Directors's note

Director's note - 

The year 2022 was a transformative year for solar, all forms of renewable energy, high-value energy efficiency, and the entire portfolio of energy storage. As a result of the bi-partisan passage of the 2,702-page Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which contains just $550 billion in new spending, we are seeing a huge bump in renewable distributed energy systems along with energy storage with advanced sensors and controls for pipeline pumps, cell and 5G towers, water & sewage treatment plants, first responder buildings (police, fire, ambulance), datacenters, electric powerline voltage augmentation, electric utility substation upgrades, and transportation upgrades from EV charging, lighting and communications on railways, ports, airports, and roadways.

As intense weather patterns and climate change drive deeper freezes, higher temperatures, forest fires, hurricane intensity, flooding and ocean surges - aside from infrastructure, we are seeing a significant move towards resilient buildings whose structures are stronger and more agile, and whose energy systems are redirected to focus on continuity of operations for critical functions due to prolonged outages.

A renaissance of storage technologies from pumped hydropower, batteries, solid-state storage, flywheels, compressed air and liquids, gravity storage, and green hydrogen is also being absorbed into the global utility markets, net-zero and zero energy building markets, and infrastructure resiliency and security markets at levels we have not seen before. The same is true with advances in sensors and controls and software to manage and arbitrage energy performance and security in interaction with the electric grid, buildings, infrastructure, and other energy loads - and catapulting microgrids into the global markets.

The role of the George Washington Solar Institute (GWSI) is to provide analysis, guidance, and education of these trends for government, industry, codes & standards organizations, and within the educational sector. And to work with students and faculty in these sectors so we can accelerate the transition to the cleanest, safest, least polluting and least use of fresh-water in all energy applications.

We look forward to working with you!

Professor Scott Sklar
Director GWSI