Happy Holidays from the Arctic Energy Office at the U.S. Department of Energy. Watch this new video from Director Erin Whitney to learn about our 2023 accomplishments and what's coming up.
December 14, 2023
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Happy Holidays from the Arctic Energy Office at the U.S. Department of Energy. While acknowledging our many challenges, it’s a season to be grateful for the people and communities in the Arctic we serve, for our nation’s investments in climate and clean energy, for time with those who are important to us, and for building relationships.
So, thank you, for your engagement with the Arctic Energy Office.
In the Arctic, we are no strangers to the long winters, the cold and the darkness of the season.
We know it takes partnerships, neighbors, and friends near and far, to bring joy, light, and growth during these times. We also want to reflect on what our office has accomplished in 2023 as we head into the new year.
With your help, we’ve pushed forward to implement the strong vision of the DOE Arctic Strategy and the National Strategy for the Arctic, partnering with over 21 Department of Energy offices and leaders to work on topics ranging from critical minerals to national defense, from hydrogen strategies to advanced nuclear in Alaska to meet community microgrid needs.
- Read about Office of Science Director Asmeret Asefaw Berhe’s trip to Utqiagvik, Alaska.
- Read about the Tribal energy programs in Alaska day at the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs’ Program Review meeting in Denver, Colorado.
- Read about ARPA-E Director Evelyn Wang’s trip to Nondalton, Alaska.
- Read about Deputy Secretary David Turk’s visit to Teller, Nome, Kotsebue, and Anchorage, Alaska.
We’ve also worked on STEM education, Tribal outreach and Alaska Native Corporation and Village connections, and boosting Arctic applicants to DOE funding and technical assistance opportunities.
We’ve launched the Arctic Energy Ambassadors, and we will be announcing more in January about our cohort and their work.
And we’ve worked internationally with the White House and our Arctic allies and partners to carry out the new National Strategy for the Arctic Region to ensure a safe and prosperous region in Alaska and internationally.
For our team, we said goodbye to some and wished them well on their next career moves. Givey Kochanowski moved to the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Management, Carolyn Hinkley transitioned to the Office of Electricity at the Department of Energy, and Dr. Matt Heavner completed his detail and returned to his work at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Before the year closed out we added new team members, with AnneMarie Horowitz joining us as Chief of Staff, Brix Hahn joining us as our Alaska Engagement Advisor, Dr. Levi Kilcher joining us as our Senior Energy Advisor, and Paul McKinley joining us as a joint Hydrogen Energy Advisor with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Arctic Energy Office. Get to know our new (and current) staff through their bios here.
There's so much more to come in 2024, in partnership with many of you, so please keep following along and let us know if you’re in Alaska or D.C. so we can connect.
Happy Holidays. We appreciate you.
Erin Whitney
Dr. Erin Whitney is the Director of the Arctic Energy Office. In this role, she leads the Arctic Energy Office mission to bring the Arctic to the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Energy to the Arctic. Director Whitney is based in Alaska and works with Arctic stakeholders in innovative ways to meet the energy, science, and national security needs of the United States and its allies. She implements the Department of Energy's Arctic Strategy to facilitate national energy policies and initiatives.
As a former member of the research faculty at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) and previously as a staff scientist at DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), she brought a wealth of experience and deep knowledge of Arctic issues when she joined the Arctic Energy Office in January 2023.
While at ACEP, she founded and directed its thriving Solar Technologies Program, managed the Data Collection and Analysis Program, and led ACEP's work on the Alaska Affordable Energy Strategy that highlights Alaska’ technology-specific energy development needs. She also led a multi-year National Science Foundation project exploring food, energy, and water security, and led the University of Alaska’s regional partner team for the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP). Dr. Whitney coordinated a range of activities to integrate hydrogen with Alaska’s energy systems, including the launch of the Alaska Hydrogen Working Group. Dr. Whitney was a 2022-23 Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Germany at the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy in Freiburg, studying hydrogen energy systems for remote microgrids.
From her time at NREL, Dr. Whitney has a strong research background in materials R&D, energy analysis, energy efficiency, and energy storage. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Williams College in Massachusetts and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
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