Association of Energy Engineers

20 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 “Certainly, our planet is being affected by changes to weather, to species, with the rising temperature and the catastrophic effect that has on the planet and the people,” Kent says. “And as a part of that, how do we reduce our climate impact? It’s now widely recognized that energy efficiency can reach approximately 40 percent of our climate goals.” Because of this, AEE and its members remain focused on energy efficiency. “Energy efficiency has a good financial payback. It also has a substantial climate impact. It helps create jobs and provides opportunities for workforce development. It’s a driver there, and it also has other benefits such as health benefits – creating healthier and more productive buildings,” Kent says. “Throughout both developed and developing countries, there’s tremendous potential for energy efficiency. Any group anywhere can reduce their energy use by 20 to 30 percent. And that’s being conservative.” In addition to climate change, Kent also cites decarbonization (moving away from fossil- based fuel), as well as energy reliability and resiliency, as other significant challenges AEE and its members are working on. “As we reduce our energy consumption and move towards clean energy and renewables, we need to ensure that our energy supply is both reliable – you want it to stay on – and then resilient so that if you lose the energy, you’re able to get it back quickly,” he explains. While Kent says he believes most everyone is on the same page regarding the need to move toward more renewable, clean, and sustainable energy sources, the biggest challenge is in the pathway and transition to those sources. Regarding the pathway, Kent says there are many options to choose from. First, there are solar and wind, the least expensive forms of energy, but also intermittent, so you’re reliant on a sunny or windy day. Then there’s nuclear energy, which has the global community split on how green it can be. We also have the option for natural gas, which though ASSOCIAT ION OF ENERGY ENGINEERS