Dr. Noah Kittner

Noah joined SusTec as a senior researcher in 2018. He holds a PhD in Energy and Resources from UC Berkeley where he studied energy systems engineering, science, and policy. His work with the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Lab (RAEL) appears in leading journals ranging from Nature Energy to Environmental Science and Technology and Ecological Economics. Previously, he was a Fulbright Fellow at the Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment in Bangkok, Thailand and has worked extensively on a Thai Solar PV Roadmap project with colleagues at Chulalongkorn University. He received his BS in Environmental Science (highest honors) with a dual minor in Mathematics and Urban Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He has studied renewable energy and storage issues from a variety of contexts, including measuring land use change and biomass fuel use in Uganda, installing solar panels in Mexico, and electricity grid modeling in Kosovo, where he worked with civil society organizations to convince the World Bank not to finance a new coal plant as a key test case for the future of coal. His research has been funded by the NSF as a graduate research and SAGE-IGERT fellow, the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry, USAID, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and University of Tokyo. Noah retains close collaborations with RAEL at UC Berkeley and is interested in further research and collaboration on transitioning toward clean energy systems that are more equitable for the environment, human health, and society.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Schmitt, R.J.P., Kittner, N., Kondolf, G.M., Kammen, D.M. (2019): “Deploy diverse renewables to save tropical rivers.” Nature. 569, 330-332. doi: Download 10.1038/d41586-019-01498-8
Huang, Y.W., Kittner, N., Kammen, D. (2019): "ASEAN grid flexibility: Preparedness for grid integration of renewable energy." Energy Policy, 128, 711-726. Download doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2019.01.025
Kittner, N., Fadadu, R., Buckley, H., Schwarzman, M., Kammen, D.M. (2018): "Trace metal content of coal exacerbates air pollution-related health risks: the case of lignite coal in Kosovo." Environmental Science and Technology, 52, 2359-2367. Download doi: 10.1021/acs.est.7b04254
Kittner, N. & Kammen, D.M. (2018): "A battery of innovative choices—if we commit to investing." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 74(1): 7-10. Download doi: 10.1080/00963402.2017.1413224
Jagger, P., Sellers, S., Kittner, N., Das, I., Bush, G. (2018): "Looking for Medium-term Conservation and Development Impacts of Community Management Agreements in Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountains National Park." Ecological Economics 152, 199-206. Download doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.06.006

Kittner, N., Lill, F., Kammen, D.M. (2017): "Energy storage deployment and innovation for the clean energy transition." Nature Energy 2, 17125. Download doi:10.1038/nenergy.2017.125
Jagger, P., Kittner, N. (2017): "Deforestation and Biomass Fuel Dynamics in Uganda." Biomass & Bioenergy 105, 1-9. Download doi: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2017.06.005
Kittner, N., Dimco, H., Azemi, V., Tairyan, E., Kammen, DM. (2016): "An analytic framework to assess future electricity options in Kosovo." Environmental Research Letters. 11(10). Download doi:10.1088/1748-9326/11/10/104013
Kittner, N., Gheewala, S.H., Kammen, DM. (2016): "Energy return on investment (EROI) of mini-hydro and solar PV systems designed for a mini-grid." Renewable Energy, 99, 410-419. Download doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2016.07.023
Tongsopit, S., Kittner, N., Chang, Y., Aksornkij, A., & Wangjiraniran, W. (2016): "Energy security in ASEAN: A quantitative approach for sustainable energy policy." Energy Policy, 90, 60-72. Download doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2015.11.019
Kittner, N., Gheewala S.H., Kamens, R., (2013): "An Environmental Life Cycle Comparison of Single-Crystalline and Thin-Film Photovoltaic Systems in Thailand." Energy for Sustainable Development, 17(6): 605-614. Download doi: 10.1016/j.esd.2013.09.003
Kittner, N. Gheewala S.H., Kamens, R., (2012): "Life Cycle Considerations for Monocrystalline Photovoltaics in Thailand." Journal of Sustainable Energy and Environment, 3: 143-146. Download doi: 10.1063/1.46589007/5778-10909

Book Chapters and Reports

Gheewala, S.H., Kittner, N., Shi, X. (2018): "Costs and benefits of biofuels in Asia." In: Routledge Handbook of Energy in Asia. Editor: Bhattacharrya, S. Chapter 24. Download ISBN:978-1-13-899982-4
Kittner, N. & Yamaguchi, K. (2017): "Hydropower threatens peace in Myanmar—but it doesn’t have to." Nikkei Asian Review. Download Download
REN 21 (2017): "Global Status Report" Country Lead: Kosovo, Lao PDR. Download Download
Kittner, N., Kammen, D.M., Tankosic-Kelly, G., Rankovic, A., Taso, N. (2016). "South East Europe: The EU Road or Road to Nowhere? An energy roadmap for 2050: Technical analysis." SEE Change NET. Energy Community, European Commission. Download Download
Tongsopit, S., Chaitusaney, S., Limmanee, A., Kittner, N., Hoontrakul, P. (2015): "Scaling Up Solar PV: A roadmap for Thailand." Thai Ministry of Energy, Chulalongkorn University. Download Download
Kammen, D.M., Kittner, N. (2015). Energy in the Balkans. Economist (UK), 411 (8951). Download Download