »
- Agriculture
- China
- climate
- economics
- energy
- energy policy
- environmental markets and design
- geospatial analysis
- industrial ecology
- Innovation systems
- rural development
- South East Asia and Latin America
- technology policy
Váleri Vásquez
MS, PhD
Váleri Vásquez is a PhD candidate in the Energy and Resources Group with a Designated Emphasis in Computational Data Science and Engineering. Váleri conducts most of her work in the ... Continue Reading »
Alumni (68 results)
TopJessie Knapstein
MPP, MS
Energy policy wonk trying to craft and institute economically efficient policy to promote the use of renewable energy technologies and reduce our emissions.
Evan Hansen
MS
Cultivating Partnerships: Pest Control and The Use of Integrated Pest Management on Small Farms in San Joaquin County, California (MS ’97) Contact: ehansen@downstreamstrategies.com ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: What have you been working ... Continue Reading »
- antidegradation
- Clean Water Act
- coal mining and the environment
- landfill gas-to-energy projects
- Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
- total maximum daily loads
Reem Rayef
MA, MPP
Reem is a concurrent MPP/ERG student at UC Berkeley. She is broadly interested in leveraging energy policy toward the decarbonization of transportation and transit systems in urban settings. Previously, Reem ... Continue Reading »
Christian Miller
MPP, MS
Measuring California’s Energy Service Affordability (MS ’19) Christian is fascinated by energy end-uses’ effect on communities’ economic and political well-being. While his formal scientific background is in biorenewable resources, his ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- development
- economics
- energy
- energy policy
- equitable energy access
- rural electrification
- transportation
Catherine Ledna
MS, PhD
Modeling Adaption to Sea Level Rise Under Uncertainty (MS ’19) Catherine received a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College, with a minor in Environmental Studies. Prior to coming to ERG, ... Continue Reading »
Arne Jacobson
PhD
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: ARNE JACOBSON Ph.D. 2004 Professor in the Department of Environmental Resources Engineering at Humboldt State University From his post at Humboldt State University, Arne Jacobson passionately extends ... Continue Reading »
- energy use and environmental impacts
- international development
- regional energy planning
- renewable energy
- renewable energy on Native American Reservation lands
- social and economic costs and benefits of energy use
José Daniel Lara
MS, PhD
Modeling and Simulation of Electric Power Systems with Large Shares of Renewable Energy (PhD ’22) Jose Daniel was born in San José Costa Rica, received his B.Sc. and Licentiate in ... Continue Reading »
- development
- economics
- energy
- energy policy
- Energy System Modeling
- Optimization
- power systems operation
- power systems planning
- RAEL
- transportation
- water
Jason MacDonald
PhD
Jason is interested in optimization and control of distributed energy resources to support renewable energy integration into the electricity grid. He works at Lawrence Berkeley National lab researching wholesale electricity ... Continue Reading »
- climate change
- demand response
- Distributed energy resources
- electric vehicles
- Electricity Grid and Markets
- EMAC
- energy
- renewable energy integration
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
Monica Testa
MA
Monica obtained her Masters in 2015 from the Energy and Resources Group. She is interested in electric vehicle adoption, alternative energy policy, and sustainable energy development. Her research involves modeling ... Continue Reading »
Joyceline Marealle
MS
Business strategy for Micro-Grid Providers in California (MS ’22) Joyceline is a Tanzanian who holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Rochester. Her research interest lies ... Continue Reading »
Veronica Jacome
MS, PhD
Reshaping the relationships in Ungula’s electricity sector: the advent of the prepay meter (MS ’15) Presumptions and Precarity: Probing Electricity Infrastructure (PhD ’20) Veronica Jacome is a PhD student in ... Continue Reading »
- critical geographies
- electric power systems
- EMAC
- energy
- RAEL
- resource greography
- rural energy access
- STS
- Sustainable energy integration
- Tanzania
- Water Group
Nia Jones
MS
Dear White People: Recommendations to Successfully Attract, Recruit, and Retain Minoritized Students in Green Energy (MS ’22) A native of the nation’s Capitol, Washington, D.C., Nia was born into the ... Continue Reading »
Priyanka Mohanty
MS
What are the Best Practices for Rapid and Just Energy Transition? (MS ’22) Priyanka earned her Masters of Science with the Energy and Resources Group. At ERG, she works on ... Continue Reading »
- China
- climate
- development
- economics
- environmental justice
- Green New Deal
- India
- Indonesia
- Low-Carbon Transport
Luke Sherman
MPP, MS
Increasing the spatial resolution of the Human Development Index using satellite imagery (MS ’22) Luke’s research aims to encourage the use of innovative technology and management systems in order to ... Continue Reading »
Edem Yevoo
MS
Edem received his B.S in Environmental Science and Technology, with a concentration in Ecological Technology Design and minor in Geographic Information Science (GIS) from the University of Maryland, College Park ... Continue Reading »
Margaret McCall
MPP, MS
Margaret is pursuing an MS/MPP with ERG and the Goldman Policy School. At Berkeley, she hopes to focus on demand flexibility (a key aspect of greening the power grid) and ... Continue Reading »
Michelle Levinson
MA, MPP
Harnessing Financial Motivation to Drive Transportation Electrification: a Resource for Electric Utility Regulators (MA ’19) Michelle is a concurrent degree student at the Goldman School of Public Policy and the ... Continue Reading »
- climate change
- economics
- energy
- Policy analysis
- project development and project finance
- transportation
- utility regulation and finance
Samira Siddique
MS, PhD
Development for the Stateless: the Displacement-Development Nexus and Implications for the Future (MS ’19) Samira Siddique is a PhD candidate and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the Energy ... Continue Reading »
- Climate change justice
- critical development studies
- Cultural memory
- Displacement infrastructure
- Forced migration and refugee studies
- Postcolonial theory
Bodie Cabiyo
MA, PhD
Bodie uses interdisciplinary approaches to investigate nature-based solutions to climate change. He currently studies how policy and innovative technology can enable carbon-beneficial forest management. This work bridges industrial ecology, forest ... Continue Reading »
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
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
Laura Moreno
MS, PhD
Everyday Transformations of Food to Waste: What and Why Food is Discarded in U.S. Households (PhD ’19) From digging through trash to looking inside of people’s refrigerators, Laura researches household-level ... Continue Reading »
Zeke Hausfather
PhD
Understanding and Reconciling Global Temperature Records (PhD ’19) Zeke is an energy systems analyst and data scientist with a strong interest in climate science and policy. He is currently the ... Continue Reading »
Rebecca Coates-Maldoon
MA, MPP
Assessing Instream Flow Standards Under Climate Change Implications for State-Level Policy in the U.S. (MS/MPP ’17) Rebecca completed a Master’s degree in both the Energy and Resources Group and the ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- climate change adaptation
- ecology
- environmental justice
- Environmental Policy
- riparian and aquatic ecosystems
- water
- water quality
- water resources management
- water use efficiency
- water-energy nexus
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
Stephen Jarvis
MS, PhD
Stephen is a PhD Candidate at UC Berkeley’s Energy & Resources Group and a Researcher at the Energy Institute at Haas. His work lies at the intersection of economics, public ... Continue Reading »
Daniel Aas
MA, MPP
Greater than the Sum of Their Parts? Political Impacts of State Climate Policies in the Face of Partisan Polarization (MA/MPP ’17) Dan completed concurrent degrees at the Goldman School of ... Continue Reading »
- "Utility Regulation Distributed Energy Resources Electricity Markets Climate Policy "
- economics
- energy
Adam Orford
MA, MPP, PhD
Climate Change Adaptation and Risk Assessment in California’s Electric Power Sector (MA ’18) Adam Orford is a Ph.D. candidate at U.C. Berkeley’s Energy & Resources Group (ERG). He is currently ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- energy
- Institutions
- law
- Political Science
- Politics
- Public Administration
- public policy
- regulation
- transportation
Ian Bolliger
MS, PhD
Monitoring and Projecting the Impacts of Climate Change with Emerging Environmental Datasets and Machine Learning (PhD ’20) Ian works to provide decision-makers with quantitative, high-resolution projections of the socioeconomic impacts ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- economics
- energy
- Global Policy Laboratory
- health impacts of climate change
- machine learning
- remote sensing
- spatial statistics
- tropical cyclones
- water
Rachel Golden
MPP, MS
Achieving Long-term Climate Goals in the US: Unlocking the Potential of High-Efficiency Electric Technology in Our Homes and Buildings (MS/MPP ’16) Rachel is interested in advancing policies that can help ... Continue Reading »
- climate change
- development
- economics
- energy
- environmental justice
- Equity and Access
- Grid flexibility
- renewable integration
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
John Ross
MS
Creating a Smooth Pathway From Innovation to Commercialization within the California Public Interest Energy Research Program (’01 M.S.) Research Interests: Performance of policy and technical analyses to increase awareness of ... Continue Reading »
Jesse Ribot
MS, PhD
Disincentives for Energy Conservation in the Electric Energy Sector of Djibouti, East Africa (85 MS) Markets, States and Environmental Policy: The Political Economy of Charcoal in Senegal (’90 Ph.D.)
Gregory Nemet
MA, PhD
Can Policy Stimulate Innovation in Low–Carbon Energy Technologies? The Case of Wind Power in California, 1975 through 2001 (04 MA) Policy and Innovation in Low-Carbon Energy Technologies (07 PhD)
- carbon/hydrogen transition
- climate change
- Distributed Generation
- energy R&D
- G.I.S.
- scenario planning
- technology policy
Maria Figueroa
MS
Transportation Energy Use in Bolivia: Environmental Implications, Policy Perspectives (MS ’96)
- intermediate means of transport/appropriate levels of transport/energy services under environmental/energy constraints for developing energy conservation strategies for organized communities and NGOs
- proper role of gender and development issues on the energy and environment debate
Christian Casillas
MS, PhD
Wind generation: A step towards energy independence on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua (MS ’08) Exploring the role of information in development policy and practice in the fields of rural ... Continue Reading »
Joachim Seel
MPP, MS, PhD
Landing on the Sun! How to Make Residential PV Price-Competitive in the U.S. with Lessons Learned in Germany (MS/MPP ’12) Socio-Economic and Engineering Assessments of Renewable Energy cost Reduction Potential (PhD ... Continue Reading »
- electricity market design
- market integration of intermittent renewable electricity
- Renewable energy markets and policy
- technology learning
Erica Newman
MS, PhD
Erica’s niche is fire, particularly in the ecologically sensitive region of French Polynesia. She has already been trained as a physicist, but her curiosity draws her to ecology. ERG has become a unique place for Erica to explore her aspirations in the biological sciences alongside those who have successfully trekked through similar transitions. Read in her own words how Erica has fine-tuned her fascinations while at ERG.
- anthropogenic impacts on fire regimes
- California chaparral
- climate change and biodiversity interactions
- Fire ecology and natural disturbance
- French Polynesia cloud forests and wet montane forests
- macroecology
Grace Wu
MS, PhD
Land Use in Renewable Energy Planning (PhD ’18) Inspired by the possibility of ecologically-bounded growth, Grace is interested in water and land use impacts of energy technologies; water management that ... Continue Reading »
- ecological economics
- GIS
- land use impacts of energy systems
- renewable resource assessment
- spatial statistics
- water-energy nexus
Maggie Witt
MS
Maggie’s research focuses on reducing the environmental impacts of transportation by decreasing both the amount that people drive and the per-mile emissions of personal vehicles. Her work focuses on California’s ... Continue Reading »
Ida Sognnaes
MA
Ida Sognnaes is a PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group. She is originally from Norway and came to Berkeley for the first time as part of her five ... Continue Reading »
- Dynamical systems of energy and resources
- ecological economics
- Human-Natural Complex Networks
- Science and Technology Studies
Chayaporn Sangchote
MS
Exploring the Impacts of ASEAN Energy Cooperation on the Renewable Energy Development and Policy Implementation of the ASEAN Members (MS ’14)
Daniel Sanchez
MS, PhD
Daniel L. Sanchez holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Energy and Resources. He is interested in quantitative analysis to inform public policy, focusing on bioenergy and climate policy. His past research focused on design, deployment, and commercialization of bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) technologies. Daniel has previously held positions with the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), Green for All, and the California Public Utilities Commission.
John Romankiewicz
MPP, MS
John Romankiewicz is an MS/MPP candidate in the Energy & Resources Group and Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. He is the VP of Membership for the Berkeley ... Continue Reading »
Fermin Reygadas
MS, PhD
Point-of-Use Ultraviolet Water Disinfection: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Safe Water for Rural Households of Baja California Sur, Mexico (MS ’07) From Efficacy to Sustained Use. A Comprehensive Evaluation of an Ultraviolet ... Continue Reading »
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 »
Ana Mileva
MPP, MS, PhD
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions, System Flexibility Requirements, and Drivers of Storage Deployment in the Western North American Power System through 2050 (PhD ’14) Ana’s PhD research is in modeling electricity ... Continue Reading »
Benjamin Mandel
MPP, MS
Minding Electron Leakage: How Utility Regulation Can Improve Upstream Energy Efficiency (MS ’14) Ben is a concurrent MS-MPP degree student in ERG and the Goldman School of Public Policy. His ... Continue Reading »
Hongyou Lu
MPP, MS
Hongyou is a concurrent MS-MPP student in ERG and the Goldman School of Public Policy. She also works at the China Energy Group of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Her ... Continue Reading »
Morgan Levy
MS, PhD
Morgan’s research focuses on hydrology and water resources, the effects of land use and climate change on human health and the environment, human-environmental system dynamics, and environmental data science. Her ... Continue Reading »
- Agriculture
- climate
- climate change
- climate change adaptation
- eco-hydrology
- environmental data science
- environmental health science
- geographic information systems
- hydroclimatology
- hydrology
- irrigation
- water
- water resources management
Noah Kittner
MS, PhD
Energy Systems Integration and Innovation for a Clean Energy Transition (PhD ’18) Noah is an MS/PhD student at ERG. After graduating with a BS in Environmental Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, ... Continue Reading »
- land-use change
- life-cycle assessment
- renewable energy policy
- solar energy
- sustainability
- Thailand
- urban planning
Christopher Jones
MS, PhD
Chris Jones is Director of the CoolClimate Network, a university-government-industry partnership at the University of California, Berkeley, and Lecturer at the Haas School of Business. His primary research interests are ... Continue Reading »
- behavioral psychology
- Carbon footprint analysis
- economics
- energy
- Environmental / Climate Equity
- Environmental Policy
- Environmental Psychology
- RAEL
- transportation
- urban planning
Sasha Harris-Lovett
MS, PhD
Decision Support for Multi-benefit Urban Water Infrastructure (PhD ’18) Sasha Harris-Lovett received a PhD from the Energy and Resources Group in 2018. Her dissertation research focused on urban water and ... Continue Reading »
Julian Fulton
PhD
Julian’s interests lie in the relationships between water use and economic development, focusing on modeling and governance. Mr. Fulton’s previous research includes water use in the transportation sector, conservation strategies ... Continue Reading »
- California
- cotton
- Delta
- environmental history
- footprint
- water management
- water systems
- water use
- water-energy-food nexus
Mark Dyson
MS
Economic, technological, and policy aspects of integrating renewable energy into existing electricity systems using innovative demand response strategies.
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
Zubair Dar
MA
Zubair is a Master’s student who researches water policy and management of international river basins, and is particularly focused on hydro-politics of the Indus basin. He has researched the relationship ... Continue Reading »
- Energy Efficiency
- Hydroelectric Power Projects
- International Conflicts
- River Basin Management
- sustainability
- Water and Renewable Energy
- Water Resource Management
Zoë Chafe
MPH, MS, PhD
Dr. Chafe works at the intersections of public health, air pollution, climate change, and energy use. She holds a PhD from the Energy and Resources Group (ERG), as well as ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- climate change and public health
- co-benefits (ancillary benefits) of climate change mitigation
- development
- energy
- energy transitions and impacts on air pollution
- heating and cooking with solid fuels
- household energy policy options
- Household energy use trends
- short-lived greenhouse pollutants
Juan Pablo Carvallo Bodelon
MS, PhD
Mind the Gap: Bridging Strategies for Universal Energy Access (PhD ’19) Since graduating as an electronics engineer in 2004, JP Carvallo has been working, studying, and researching different aspects of ... Continue Reading »
- electricity and energy markets
- Latin America
- national systems of innovation
- Renewable energy policy and institutions
- sustainability in less industrialized economies
Sam Borgeson
MA, PhD
Targeted Efficiency: Using Customer Meter Data to Improve Efficiency Program Outcomes (PhD ’14) Sam’s works focuses on tools to scale up and improve the performance of energy efficiency programs in ... Continue Reading »
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 »
Peter Alstone
PhD
Peter’s research focus areas are information technology approaches to energy development, understanding markets for demand-side energy technology, and energy technology policy. Outside of academics, he contributes to the Lighting Global ... Continue Reading »
Nate Aden
MS, PhD
Taking the Man Out of Manufacturing: Drivers and Components of Industrial Sector Low-Carbon Transformation (PhD ’17) Nate Aden completed his PhD at the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley and is ... Continue Reading »
News (43 results)
TopBBC interviews ERG PhD Lara on Costa Rica Energy Policy
February 23, 2016
ERG PhD student José Lara was interviewed for BBC on Costa Rica and its green energy policy.
Upcoming Certificate Course on Economic Impact of Climate and Energy Policy
August 13, 2014
3-day certificate course Oct 3-5, offering a practical perspective on the economic effects of climate and energy policy.
ERG’s Esther Shears Co-Author of New Study Examining Government Investment in Energy Innovation
September 12, 2022
ERG PhD candidate Esther Shears is a co-author of a paper recently published in Nature Energy, which offers insight into the trajectory of energy research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) that ... Continue Reading »
ERG’s Salma Elmallah on Justice Implications of Solar and Wind Energy Projects
July 26, 2022
ERG PhD student Salma Elmallah has recently been published in the Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning with an article that explores the drivers of solar and wind project siting ... Continue Reading »
Transforming Africa’s Energy Sector
August 10, 2021
Dan Kammen and co-authors argue in the journal Science that a major transformation is needed to meet the needs of Africa's growing population.
Energy by Whom? With ERG Alumna Nikky Avila
November 26, 2018
Nikky Avila (PhD ’18) was recently featured on the podcast “Somebody Call a Doctor.” Avila discusses how distributed energy technologies are disrupting conventional electricity planning paradigms and enabling social innovation. She ... Continue Reading »
What Environmental Policy Options Does the U.S. Have in 2018?
January 16, 2018
In a Knowledge @ Wharton public policy podcast, Dan Kammen joins Eric Orts, legal studies and business ethics professor, and director of the school’s Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership. Kammen and ... Continue Reading »
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 Professor Emeritus John Holdren on Trump Administration Climate Policy
February 5, 2017
ERG Professor Emeritus John Holdren is featured in the Cape Cod Wave.
Energy and Environment- Understanding China’s non-fossil energy targets.
November 28, 2015
ERG student John Romankiewicz and ERG alumni Joanna Lewis share their research on China's energy targets and the transparency in international negotiations with Science.
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.
New Climate Policy Course at ERG
November 17, 2014
In Spring 2015, ERG offers an interdisciplinary, graduate-level survey of historical & current efforts to regulate GHG emissions in the US.
Holdren Sets New Course for US Energy
March 20, 2014
President Obama's top science advisor and ERG Co-founder, John Holdren, is confident that America's next energy plan "will make a difference."
ERG PhD Student Szinai and Alumnus Gopal Link Grid Costs to Electric Vehicle Charge Management
March 9, 2020
ERG PhD student Julia Szinai, ERG Alumnus Anand Gopal, and two other co-authors from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab have recently published a collaborative research paper on ScienceDirect.
Governor Newsom Appoints ERG Alum Carla Peterman to New Wildfire Recovery Commission
January 31, 2019
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office has released three appointments to the new Commission on Catastrophic Wildfire Cost and Recovery, which includes ERG alumna Carla Peterman (PhD ’17). Peterman served as a ... Continue Reading »
ERG’s Kammen Comments on ‘Yellow Vest’ Protests in New York Times
December 7, 2018
“So while President Macron has highlighted the need for funds to invest in clean energy, that is not actually what was planned,” Mr. Kammen said.
Advocating for Women on World Water Day
March 22, 2023
New commentary published in the Lancet on World Water Day (March 22) calls on researchers, policy makers, and professionals to strengthen their commitment to addressing gender inequities in global water delivery systems. Co-authored ... Continue Reading »
New Study by Coalition of ERG Researchers Reveals True Social Cost of Carbon
September 1, 2022
Researchers from Rausser College’s Energy and Resources Group (ERG) and Resources for the Future (RFF) have released a new estimate that the social cost of carbon (SCC), a key metric ... Continue Reading »
ERG’s Dan Kammen Enthusiastic for Berkeley Scholars to Join Biden Administration
January 4, 2021
Recently, President-elect Joe Biden has nominated UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) faculty member Jennifer Granholm to lead the U.S. Department of Energy and Haas School of Business Professor Emeritus Janet Yellen to serve as secretary of treasury. Two campus alumni are also expected to serve within the administration, with Alejandro Mayorkas selected to lead the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, and Adewale Adeyemo picked for deputy treasury secretary. ERG professor Dan Kammen expressed enthusiasm for the candidates in multiple news sources, stating that “The Department of Energy is going to be central to almost everything in the Biden-Harris plan, from energy transformation to re-entering the Paris Climate Accords. We’re also going to need a huge infusion of attention and effort to be put into creating jobs. That fits Jennifer Granholm to a T. I’m just so impressed that they made this choice. I think she’s ideal for the job at this time.” Read the Berkeley News article on Jennifer Granholm here, the San Francisco Chronicle article here, and the Daily Californian article on all four Berkeley scholars here.
Creating a Green Solution— Kammen Contributes to Proposed Coronavirus Bill
March 25, 2020
ERG professor Dan Kammen has recently joined a group of progressive policymakers to create green policy proposals that includes an economic stimulus package. The bill aims to help the nation recover from the coronavirus pandemic while simultaneously combating climate change.
ERG’s Lara and Kammen on Potential for Biomass Feedstock from Drought
January 23, 2020
ERG student José Daniel Lara and ERG professor Daniel Kammen, in collaboration with forest researchers in UC Berkeley's department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, recently published "Characterization of the woody biomass feedstock potential resulting from California’s drought" in Nature, Scientific Reports.
Kammen and RAEL Address the Racial Inequalities in Solar Deployment on The Beam
November 25, 2019
ERG’s Dan Kammen and RAEL investigate how the benefits of solar energy is not distributed equally among individuals, and how there are racial disparities especially in rooftop solar PV deployment ... Continue Reading »
ERG Alumnus Patrick Gonzalez Speaks to Congress on Climate Change
June 27, 2019
ERG alum, Dr. Patrick Gonzalez presents scientific findings to Representative Mike Quigley and other members of the U.S. House of Representatives Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition Members in the U.S. Capitol
Alum Chris Jones Featured on Berkeley Talks Podcast
April 10, 2019
As part of April’s Cool Campus Challenge, ERG alumnus Chris Jones (MS ’05, PhD ’14), now director of the CoolClimate Network, sat down with student reporters from the Goldman School ... Continue Reading »
Study finds racial inequality in the deployment of rooftop solar
January 10, 2019
A new study by researchers at UC Berkeley and Tufts University shows fewer rooftop solar photovoltaics installations exist in African-American and Hispanic-dominant neighborhoods than in white-dominant neighborhoods, even when controlling ... Continue Reading »
Campus and Alumni Mourn the Passing of ERG Professor Gene Rochlin
November 28, 2018
It is with a very heavy heart that I have to pass on the news that University of California Berkeley Energy and Resources Group (ERG) core faculty emeritus Gene Rochlin passed away this weekend.
Zeke Hausfather Cited by the Washington Post on 2017’s Concerning Temperatures
January 25, 2018
Recently, scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that 2017 was among the warmest years in history. While the two agencies approach global temperature measurements differently, both ... Continue Reading »
Dan Kammen Featured in Fall 2017 Breakthroughs Magazine
November 30, 2017
In the Fall 2017 issue of the College of Natural Resources’ Breakthroughs magazine, Dan Kammen is spotlighted for the innovative ways in which he has merged science with environmental policy. ... Continue Reading »
New ERG Chair Daniel M. Kammen
July 25, 2017
We are pleased to announce the appointment of the new Energy and Resources Group Chair, Professor Daniel M. Kammen. His appointment began July 1, 2017. Daniel Kammen is a Professor of Energy with ... Continue Reading »
Kammen and Hausfather of ERG Respond to Withdrawal from Paris Agreement
June 22, 2017
ERG Professor Dan Kammen and graduate student Zeke Hausfather respond to President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement
Kammen highlighted in Scientific American
December 22, 2016
Daniel Kammen comments for Scientific American on the opportunities scientists think they can seize with the appointment of Trump's climate skeptics.
ERG Professor Daniel Kammen Appointed as U.S. Science Envoy
March 31, 2016
ERG Professor Daniel Kammen has been appointed as one of five U.S. Science Envoys by the US State Department.
ERG Summer Courses Available
February 28, 2016
ERG is offering four of its most popular courses this summer! Enroll Today!
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.
ERG at the Paris Climate Talks
December 1, 2015
The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris has begun and will continue until December 11th. Energy and Resources Group faculty, students and alumni will be playing an active role at the conference and the many peripheral activities.
CFCC15: ERG Students Present at Paris Conference
July 11, 2015
ERG & RAEL students present and engage at scientific conference “Our Common Future under Climate Change” ahead of COP21
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.
Holdren: What Works at ERG Works
April 13, 2015
John Holdren's "tricks of the trade" presentation plus photos during the ERG Big Event.
Zoë Chafe leads new WHO Report
March 12, 2015
"We wanted to help policymakers and members of the general public understand that household heating with biomass is a complicated issue," says ERG PhD candidate Zoë Chafe.
Brown Schwarzenegger
September 10, 2014
Kammen speaks at Schwarzenegger's climate pep rally where both parties agree that it's time to fight the dark side.
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.
Microgrid Report by ERG scholars in Nature
March 30, 2014
Scholars from ERG and Carnegie Mellon report on the "vicious cycles" of rural microgrids.
ERG Alum Greacen’s book on small power
January 18, 2014
From the bottom up : how small power producers and mini-grids can deliver electrification and renewable energy in Africa
Topics (10 results)
TopAnyuat John Arou
Anyuat John Arou, is a lecturer of Electrical Engineering at the University of Juba in Juba, South Sudan. He is also the CEO of the Renewable Energy Council of South ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- development
- ecology / environmental science
- energy
- energy policy
- Environmental / Climate Equity
- low carbon technologies
- power quality control
- Power system studies
- VRE-based microgrids
- water
Kelsey Alford-Jones
MA
Exploring Linkages Between Development Finance and Socio-Environmental Conflict: A Case Study of IDB Lending to Institutions for Energy and the Environment in Guatemala (MA ’20) Kelsey is a PhD candidate, ... Continue Reading »
Christian Miller
MPP, MS
Measuring California’s Energy Service Affordability (MS ’19) Christian is fascinated by energy end-uses’ effect on communities’ economic and political well-being. While his formal scientific background is in biorenewable resources, his ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- development
- economics
- energy
- energy policy
- equitable energy access
- rural electrification
- transportation
Will Gorman
MS, PhD
Effects of Electricity Consumption and Rate Design on Solar Plus Storage-enabled Grid Defection (MS ’19) Will’s primary research interests involve assessing the opportunity for distributed energy resources to participate on ... Continue Reading »
- Demand Side Management
- Distributed energy resources
- economics
- electricity storage
- energy policy
- renewable energy
- transportation
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
Dennis Best
MS, PhD
Dennis has focused his career on technology and sustainability policy in emerging and developing economies. His research interests include technology and innovation policy and impacts to resource and rural development, ... Continue Reading »
- Agriculture
- China
- climate
- economics
- energy
- energy policy
- environmental markets and design
- geospatial analysis
- industrial ecology
- Innovation systems
- rural development
- South East Asia and Latin America
- technology policy
José Daniel Lara
MS, PhD
Modeling and Simulation of Electric Power Systems with Large Shares of Renewable Energy (PhD ’22) Jose Daniel was born in San José Costa Rica, received his B.Sc. and Licentiate in ... Continue Reading »
- development
- economics
- energy
- energy policy
- Energy System Modeling
- Optimization
- power systems operation
- power systems planning
- RAEL
- transportation
- water
Patricia Hidalgo-Gonzalez
MS, PhD
Learning and Control Systems for the Integration of Renewable Energy into Grids of the Future (PhD ’20) Patricia is a Ph.D. candidate at UC Berkeley co-advised by Daniel Kammen and ... Continue Reading »
- climate change
- EMAC
- energy
- Energy economics
- energy policy
- High integration of renewable energy in the system
- Hybrid Systems Laboratory at EECS
- long-term power systems planning
- RAEL
Julia Szinai
MPP, MS, PhD
Julia studied economics and Spanish at UC Berkeley as an undergraduate, and realized her interest in energy and environmental issues while a research assistant at the UC Energy Institute. After ... Continue Reading »
- climate change
- demand response
- electric system planning
- electric vehicles
- energy policy
- energy water nexus
- renewable integration