Projects

The Nature Conservancy

'Cattlevoltaics’ combine cattle grazing with solar photovoltaic arrays, an innovative approach to reduce competition between farmland and solar energy development. Several  examples projects exist, with benefits to economic outcomes for agricultural operations and animal welfare from shade and reduced heat stress. However, to scale up cattlevoltaics projects, more data is needed about suitable project sites. This project will analyze potential areas of growth for cattlevoltaics based on factors such as existing cattle markets, solar suitability, and state policies. The end result of this project will be used to inform The Nature Conservancy's ongoing efforts to promote solar energy that centers "3Cs": Climate, conservation, and communities. 

Third Derivative

Biofuels offer a scalable decarbonization pathway for hard-to-electrify sectors like aviation, maritime, and heavy industry by leveraging existing fuel infrastructure for near-term emissions cuts. Rapid advances in feedstocks, process efficiency, and policy support are improving cost competitiveness, but long-term viability depends on sustainability, lifecycle emissions integrity, and competition from electrification and synthetic fuels. Third Derivative is seeking a student team to analyze this sector from a technology perspective and identify what’s needed for biofuels to achieve widespread adoption as a decarbonization lever.

Copia Power

Students will develop a living report and data tracker for CARB compliance, creating a custom template that can be regularly updated and reused. The project examines how dynamically tagged out-of-state energy, including power scheduled from Arizona into California, is used to meet California’s 2030 clean energy standards.

Swap Robotics

SWAP is a solar robotics company that develops autonomous robots for vegetation management and site construction in solar energy installations. This project focuses on building a simulation of SWAP’s robotic systems as they perform a range of real-world tasks in these environments. The primary goal is to design and implement a simulation framework that models the robots’ behavior, capabilities, and interactions during different types of work. If time permits, the project will extend this simulation to include a cost analysis, comparing SWAP’s robotic solutions to alternative robotic systems or traditional approaches.

Power Planet

This project develops a clear policy and incentive roadmap for Phase 1 geothermal power projects in target states and counties. It identifies federal, state, and local funding and regulatory support from early development through permitting and initial operations, including grants, tax credits, startup incentives, cost share mechanisms, permitting reforms, and public financing tools. The roadmap provides a practical reference to reduce project risk and accelerate geothermal deployment.