We are very happy to announce Jana Ganion (Blue Lake Rancheria) and Peter Lehman (Schatz Energy Research Center) as the next presenters in the Spring 2018 Sustainable Futures Speaker Series. Jana and Peter will present on Thursday, April 5 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm in Founders Hall 118 (FH118) on the Humboldt campus. The title of their talk is "Greening the Grid and Improving Resilience: The Blue Lake Rancheria Microgrid."

Renewable energy microgrids are an emerging technology that can provide benefits related to emergency preparedness, job creation, greenhouse gas reductions, energy cost savings, grid reliability, and improved resilience across lifeline sectors. Here on the north coast of California, we are on the cutting edge of developing this new technology, and this presentation provides an excellent opportunity to learn from the first year of operational experience with the Blue Lake Rancheria Microgrid.

Jana Ganion, Sustainability Director for the Blue Lake Rancheria, will join Peter Lehman, Founding Director of the Schatz Center, to discuss project challenges, first year performance, and the economic and environmental benefits of the ground-breaking BLR microgrid. They will also discuss other related activities in the region, including the upcoming renewable energy microgrid project at the Arcata-Eureka (ACV) airport.

We hope that you can join us.

Best regards,
Arne Jacobson
Schatz Energy Research Center and Environmental Resources Engineering Department

Yvonne Everett
Environment & Community Graduate Program and Environmental Science & Management Department

Anthony Silvaggio
Environment & Community Graduate Program and Sociology Department

The series is co-organized by the Schatz Energy Research Center and the Environment & Community Graduate Program. For more information, see http://www.schatzlab.org/education/speaker_series.html.