Since the Paris COP21 conference late last year, nations from around the world have been reacting positively to the outcomes of the event. Following European countries, the United States has been a global leader in the fight against climate change with total share renewables used in the US electric power sector to increase by 10.5% in 2016 and by 4.3% in 2017. Consequently, effective educational activities in renewable energy are now essential tools in the fight against climate change. The European Energy Center (known as the “EEC”) is at the forefront of these efforts, leading with state-of-the-art courses run alongside The George Washington University (GW). The REI and GW’s transatlantic partnership combines the experience of the GW as a leading worldwide academic body with the REI’s wide portfolio of vocational training expertise obtained over 40 years through close collaborations with major universities, leading global authorities and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The recent Renewable Energy Management and Finance training course received praise from its participants, including those from governmental and high-profile international organizations such as the US Department of Energy and the World Bank. US Department of Energy’s Nick VanDusen praised the course for its “exposure to more innovative renewable energy and efficiency technologies”, and added that he will directly apply skills learnt on the course to his day-to-day job: “I will apply concepts for evaluating applicants in the Department of Energy’s loan origination program.” The training seminars are open to all professionals and students, from those with technical backgrounds to others who have no prior experience, which was very much reflected in the attendees at the Renewable Energy Management and Finance course. Aaron George, a student at The George Washington University who attended the course alongside representatives from major organizations, stated that this course was a “brilliant introduction for someone wanting to get into the Renewable Energy field.” Smaller class sizes are set in order to encourage Q&A consultancy sessions and further discussion of international practical case studies: this facilitates professional networking between the delegates and lecturer and also between the delegates themselves. The REI and GW have an ongoing commitment to provide high quality teaching from leading Experts in the field of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Expert Lecturers selected by the Partnership include Scott Sklar, an Adjunct Professor at GW and the Chair of the US Department of Commerce Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee; and Michael Ware who is on the board of the American Council on Renewable Energy, and founded a private investment firm with a long and successful track record in the energy and power industries. Oumar Diallo from Delphos International, Ltd described the teaching from these Experts as “excellent”, explaining “I didn’t even receive this level of teaching at grad school.” Paolo Buoni, Director of the REI reflected on the course, saying “It is great to hear such positive feedback from participants from some of the world’s foremost organizations. The success of this course displays the sentiment of positive international collaboration present at the COP21 Paris summit last year. We at the REI feel that this course has set a great benchmark for those that we run in the USA in the future.”
