Amit Ronen, the deputy chief of staff for U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), has been named the new director of the GW Solar Institute, the University announced at its 5th Annual Solar Symposium held April 23. The Solar Institute, which was founded in 2008, is a component of Columbian College.
“We are pleased to welcome Amit to the GW community and look forward to continuing to explore new opportunities to meet global energy needs and environmental challenges,” said Dean Peg Barratt. “He brings to the Solar Institute a wide-ranging knowledge of government and extensive experience in energy and environmental policy strategy.”
As Senator Cantwell’s top advisor on energy and natural resource issues, Ronen worked to accelerate the nation’s transition to a cleaner, more diversified and better distributed energy system. Prior to serving as an energy advisor, he was a policy analyst with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and collaborated on high visibility projects with the U.S. Department of Transportation, focusing on intelligent transportation systems architecture and public-private partnerships.
The Solar Institute has contributed to the development of solar policy in a number of ways, including providing technical advice to federal agencies and advancing the worldwide conversation on ways to invest in solar energy. It has also delivered important research such as its published report on the history of energy incentives in America, and has raised awareness through education and outreach activities.
The recent Solar Symposium, titled “Solar Energy: Going Global,” featured panel discussions by business leaders and policy decision-makers on the global outlook for solar power. Participants included keynote speaker Kathleen Weiss, vice president of government affairs, First Solar; Alan Miller, principal climate change specialist at the International Finance Corporation; Lucio Monari, sector manager for Africa Energy Group at the World Bank; and Jonathan Walters, director for regional strategy and programs in the Middle East and North Africa at the World Bank. The Symposium was recorded, and video footage will be posted on the GW Solar Institute website.