This master’s project investigates the feasibility of establishing a composting facility for greenwaste diversion on Vashon Island, WA. The composting facility would serve to compliment waste reduction efforts already in place on the island. The benef . . .

This investigation attempts to characterize the flow of quality assurance information in Kenya's off-grid lighting market in order to identify key opportunities for improving access to product information throughout the supply chain. While traditional . . .

Wetland sediments in Yaquina Bay on the central Oregon coast record paleoearthquakes on the Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ). Great earthquakes on the CSZ caused widespread subsidence at Sallys Slough in Yaquina Bay twelve times during the last 4,400 yr . . .

According to the United States Department of Justice, Humboldt County, California leads the nation in the number of indoor-grown Cannabis plants eradicated by law enforcement officials. Electricity used to power indoor grow operations can be costly, e . . .

Central and state governments have been successful in recent years in getting farmers to buy new solar photovoltaic (PV) pump systems or to replace current diesel or electric pump sets through policies involving capital subsidies that range from 30% t . . .

This thesis investigates the feasibility of establishing a regional food waste digester facility in Humboldt County. California state law AB 939 mandates that all jurisdictions divert 50% of their waste stream away from the landfills. Although success . . .

Aqueous phase reformation (APR) for hydrogen enrichment of natural gas power plants is a developing technology with a range of environmental benefits that include the displacement of fossil fuel with renewable feedstocks derived from biomass, reduced . . .

Some amorphous silicon (a-Si) photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers claim that their power ratings at standard test conditions (STC) understate the performance of their modules because of a-Si technology’s ability to achieve 10-15% higher energy yield per r . . .

Hydraulic fracturing of underground oil- and gas-bearing formations is a well stimulation treatment (WST) process used to form fissures in rock formations to improve oil and gas recovery. California’s recent and most prominent bill to regulate hydraul . . .

In this project, I identified finance mechanisms for use in a small, mainly indigenous community in Chiapas, Mexico. The mechanisms can make renewable energy more affordable while allowing these communities to maintain some control of the projects. In . . .

This thesis proposes a campus wide strategy for Humboldt State University (HSU) to improve energy efficiency in buildings, ranks buildings based on energy use and presents an analysis of retrofit opportunities for two of the most energy intensive buil . . .

Land resources are becoming progressively more constrained with increasing demands for food, feed, fiber, and now fuel production; developing strategies to intensify crop production without increasing the negative impacts on water, soil, and air resou . . .

There are a variety of air conditioning technologies on the market that can be adapted to be powered with solar energy generated onsite. It is currently unclear whether systems utilizing these technologies for space cooling will be cost effective on t . . .

The Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility has proposed an upgrade to their system that will modify the flow regime through the treatment facility. This modification will increase the loading of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Suspended Solids . . .

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) have the potential to not only reduce CO2 emissions from transportation, but also serve as distributed banks of energy storage for grid operators in a service called Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G, V1G). The need for energy stor . . .

In this study, I compare different cogeneration system scenarios for efficient energy generation in an Indonesian sugar and ethanol factory. These scenarios include the use of condensing-extraction steam turbines, variable speed electric drives for su . . .

This thesis analyzes emerging Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs to determine the applicability of this financing model to stimulate energy efficiency investments. While energy efficiency improvements have been shown to reduce greenhouse g . . .

For the 1.6 billion people in the world who lack access to electricity, the flashlight serves as a simple but important lighting device. In contrast to traditional incandescent flashlights, incorporating light emitting diode (LED) technology into flas . . .

The overall feasibility of implementing a Community Choice Aggregation program in Humboldt County is investigated in this thesis by examining its financial viability and likely level of public support. Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) enables the co . . .

In the United States, legislation requires management of wilderness land to maintain its wild character. As the popularity of outdoor recreation grows, managing wilderness becomes not only more necessary, but also more difficult and complex. To help m . . .

This analysis investigates the feasibility of implementing a gasification system to process residual solid waste in Humboldt County. The Humboldt Waste Management Authority manages 70,000 tons of municipal solid waste annually, which is transported ov . . .

Large boulders exceeding 10 m3 in exposed volume are widely scattered throughout the Upper Pines Campground in eastern Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California. These boulders rest 130-330 m from the base of adjacent talus slopes and lack t . . .

For illumination, many off-grid communities use lighting products such as candles, kerosene-fueled lamps, or dry cell battery-powered lights. Unfortunately, fuel-based and dry cell powered lighting can be expensive, a health hazard and often provides . . .

Kodiak Island archipelago has experienced multiple Quaternary glaciations that periodically covered the entire island, at times less a small refugium, under a regional ice cap. During glacial maxima, with relatively lower sea levels, large areas of th . . .

This case study gives a description of the development of Humboldt State University’s Interactive Accessibility Map (HSU-IAM). It examines the context of the project, basic parameters and requirements. It also outlines the development process, current . . .

This thesis addresses aspects of the technical, economic, and social challenges to the implementation of small-scale biodigester systems at small pig farms in Mexico. I outline the development and testing of an improved biodigester design aimed at add . . .

In this study I explore the challenges and opportunities associated with the development of sustainable mini-grid hydropower systems by evaluating two systems with different management models in the Ura and Chendebji communities in Bhutan. This resear . . .

Two late Wisconsin pluvial high lake stands and at least one late Holocene faulting event have been recognized within the Alvord Valley along the base of the eastern range front of Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon. The timing of the pluviations . . .

Marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) electricity generation systems are one of the newest technologies to emerge in the renewable energy industry. In order for the MHK industry in the United States to develop and become competitive with fossil fuels and more . . .

Today there are 2.4 billion people exclusively dependent on the combustion of low quality biomass fuels in open fires and inefficient traditional stoves for household cooking. When compared to higher quality fuels and modern technologies, these method . . .

Determining the optimal operation of a reservoir system is frequently hampered by uncertainty associated with future inflows. Generalized operating policies are a potentially fast and easy to use means of real time operation. They use readily availabl . . .

In this study I investigate the accuracy and necessity of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) PV integration tariff, which was instituted in 2011. Note that, as of July 2012, BPA has not yet been responsible for integrating any PV generators ont . . .

The purpose of this study is to determine if electricity from torrefied biomass causes fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than electricity currently produced with raw biomass in Humboldt County. Torrefaction is an emerging woody biomass pre-treatmen . . .

An assessment of the energy efficiency potential, the costs, and the economic impacts of utility efficiency programs in Humboldt County, California is provided in this thesis. The county is currently assessing the feasibility of meeting at least 75% o . . .

Access to clean and affordable lighting services is an important part of addressing issues of equality, development and the environment. Flame based lighting, which is the primary source of light for over a billion people worldwide, is expensive, haza . . .

The Eel Shelf of northern California is a dynamic depositional setting of episodic fine-grained flood sediments derived from the Eel River. X-radiographs of box cores were used to assign biogenic sedimentary structures to ichnogenera. The identified i . . .

This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of the pilot installation of GridShares, demand-side management devices designed to reduce the severity of brownouts on isolated, power-limited mini-grids. The low voltages associated with brownouts cause lights . . .

Almost 75% of the rural Bangladeshi-population does not have access to grid electricity. The solar home systems (SHS) program in Bangladesh, which is managed by the Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), has provided millions of rural Ban . . .