Digital Commons Network^™

The Workability Of Dominican University Of California (Duoc) Transitioning To A Community Choice Aggregation (Cca) Program Energy Supply, Alexandra Fuentes

Master's Theses

For almost 10 years Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), or community based energy programs, have been developing and or providing clean energy resources to both commercial and residential customers in various regions around the United States. Although there are several programs in communities in the surrounding regions of California, this study focuses on a specific California program known as MCE. This research examines the feasibility of Dominican University of California (DUoC) transitioning from Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) to becoming a client of MCE in the future. Out of the 19 community energy programs currently available in the state, MCE is …

A Survey Of Single-Use Plastic Foodware Ordinances Of The San Francisco Bay Region, Christopher Slafter

Master's Projects and Capstones

Municipal jurisdictions in the San Francisco Bay Region (SFBR) are passing comprehensive single-use plastic (SUP) foodware ordinances in response to growing public pressure, and a California mandate to achieve zero waste. SUP foodware items have become an issue of concern because they are readily available in the restaurant industry, and are regularly among the top-ten pollutants collected during beach cleanups. SUP foodware items pose a danger to marine wildlife and contribute to rising carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Policy makers in the SFBR are creating local ordinances that regulate the distribution and use of a variety of SUP foodware …

California Stream Condition Index (Csci) Score Analysis Of Streams Sampled From 1998 To 2017 In The San Francisco Bay Region, Jenna Rais

Master's Projects and Capstones

Human impacts to California’s streams have altered the state’s riparian and hydrological landscape. This is a critical issue with regard to natural resources, including ecosystem services such as water availability and water quality. Regulations have a limited amount of impact on the improvement of this landscape and can also become complicated by politics. Scientific advances have developed ways to quantify and describe the quality of streams, this includes the development of the California Stream Condition Index (CSCI) which is based on benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) population numbers and functions. This index allows scientists to not only score the quality of a …

Facilitating Greenhouse Gas Reduction And Climate Change Adaptation Within The Coastal Zone: A Policy Analysis For The California Coastal Commission, Nicole Young

Master's Theses

California is already experiencing impacts to its coastline due to climate change, and more severe impacts are anticipated if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. These climate change impacts are especially strong within the California coastal zone, which falls under the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission. The Commission has a history of rigorous environmental protection and is committed to protecting California’s coast through proactive planning and regulation, however they will need to initiate coastal policies with ambitious targets to facilitate effective climate change adaptation and mitigation. This study analyzed existing California climate policies and Coastal Commission policies to identify …

An Integrated Resource Plan For Public Service Company Of Colorado (Psco), Rawley Loken, Alex Smith

Master of Science in Energy Systems Management

An Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is a tool used by load serving entities (LSEs) to plan how they will meet forecasted energy demand and system reliability requirements through a combination of supply-side and demand-side resources. The goal of an IRP is to identify the lowest cost option to meet future load while also adhering to policy requirements. For Public Service Company of Colorado’s (PSCo) IRP process, a suite of generating resources, storage capacity, and demand-side management programs are all considered when developing a plan that meets state and utility regulatory requirements and environmental targets.

In 2016, PSCo’s system peak demand …

Enabling Electric Storage Participation In Wholesale Markets: An Analysis Of Ferc Order No. 841, Glenn A. Smith

Master of Science in Energy Systems Management

This study has been performed to understand the potential impact that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Order No. 841 will have on the adoption of energy storage resources (ESR). This analysis looked at: (1) the Order’s requirements, (2) FERC’s exercise of its authorized jurisdiction within the Order, and (3) actions taken by the Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO), Independent System Operators (ISO) and FERC to demonstrate compliance with the Order’s requirements:

Order No. 841 utilizes a participation model to ensure ESR’s are able to participate in wholesale electricity markets to an extent that is reflective of a resource’s physical and …

Enabling Electric Storage Participation In Wholesale Markets: An Analysis Of Ferc Order No. 841, Glenn A. Smith

Master's Projects and Capstones

This study has been performed to understand the potential impact that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Order No. 841 will have on the adoption of energy storage resources (ESR). This analysis looked at: (1) the Order’s requirements, (2) FERC’s exercise of its authorized jurisdiction within the Order, and (3) actions taken by the Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO), Independent System Operators (ISO) and FERC to demonstrate compliance with the Order’s requirements:

Order No. 841 utilizes a participation model to ensure ESR’s are able to participate in wholesale electricity markets to an extent that is reflective of a resource’s physical and …

Wildfire Exposure To Critical Habitat Of Endangered And Threatened Species In California, Kristin Butcher

Master's Theses

Researchers, fire ecologists and wildlife managers are concerned about impact to endangered and threatened species and their critical habitat due to the projected increase in future wildfires. Wildfires have been studied in California for the last six decades and have been increasing at an alarming rate since the 1980’s. In this study, I use the 2018 spatial dataset for critical habitat of federally endangered and threatened species located in the state boundaries of California and compare it to a spatial dataset for wildfires that have occurred over the span of 32 years (1984 to 2016). Trends are derived from spatial …

An Integrated Resource Plan For Public Service Company Of Colorado (Psco), Rawley Loken, Alex Smith

Master's Projects and Capstones

An Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is a tool used by load serving entities (LSEs) to plan how they will meet forecasted energy demand and system reliability requirements through a combination of supply-side and demand-side resources. The goal of an IRP is to identify the lowest cost option to meet future load while also adhering to policy requirements. For Public Service Company of Colorado’s (PSCo) IRP process, a suite of generating resources, storage capacity, and demand-side management programs are all considered when developing a plan that meets state and utility regulatory requirements and environmental targets.

In 2016, PSCo’s system peak demand …

The Long-Run Effects Of Tropical Cyclones On Infant Mortality, Isabel Miranda

Master's Theses

In the United States alone, each tropical cyclone causes an average of $14.6 billion worth of damages. In addition to the destruction of physical infrastructure, natural disasters also negatively impact human capital formation. These losses are often more difficult to observe, and therefore, are over looked when quantifying the true costs of natural disasters. One particular effect is an increase in infant mortality rates, an important indicator of a country’s general socioeconomic level. This paper utilizes a model created by Anttila-Hughes and Hsiang, that takes advantage of annual variation in tropical cyclones using annual spatial average maximum wind speeds and …

Utilizing Compost For Carbon Sequestration: A Strategy For Climate Goals And Land Use Management, Sarah R. Koplowicz

Master's Projects and Capstones

In recent years, research has been developed for the use of compost combined with managed grazing (and manure) on grasslands (DeLonge et al, 2013) or rangelands, resulting in carbon sequestration from the atmosphere back into soil at a relatively high rate . The Marin Carbon Project (MCP) was established as a collaborative effort to analyze the potential effects of this technique for greenhouse gas mitigation. The MCP established that combining compost applications with managed livestock grazing benefits the soil health and native plant community, while simultaneously enabling carbon sequestration through the mechanisms of plant production and microbial activity. Additional recent …

Risk Assessment For Tce Contamination At The Plymouth Tube Sitegila River Indian Reservation, Az, Eric Canteenwala

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Trichloroethylene or TCE is a volatile organic compound and Group A known human carcinogen that has been widely used in a variety of industrial and commercial applications and is one of the most common types of environmental contaminants found at industrial sites. A human health risk assessment was conducted using indoor air, soil vapor and groundwater monitoring well sample data to assess whether historic contamination posed a current risk to workers occupying a factory at the former Plymouth Tube Site in Chandler, Arizona. Sample data was analyzed using US EPA guidance and basic risk assessment calculations to quantify the cancerous …

Risk Assessment For Tce Contamination At The Plymouth Tube Sitegila River Indian Reservation, Az, Eric Canteenwala

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Trichloroethylene or TCE is a volatile organic compound and Group A known human carcinogen that has been widely used in a variety of industrial and commercial applications and is one of the most common types of environmental contaminants found at industrial sites. A human health risk assessment was conducted using indoor air, soil vapor and groundwater monitoring well sample data to assess whether historic contamination posed a current risk to workers occupying a factory at the former Plymouth Tube Site in Chandler, Arizona. Sample data was analyzed using US EPA guidance and basic risk assessment calculations to quantify the cancerous …