Prof. Hernandez and colleagues win Grant for Advancing Sustainable Development Goals

On March 3, 2022, three research teams were honored with $7,500 in grant funding each to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The grants were announced at the seventh annual Global Affairs International Connections Reception, hosted by Global Affairs, a special event that celebrates the global engagement of UC Davis faculty, staff and scholars.

For this grant, Prof. Hernandez is teaming up with Gwen Arnold, associate professor of environmental science and policy and co-director of the Center for Environmental Policy and Behavior, and Majdi Abou Najm, associate professor of soil biophysics and associate director of initiatives at the John Muir Institute of the Environment. Their project aims to develop greater alignment for achieving SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 14: Life on Land, and SDG 15: Below Water.

While a global energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy may mitigate climate change, it may also undermine capacity to achieve some or all 17 SDGs. For this project, Hernandez’s team will focus on floating photovoltaic solar energy (FPVs), also known as photovoltaic modules, attached to pontoons that float on constructed waterbodies. With this approach, they’ll be able to study how operators of FPVs manage the presence of waterbirds as well as the impact of waterbirds on FPV performance. Because deployment of FPVs has increased worldwide over the past decade, the team also hopes to better understand the relationship between solar energy development (SDG 7) and waterbird conservation (SDG 14, 15).