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Physical Sciences and Mathematics

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The University of San Francisco

Theses/Dissertations

2023

Sustainability

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Solar-Powered Microgrids In Northern California: An Opportunity For Resilience, Marina Riddle Dec 2023

Solar-Powered Microgrids In Northern California: An Opportunity For Resilience, Marina Riddle

Master's Projects and Capstones

Planned and unplanned power outages have been increasing in frequency and duration, negatively impacting all public sectors, and threatening public safety. These outages are deadly to those who rely on medical devices. As climate change-fueled extreme weather events (wildfires, earthquakes, storms, etc.) also increase in frequency, our electrical grid must be prepared to bounce back. Microgrids provide necessary redundancy and reliability. Through a novel GIS suitability analysis, based on solar radiation, land use type, local energy demand, distance to transmission lines, distance to roads, and slope, optimal locations for solar-powered microgrids throughout Northern California were determined. The counties of Fresno, …


Assessing Equity Of Green Infrastructure Strategies To Address Heat Vulnerability In Los Angeles Sustainable City Planning, Sophia N. La Herran May 2023

Assessing Equity Of Green Infrastructure Strategies To Address Heat Vulnerability In Los Angeles Sustainable City Planning, Sophia N. La Herran

Master's Projects and Capstones

Urbanization has brought about many undesirable environmental changes, with extreme heat and urban heat island (UHI) effect being some of the most significant. In addition to the challenge of UHI effect and increase of extreme heat events, heat also disproportionately affects different types of urban populations with higher populations of minority and low-income residents, who are more exposed and have limited capacity to adapt to extreme. The increased vulnerability to heat faced by socially vulnerable communities can be linked to the inequalities in neighborhood level exposure to extreme heat events, underlying health conditions, workplace conditions, housing quality, and other lasting …


Sustainability Analysis: Large-Scale Desalination Implications For Coastal California, Elizabeth H. Whitford May 2023

Sustainability Analysis: Large-Scale Desalination Implications For Coastal California, Elizabeth H. Whitford

Master's Projects and Capstones

In response to prolonged drought, desalination is gaining popularity as an alternative water production method for fresh water. However, water desalting technology poses concerns; the process is energy intensive, creates brine waste, and has the potential to damage sensitive coastal ecosystems. Significant research is available on the technological, economic, and energy efficiency aspects of desalination, while only a small percentage of the current literature focuses on environmental impacts. This research analyzes the desalination literature holistically in terms of both energy consumption and environmental impacts by conducting 1) a historical and current state review of the sector, 2) a technology analysis …


Increasing Access And Sustainability For Camping Along The Bay Area Ridge Trail, Hannah F. Bartee May 2023

Increasing Access And Sustainability For Camping Along The Bay Area Ridge Trail, Hannah F. Bartee

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Bay Area Ridge Trail (Ridge Trail) is a long-distance, multi-use trail that connects parks and open space on the ridge lines encircling the San Francisco Bay (Bay). Like the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail, the Ridge Trail offers continuous travel through protected natural areas, but this trail is unique as it is located in a densely populated metropolitan area. The trail is currently incomplete, with gaps where the trail does not connect. The Ridge Trail also lacks the number and distribution of overnight accommodations needed to support a full circumnavigation of the Bay. Addressing gaps in the current …