The Renewable Energy Industry Award highlights the advancements that individuals working within the energy business, have made to increase renewables deployment in Vermont. This year, REV celebrates two Awardees.
Ken Nolan is a life-long Vermonter who has spent his entire career supporting Vermont’s move toward a clean, efficient energy supply. As a Resource Planner at Burlington Electric Department a decade ago Ken developed the framework for how BED could cost effectively purchase 100% of its supply portfolio from renewable generators. More recently , as BED’s Manager of Power Resources, he has been responsible for implementing that vision. Under Ken’s leadership BED has contracted for wind power from Vermont Wind in Sheffield, Georgia Mountain Community Wind, and Hancock Wind in Hancock, Maine. Contracts that allowed each of those projects to get built. At the same time he has worked to expand BED’s support for solar generation. BED is constructing solar projects at both Burlington International Airport and at its Pine Street headquarters, and has signed Power Purchase agreements for several additional projects throughout the city, in addition to using its recent smart grid investments to reduce barriers for net metering projects. With its purchase of the 7.4 MW Winooski One hydroelectric project on September 1st BED became the first city in the nation to purchase 100% of its generation from renewable resources, a feat that has received international press coverage. Not only have Ken’s efforts helped get individual renewable projects constructed, they have helped shine a spotlight on the benefits of renewable energy and created an example for other communities to follow.
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