Renewable Energy Content

Vinod Narayanan, Ph.D.

Tristan Peery — December 08, 2025 - 4:48pm

College of Engineering Energy Security

Mechanical Power by Linking Earth’s Warmth to Space

Andy Fell — November 12, 2025 - 11:31am

Engineers at the University of California, Davis, have invented a device that can generate mechanical power at night by linking the natural warmth around us to the cold depths of space. The invention could be used, for example, to ventilate greenhouses or other buildings. The work is described Nov. 12 in Science Advances.

Helping Birds and Floating Solar Energy Coexist

Katherine E Kerlin — May 12, 2025 - 2:00am

How might floating solar energy projects impact wild birds and vice versa? A �鶹��ý paper outlines key considerations for a growing floating solar industry.

Mapping the Future’s Sweet Spot for Clean Energy and Biodiversity

Katherine E Kerlin — March 08, 2024 - 2:00am

A �鶹��ý study of Joshua trees, kit foxes and solar energy developments highlights the need to consider climate-induced range shifts for species as we expand clean energy.

A Solar Project to Restore Prairie and Pollinators

Katherine E Kerlin — December 15, 2022 - 1:45pm

From solar panels and pollinators to salamanders and people, a restorative energy project takes shape in Rancho Seco near Sacramento with �鶹��ý, EPRI and SMUD.

Harvesting Light to Grow Food and Clean Energy Together

Katherine E Kerlin — December 06, 2022 - 9:00am

A �鶹��ý agrivoltaics study shows how harvesting the light spectrum can make growing food and clean energy more efficient.

Solar Development: Super Bloom or Super Bust for Desert Species?

Katherine E Kerlin — May 03, 2021 - 11:45am

Throughout the history of the West, human actions have often rushed the desert — and their actions backfired. In the 1920s, the Colorado River Compact notoriously overallocated water still used today by several Western states because water measurements were taken during a wet period.

Roadmap to Renewables Unites Climate and Sustainability Goals

Katherine E Kerlin — December 18, 2020 - 12:59pm

While the pressures of climate change bring a sense of urgency to renewable energy development, a new study serves as a roadmap toward uniting the goals of a low-carbon future with that of ecological sustainability and conservation.

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Sustainability from the University of California, Davis, and John Hopkins University, aims to help decision-makers avoid the unintended environmental consequences of renewable energy development.

Cacti and Other Iconic Desert Plants Threatened by Solar Development

Katherine E Kerlin — July 20, 2020 - 8:00am

With their tough skins, pointy armor and legendary stamina, cacti are made to defend themselves from whatever nature throws at them.

But large solar energy facilities are one threat that cacti weren’t built to withstand, according to a study by the University of California, Davis.

20 Overlooked Benefits of Distributed Solar Energy

Katherine E Kerlin — July 09, 2019 - 11:32am

A study released today provides the most complete list yet of the advantages of solar energy — from carbon sequestration to improvements for pollinator habitat. The paper offers a new framework for analyzing solar projects to better understand the full suite of benefits.

The study, published in Nature Sustainability, was conducted by researchers from the University of California, Davis; Lancaster University in the United Kingdom; the Center for Biological Diversity; and 10 other organizations.