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The California Renewable Energy Laboratory Unveils Plan for
Agrivoltaics Demonstration Project at the Bakersfield College Delano Campus
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The California Renewable Energy Laboratory Celebrates their 1 Year Anniversary |  | |
The California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL) celebrated their 1 Year Anniversary at Bakersfield College’s Levan Center on October 5, 2023.
The event received warm welcomes from esteemed colleagues and industry partners. In addition, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges Dr. Sonya Christian, provided a video message showcasing the work CREL has accomplished since it was established in 2020. The attendees included Mayor of Bakersfield, Karen Goh, Kern Community College District Trustee, Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg, President of Bakersfield College, Steve Watkin, Interim Chancellor of the Kern Community College District, Tom Burke, and Interim Deputy Chancellor of Kern Community College District, Zav Dadabhoy.
Kern Community College District (KernCCD) and CREL have hit the ground running to help educate the community on renewable energy practices and development. The significance of CREL cannot be overstated, as they have served as a catalyst for innovation, research, and education in the field of renewable energy. By creating a hub for cutting-edge research and development, CREL aims to foster an environment that breeds groundbreaking solutions. Read More
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Bakersfield College to Celebrate Grand Opening of Regenerative Agriculture Education Center with Ribbon Cutting and Agrivoltaics Demonstration | The Regenerative Agriculture Education Center was approved by the Board of Trustees in 2021 and was made possible by a collaboration between the Ravi and Naina Patel Foundation and Bakersfield College’s Agriculture Department, as well as community partners such as the White Buffalo Foundation and TomKat Ranch. This Center is the first of its kind in Kern County, and it aims to provide rural ag students with access to state-of-the-art agricultural technologies and practices. Read More | |
CREL at the Wonderful Career Center | |
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CREL's Clean Transportation Center of Excellence collaborated with the Wonderful Career Center (WCC) located at the Wonderful Industrial Park in Shafter, CA, to set up forklift simulators recently purchased to support Bakersfield College's Powered Industrial Truck (PIT) university program, a free two-week certification program available in English and Spanish.
To learn more about PIT and other WCC offerings, visit wonderful-training.com
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We would like to thank you for participating in this year's Valley Strong Energy Institute's AWE Webinar Series. Please keep an eye out for our upcoming AWE Webinar in January.
The AWE Webinar Series is hosted by the Valley Strong Energy Institute, which brings together technical experts, industry leaders and policy makers to develop community education around issues and emerging technologies that affect energy and other natural resources in Kern. Visit the Valley Strong Energy Institute website for more information about the AWE Education Series and view videos from past webinars.
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Bakersfield College Manufacturing Day | |
Bakersfield College hosted their 3rd annual Manufacturing Day on Fri, October 23. Over 1,200 students throughout Kern County participated in this year's event to explore career opportunities within the manufacturing industry. CREL was in attendance, asking students and community members about renewable energy and providing resources to learn more about our student internships and courses. | |
California Germany Agrivoltaics Conference | |
CREL had the opportunity to attend the California Germany Agrivoltaics Conference on November 1st. The conference brought together corporates, policymakers, researchers, developers, and farmers to discuss resiliency and sustainability and how Agrivoltaics can contribute to both. The program included a roadmap and future opportunities for transatlantic Agrivoltaics, political framework, and incentives. The conference's goal was to build a strong German-American partnership that will lead to a growing market for Agrivoltaics. | |
Purple Air: Independence High School Energy Academy | |
Sustainability Fellow at CREL and now Energy and Outreach Coordinator, Paloma Lobos, presented her work using Purple Air sensors at Independence High School's Energy Academy. This project collects baseline data on air quality, electrification monitoring, and introduces Purple Air mapping features to students and community members. The goal of this project is to help detect any changes in the levels of PM2.5 within the electrification process currently underway at Bakersfield College and The Weill Institute. Beyond the technical application, Paloma has also participated in community engagement and student outreach within Bakersfield high schools. | |
Women in Trades Workshop Event | |
The Women In Trades Workshop was hosted by the 21st Century Energy Center to assist women seeking opportunities in various trades. CREL was among many other booths introducing young women to opportunities in the renewable energy field. We're thrilled about the upcoming wave of women entering these trades and making their mark on their industries! | |
Energy Science B22 Returning Spring 2024 | |
The Physical Science Department offers ENERB22, Energy Science, for the second time in Spring 2024. ENERB22 is a B1(Natural Science) General Education course. To register for the course, please scan the QR code or sign in to your InsideBC account and use this link to the course. | |
In the news
Federal Funding and Financing for Hydrogen Energy Production and Use
In 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established the Hydrogen Earth Shot Challenge, aiming to reduce the cost of hydrogen as an energy source by 80% in a decade (reducing the cost per kilogram from the current $5 to $1). As part of this goal, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act included $7 billion in funding for the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) program. The H2Hubs program was created to fund between six to ten regional clean hydrogen hubs across the United States. Selected applicants would agree to a 1:1 cost share with DOE for construction and deployment of the hub. Read More
National Governors Association
NREL Water Power Research Flourishes Under Seedlings Program
Working in a chocolate factory may sound sweet, but during Ravi Kishore’s tenure working on one of Nestle’s factory floors, he was more focused on identifying inefficiencies and reducing waste than he was on sampling the product. During that time, amidst whirring machines, piles of confections, and puffs of steam, Kishore landed on an idea: What if we could actually harvest all the thermal energy that is wasted in the chocolate production process? Read More
NREL
CREL Plans Agrivoltaics Project at BC's Delano Campus
Kern Community College District’s California Renewable Energy Laboratory announced plans this week for an agrivoltaic demonstration project bringing together solar panels and crops on the same land at Bakersfield College’s Delano campus. Read More
Bakersfield.com
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We look forward to working with you on energy projects to move Kern County and the region forward! | | | | |
