Rebecca Hernandez Content

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

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

A �ٺ��Ƶ 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.

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.

Siting Solar, Sparing Prime Agricultural Lands

Katherine E Kerlin — December 19, 2017 - 12:33pm

Unconventional spaces could be put to use generating renewable energy while sparing lands that could be better used to grow food, sequester carbon and protect wildlife and watersheds, says a study led by the University of California, Davis. Such lands in California's Central Valley could more than meet the state's energy demands for 2025.