By George Roe, Director, Arctic Energy Office

I’m delighted, honored and challenged by the opportunity to serve in the director role as we re-establish the Arctic Energy Office.   While the bulk of my career was spent in the aerospace industry, energy in one form or another, and its integration has been involved in every aspect of my experience.  And, as is in the case of complex systems everywhere, my subsequent seven years at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have underscored the importance of inter-disciplinary dialogue, systems thinking, and multi-organizational collaboration in the pursuit of energy technology maturation with, for, and from, the North.   I believe resolutely in listening, sharing, and team work, and am committed to doing all that we can as the Arctic Energy Office to support the Department of Energy mission to “ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.” 

The energy systems of the Arctic - whale oil and petroleum crude, methane seeps and natural gas pipelines, hydroelectric dams and free-flowing geothermal wells, turbines in moving air and moving water, solar arrays adjacent to diesel generators, jet fuel and electric vehicles, piles of coal and sacks of wood pellets, nuclear reactors on land and at sea, … - are many and varied.  Like the people they support and the places where they are found, their integration involves important, often complex and sometimes quite fragile, multi-factor interactions.  

And, as is the case across the planet, much is changing in the North - temperatures are rising, precipitation patterns are changing, ice is retreating, permafrost is thawing, species are moving, … - and doing so at a rate unprecedented in human recollection.  We can and must engage in respectful relationships, share/discover old/new understandings, and develop/adopt the capabilities and technologies required for us to adapt to this changing world.  

How can these rich and diverse energy resources and dynamic context best be stewarded to provide arctic citizens and visitors, communities and industries, indigenous peoples and political states with the power and heat they need to live, move and thrive?  How can people within and outside the arctic collaborate to achieve the reliable, affordable, and resilient energy systems we all need?