Projects
Berkeley FIRST - Berkeley's Sustainable Energy Financing Project
The City of Berkeley is planning to launch a program that would pay the up-front costs for energy efficiency improvements and installation of solar energy systems for residential and commercial property within the city limits. The property owner would repay the cost of these installations over 20 years through a special tax on their property tax bill.
RAEL's team will be doing research to answer questions about this initiative. Check back for resources and results!
See the project website
UV-Tube: Ultraviolet Water Disinfection
The project focuses on improving water quality for people in developing areas where other water treatment methods are not applied consistently because of their cost, inconvenience, complexity, or energy requirements. The goal of the UV-Tube Project is to design and promote the UV-Tube—an affordable, simple, and easy to use household water disinfection device that uses ultraviolet (UV-C) light to inactivate pathogens.
More Information about UV-Tube: Ultraviolet Water Disinfection
Disseminating Efficient Cookstoves in Tanzania
The “KUUTE” stove, developed in Tanzania and made by local artisans, is twice as efficient as prevalent improved charcoal stoves. However, many well- engineered stoves have failed to impact livelihoods, as they are not adopted by households. The Blum Center is supporting research on cost-effective dissemination methods.
Lifecycle Climate Footprint Calculator
Estimate the greenhouse gas emissions from your activities and lifestyle, based on the LEAPS life-cycle model of calculating emissions. A new version of the calculator has been released in February 2008. See the calculator
Small Wind Turbine Testing Lab
Small-scale wind turbines help address a global need for cheap, reliable distributed energy. The market for these small (0.1 -10 kW) turbines ranges from remote off-grid locations to residential systems and grid-tied commercial applications. In recent years, the wind market has seen a rapid increase with a 28% annual growth rate and over 60 GW of installed capacity worldwide. However, small wind turbines only account for an estimated 30 MW or 0.05% of this capacity.