Alan Merkle ’82

Our planet is in a climate crisis. One critical element of recovery is replacement of fossil fuel produced energy with carbon free renewable energy—combined with overall reduction in energy usage. Promising technology is evolving at a rapid pace. I see continued growth of land-based wind and solar projects coupled with breakthrough efficiency- producing energy management and storage systems. We will also see a dramatic upsurge in development of offshore wind in the U.S.—first on the East Coast (underway now)—then the West Coast when floating platforms are fully commercialized. I am privileged to have worked on nearly 100 wind and solar projects in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Chile, South Africa, Egypt, Senegal, Ghana, and elsewhere. I have seen our work provide hundreds of jobs and steady tax revenue to impoverished communities in emerging markets—while simultaneously curtailing one fossil fuel plant after another. It is rewarding, uplifting, and necessary.