Sustainability

Charging Ahead

Renewable energy sources like wind and solar need a storage system capable of charging and discharging to relieve the power grid. Instead of building new infrastructure, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering imagines a system built from half-used EV batteries.

Setting the Table

UC Davis engineers are investigating new ways to feed a growing population, from fungus-grown jerky to cultivated beef and sustainable systems for wine and coffee.

Harnessing AI to Advance Solar Cell Research

Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Marina Leite leads a team of UC Davis researchers in an AI-driven project to build foundational knowledge of halide perovskites, a promising material for solar cells.

Exploring Coffee Science with Professor of Chemical Engineering Bill Ristenpart 

How do you precisely roast beans? What to do with coffee's waste byproducts? The UC Davis Coffee Center is designed to test such questions and other deep, dark coffee mysteries. Between running tests, teaching chemical engineering and sipping black coffee, Professor Bill Ristenpart talks about the college's groundbreaking research center. 

Eclipsing the Limitations of Solar Energy

College of Engineering researchers aim to make around-the-clock solar energy a reality with a novel thermophotovoltaic device. Paired with an optical emitter, the device converts the sun’s heat into a concentrated light spectrum that can then be transformed into usable energy.

Beneath the Surface

Oceanographer-slash-computer-scientist Maike Sonnewald discusses using artificial intelligence to build a foundation of knowledge and insight into the ocean’s role in the climate system to better predict long-range weather and help society prepare for climate change.