Dr. Levi Kilcher is the Former Senior Energy Advisor for the Arctic Energy Office, and departed DOE effective December 31, 2024. In this role he supported the Director of the Arctic Energy Office in implementing DOE’s Arctic Strategy, with special focus on implementing the strategic goal to advance the decarbonization, resilience, and equity of the Arctic energy sector and broader economy.
Prior to joining the Arctic Energy Office, Levi was the lead scientist for marine energy resource characterization at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). In this role he helped chart NREL’s marine energy research strategy, authored numerous publications on measuring and quantifying marine energy resources, and—in collaboration with partners Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Sandia National Labs—published high-resolution marine resource datasets via novel tools such as the marine energy atlas. As a contributing author of marine energy standards for the International Electrotechnical Commission (TC114), he applied marine energy standards in his work and brought his hands-on marine measurement experience to the development of those standards. Throughout his career at NREL he also supported several rural Alaskan communities to identify renewable energy options appropriate to their environment, including but not limited to marine energy.
Levi grew up on Dena’ina Lands near Homer, Alaska. He completed a B.S. in Physics and a PhD in Physical Oceanography, both at Oregon State University. He is passionate about identifying local renewable energy options that meet the cultural, environmental, and economic needs of communities of all scales, and he believes Alaska has a unique and impactful role to play in the energy economy of the future. When not at work he enjoys rock climbing, running, mountain biking, hiking, and skiing. His favorite activity is backpacking with his family in Alaska’s mountains.
