SF Bay Climate Tech: May 22 - May 30
Tidal power, climate AI, environmental justice, headshots, mangroves, and more events this week!
Hi friends,
There’s something for everyone this week, with events throughout the Bay. Honestly, it all looks great, so we’re throwing our hands up and recommending everything this week – you can’t go wrong!
East Bay
Tue: ⛈️ Designing Low Slope Roof Drainage for Climate Change
Wed: ⚖️ A Pathway Towards Global Environmental and Climate Justice
San Francisco
South Bay / Peninsula
Elsewhere in the Bay
As always, scroll down for more details and upcoming events next month!
Cheers,
The SF Climate Tech Team
The Energy Transition: An Ocean of Opportunity
By Tamar Honig
Shifting our global energy systems away from fossil fuel reliance will require more than one type of renewable energy. Within the low-carbon energy mix, we find a range of sources like hydropower, solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. Today we’ll dive into one of the lesser discussed sources of renewable energy: wave power, which comes from – you guessed it – the motion of the ocean.
Ocean technologies broadly are seeing a surge of enthusiasm from innovators and investors clued into the vast potential for renewable energy, carbon capture, and other climate solutions lying just beyond our shores. When we think about the energy transition, scaling more proven technologies that are already close to or at cost parity with fossil fuel sources will undoubtedly play a critical role. But we would be wise to also invest attention and resources in underdogs with exciting potential, like that which lies latent in the marine environment covering more than 70% of our planet.
Californians have been trying to capture the power of the tides for over a century. In 2003, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors passed a resolution allowing for a tidal energy pilot project in the Bay. The project, sponsored by then-Board President Matt Gonzalez, was largely overlooked until a few months later when Gonzalez at the last minute threw his hat in the ring for San Francisco mayor. Though he lost the mayoral race to Gavin Newsom, Gonzalez helped place tidal energy on the map by including it in his platform and campaign literature.
A few years later, in a 2006 study, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) identified the San Francisco Bay as a potential resource for electricity generation using tidal power technology. Fast forward to today, and San Francisco has taken meaningful strides toward turning the promise of renewable ocean energy into reality. One company making waves is CalWave Power Technologies, whose wave energy converter technology can achieve high performance while surviving storms and extreme conditions. In September 2021, CalWave debuted its xWave technology, marking the company’s – and California's – first at-sea, long-duration wave energy pilot project. The launch edged wave energy technology closer to its potential of providing grid-connected electricity for coastal communities worldwide.
Given its potential, why has wave power not yet taken our seas by storm? Even among the ocean-inclined, wave energy has remained an unpopular cousin in the quickening march to transition to a renewable energy-powered future. Before diving into why wave energy has lagged behind other renewable energy sources like solar and wind, let’s understand what it is.
The ocean contains a vast amount of energy, which can be generated from waves, tides, currents, and temperature differences. Capturing this energy could have substantial benefits for powering offshore activities and island and coastal communities. If that seems like a small set of beneficiaries, consider that about 40% of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometers of a coastline. If fully utilized, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that ocean energy resources in the U.S. could provide the equivalent of over half of the electricity that the country generated in 2019.
Ocean energy resources can be harnessed using a variety of devices, including wave energy converters, which generate power from surface waves; tidal energy converters, which generate power from the movement of tidal currents; and ocean thermal energy converters, which generate power from thermal differences between warm surface seawater and cold deep seawater. As sure as the waves will crash upon the shore and recede, wave energy will never run out. Its source – the ocean’s movement – is limited neither by season nor by human inputs. Its abundance, reliability, variety of ways to be harnessed, and lack of harmful byproducts combine to make wave power an enticing piece in the renewables puzzle.
On the flip side, a handful of technological, environmental, political, social, and economic challenges have stood in the way of more widespread adoption. To begin, only power plants and populations near the ocean will benefit directly. While our coasts are home to many, landlocked nations and cities far from the sea would not be well-suited to relying on wave power. As with other clean technologies that cause not-so-clean side effects, wave energy may pose a hazard for marine ecosystems. The machines placed in and near the water to gather energy from the waves disturb the seafloor, change the habitat of near-shore creatures, and create noise that disrupts the sea life around them. Wave power also becomes less reliable in areas with inconsistent wave behavior and during choppy weather. Last but not least, steep production costs associated with installing, operating, and maintaining wave energy technology have kept would-be investors at bay.
As the power grid goes increasingly green, demand for new sources will soar. Wave energy can and will be among the sources powering our bright and renewable future as its usage climbs and costs normalize. Supportive policies that reduce deployment costs and incentivize private sector development of ocean energy infrastructure can help transform wave energy from a sideshow to a tidal wave of investment and innovation. And once it gets rolling, there’s no stopping the flow.
Community Shoutouts
Events This Week
🍺 Carbon Leadership Forum SF Bay Area Happy Hour: Tue, May 23
⛈️ Designing Low Slope Roof Drainage for Climate Change: Tue, May 23
🌎 Climate Action in the Bay Area: Tue, May 23
🍷 Inaugural Napa Climate Summit: Wed, May 24
⚡️ YPE SF Happy Hour and Headshot Party: Wed, May 24
⚖️ A Pathway Towards Global Environmental and Climate Justice: Wed, May 24
🌳 Cleantech Open Bay Area Meetup: Thu, May 25
🍻 Urban Environmentalists May Happy Hour: Thu, May 25
🌿 Launch Conference: Global Center for Sustainable Digital Finance: Fri, May 26
🏝️ Marin Mangrove Happy Hour: Fri, May 26
🤖 Climate AI Hackathon: Sat, May 27
Read on for more details about this week’s happenings and upcoming events this month
Events This Month
🌎 Women in Climate Positive Innovation - a Roundtable Soiree: Thu, Jun 1
👷♀️ Women in Green Committee Meeting: Thu, Jun 1
📣 An Evening with Jane Fonda: Thu, Jun 1
🌱 Climate Conversations: Thu, Jun 1
⚡️ SVLG Energy & Sustainability Summit: Thu, Jun 8
♻️ German American Circular Economy Conference: Thu, Jun 8
🌿 SFHub : INSEAD Business Sustainability Series: Thu, Jun 8
🍷 Wine and Environmental Justice Conference: Fri, Jun 9
🍃 Gardeneur Plant and Eco-Market: Sun, Jun 11
🌊 Peter Gleick and the Three Ages of Water: Mon, Jun 12
♻️ Recology San Francisco Public Tour: Wed, Jun 14
🏘️ Bridging the Climate/Housing Gap: Thu, Jun 15
🔭 Astronomy for Planet Earth: Tue, Jun 20
📈 2023 Ventures Summit - Climate Innovation: Thu, Jun 22
🌾 How You Can Change the Future of Food: Mon, Jun 26
♻️ Recology San Francisco Public Tour: Wed, Jun 28
⛳️ RLC Hosts a Putting GREEN Social: Thu, Jun 29
Events This Week
🍺 Carbon Leadership Forum SF Bay Area Happy Hour
When: Tue, May 23rd from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Where: Temescal Brewing, 4115 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
Everyone is welcome to join this casual evening of fun and networking. Do you have questions or ideas about embodied carbon? There will be plenty of people to chat with about it! Look for a CLF sign when you arrive.
⛈️ Designing Low Slope Roof Drainage for Climate Change
When: Tue, May 23rd from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Where: AIA East Bay, 2150 Allston Way #310, Berkeley, CA 94704
Roof drainage systems for low slope buildings have based their design requirements on a "60-minutes, 100-year storm". Code requirements for sizing roof drainage do not plan on severe rainstorms / climate change. This presentation will focus on why designers and contractors may be contributing to a potential roof collapse and solutions for improving roof drainage. The presentation will discuss the flaws in the current code, where low slope drainage design can improve by designing low cost upgrades and potentially save lives by avoiding a roof collapse.
🌎 Climate Action in the Bay Area
When: Tue, May 23rd from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: The Commons, 540 Laguna Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
YCore Alumni Board and our partner, 350 Bay Area invite you to join them for a discussion on climate action in the Bay Area. Nan Farley, Development and Communications Director, and Nik Evasco, Youth Climate Organizer and Program Manager, from 350 Bay Area will be sharing information with us about their ongoing campaigns related to Clean and Just Transportation and Ending Toxic Air Pollution in the Bay Area (ex: No Coal in Oakland and End Diesel Buses) and leading us in a collaborative brainstorming activity around ways to get involved with their work locally.
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⚡️ YPE SF Happy Hour and Headshot Party
When: Wed, May 24th from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Where: Enel X Way, 360 Industrial Road, San Carlos, CA 94070
YPE SF Bay Area is excited to announce our upcoming Happy Hour and Headshot Party! We are organizing this event to help our friends and colleagues get professional headshot photos while enjoying a fun happy hour with fellow energy enthusiasts.
⚖️ A Pathway Towards Global Environmental and Climate Justice
When: Wed, May 24th from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Where: Temescal Works, 490 43rd Street, Oakland, CA 94609
In rich countries and poor countries alike, environmental harms are concentrated in communities with less wealth and power, and in communities who face discrimination. Yet to date, governments have focused on technocratic and top-down solutions to the environmental crisis: national commitments to reduce emissions, for example, and fortress conservation. Indeed, some who favor rapid climate action argue that community rights will get in the way.
🌳 Cleantech Open Bay Area Meetup
When: Thu, May 25th from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: WeFunder San Francisco, 1885 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Join Cleantech Open West for a session of networking with like-minded folks! Whether you're into growing your own startup, learning about evolving cleantech markets or environmental public policy, or just meeting new people, there's something here for you!
🍻 Urban Environmentalists May Happy Hour
When: Thu, May 25th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: Biergarten, 424 Octavia Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
In the sunlight of what used to be an elevated highway, join Urban Environmentalists, Vision Blvd, and fellow urbanists for drinks, snacks, and good conversation. We’ll be meeting up at Biergarten, a german-style beer garden in Hayes Valley, to connect with like-minded folks passionate about housing, transit, and building more environmentally friendly cities.
🌿 Launch Conference: Global Center for Sustainable Digital Finance
When: Fri, May 26th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Where: The Stanford Investors Common, 680 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305
Join for a morning launch of the Global Center for Sustainable Digital Finance. with speakers from Stanford, JP Morgan, Mastercard, Jumia, Stellar, Oxford, and more.
🏝️ Marin Mangrove Happy Hour
When: Fri, May 26th from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Where: FLOODWATER, 152 Shoreline Highway, Mill Valley, CA 94941
Mangroves are one of the world's richest carbon sinks, but they are at risk. Join us for a casual happy hour to meet Obama Scholar and Dalai Lama Fellow Dr. Flavia Neves Maia who is training women to restore mangroves damaged by sea level rise with species able to cope with higher salinity levels.
Join the Fun!
Submit Events
We know all of you are cooking up great events across that highlight the latest and greatest in our collective effort to save our city - and our planet! 🌍 We would love to spread the word. Please share any event details and we'll add them to the list!
Climate Tech Cities
We are expanding! We started as an 8-person dinner and now have over 4,000 members in our community. We’ve had people across the world reach out to us to start their own chapters - so we’re launching a new Climate Tech Cities organization this year! If you have friends who are interested in becoming chapter leads, please share the word. Here’s to a global network of local communities making a positive impact!
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