Association of Environmental Authorities – Nicola White – 2021

Goals

The Association of Environmental Authorities (AEA) educates and advocates for their member organizations especially in light of recent clean energy policies and increasing climate catastrophes. AEA brought on Nicola White to profile their members and help connect them with available clean energy technologies and state-funded incentive programs.  

Solutions

During her time with AEA, Nicola completed three projects:

• Energy Survey: First, she created a survey to gather information on AEA members’ statuses, needs, and interests regarding energy efficiency and climate resiliency.
• Member Database: Next, she analyzed the results of the survey coupled with data she sourced and cleaned from New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program to form a database of all 80+ AEA Authority members. This will be referenced by AEA management to help them best serve their members and the environment.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Lastly, Nicola interviewed multiple AEA members about their thoughts and concerns on New Jersey’s 2019 Energy Master Plan, which will directly affect most industries including utilities.

Potential Impact

Nicola identified up to $850,000 of savings available through New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program for critical infrastructure upgrades. These upgrades increase the use of clean, efficient energy while also enabling climate resiliency—helping facilities keep power on to provide essential utility services during storms or floods.