Techno-Economic Feasibility Of Electrifying Food Markets In Nigeria With Biogas Hybrid Mini-Grids, Demi Temitope Ogunwo

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis explored the feasibility of electrifying a food market in an urban city in Nigeria with a hybrid biogas-powered mini-grid. Under the Energizing Economies Initiative of the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria, nine markets in the country currently receive constant access to electricity via hybrid mini-grid systems. As a majority of these systems are diesel-solar-battery systems, this thesis explored the use of biogas generators as a substitute for diesel generators in hybrid mini-grids for food markets. A fruit and vegetable market in Ketu, Lagos was used as a case study for the research. The research for this thesis was …

Satellite-Based Phenology Analysis In Evaluating The Response Of Puerto Rico And The United States Virgin Islands' Tropical Forests To The 2017 Hurricanes, Melissa Collin

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The functionality of tropical forest ecosystems and their productivity is highly related to the timing of phenological events. Understanding forest responses to major climate events is crucial for predicting the potential impacts of climate change. This research utilized Landsat satellite data and ground-based Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot data to investigate the dynamics of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands’ (PRVI) tropical forests after two major hurricanes in 2017. Analyzing these two datasets allowed for validation of the remote sensing methodology with field data and for the investigation of whether this is an appropriate approach for estimating forest …

Decay Of Woody Residues As The Counterfactual Treatment To Mobilization For Bioelectricity Generation, Max A. Blasdel

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Decay of woody debris is a major carbon flux for forests. Decay processes are not well documented in forest modeling frameworks but play an important role in forest carbon cycling and life cycle assessments of forest-derived products. The main drivers of decay are species, vertical location, and climate. A database of literature values for decay by tree species was created to parameterize a larger model of California forestland carbon cycling. A novel methodology was applied to vary these decay values for each species spatially based on climatic drivers of decay. This resulted in decay values for each species and size …

Characterization Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Storage Of Woody Biomass: An Incubation Study, Carisse Geronimo

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Biomass energy plays a small but significant role in the current renewable energy portfolio and is a promising alternative pathway for woody residues that would otherwise be considered waste. These woody residues are often stored in large piles prior to combustion, and greenhouse gas emissions from this storage phase of the bioenergy supply chain are uncertain and understudied. This incubation study investigates the effects of three environmental factors on emissions from decomposition of woody biomass stored in chip piles. Incubation experiments were conducted, subjecting chambers of Sequoia sempervirens woodchips to different levels of temperature, oxygen concentration, and moisture content, and …

Finding Nondestructive Parameters For Root-To-Shoot Ratios In Douglas-Fir, Grand Fir, And Redwood Saplings In Northwest California For Biomass And Carbon Storage Estimates, Walter A. Kast

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

ABSTRACT

FINDING NONDESTRUCTIVE PARAMETERS FOR ROOT-TO-SHOOT RATIOS IN DOUGLAS-FIR, GRAND FIR, AND REDWOOD SAPLINGS IN NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA FOR BIOMASS AND CARBON STORAGE ESTIMATES

Walter A. Kast

There is a need for better understanding of how woody biomass is allocated above and belowground and how this allocation might differ among tree species. In this field of research, investigators face challenges such as the laborious task of removing trees from the soil with destructive sampling, and the cleaning, drying, and weighing of belowground biomass (BGB). Therefore, researchers and practitioners most often rely on existing models to predict BGB from easily-measurable aboveground variables …