Meet Two of Our Sustainability Experts! |
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Since CES’ inception, we have been involved in sustainability analyses in every sector of the economy, including corporations, colleges and universities, private businesses, public institutions, non-profits, and municipalities. We’ve also helped our customers participate in and benefit from some of the largest renewable energy initiatives in the region. As costs for renewable technologies continue to become more affordable and more states are offering grants and incentives for new investments, sustainability is front and center for many businesses. CES’ sustainability experts are available to advise clients on everything from PPAs, greenhouse gas emission tracking, renewable energy credits, carbon offsets, battery storage, climate action planning, alternative fuel analysis and procurement, and more.
Meet two of our sustainability experts, who are always available to help advise companies on energy sustainability initiatives.
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Zac Bloom, Vice President, Head of Sustainability and Renewables
Zac Bloom joined CES in 2012 and is the Vice President, Head of Renewables & Sustainability. He assists clients with sustainability consulting such as greenhouse gas accounting, climate action planning, renewable energy procurement, and energy master planning. Zac also manages some of the firm’s largest educational client accounts and oversees all the CES efforts in renewable energy and sustainability.
"After about a decade in the financial services industry I decided to go back to school and get my master's degree in sustainability and the built environment. My goal was to apply my financial literacy to the evaluation and selection of sustainability and renewable projects. While the financial aspects of evaluating a project are not the only criteria that determine the viability of a project, they are an important factor to consider in conjunction with carbon reduction and operational & regional impacts. Working at CES has allowed me to work with some of the best universities & colleges, corporations and municipalities in the country. Knowing that these projects will remain operating decades from now, long after the project work was completed is very satisfying. I know more work needs to be done to reach the carbon reduction goals at the entity, state, and federal level and look forward to the challenges ahead."
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Sandy Beauregard, Director of Sustainability Services
Sandy Beauregard joined CES in 2021 as the Director of Sustainability Services. She assists clients with sustainability consulting such as greenhouse gas accounting, climate action planning, renewable energy procurement, and energy master planning. Prior to joining CES, Sandy worked as a sustainability and energy efficiency professional in the higher education sector.
"I got into the field of energy and sustainability out of concern for the environment and the impacts of climate change. I am fascinated by the relationships between natural and man-made systems and see energy as a critical area where our choices effect the natural environment and where we have an incredible opportunity to do better. I love that my work at CES combines my analytical engineering brain with my care for the environment."
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To learn more about how CES can help your organization with energy sustainability options, please contact your Energy Services Advisor or send an email to Zac or Sandy. |
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Through Road Trip, Competitive Energy Services will feature various energy infrastructure projects – road trip style. We have always enjoyed visiting and learning about the physical energy infrastructure that powers our world. Our families and friends are often subject to detours on family vacations – as was the case with this month’s feature…
While on a Maine-based family vacation this summer, President Andy Price and his crew visited the Saddleback Ridge Wind Project, located in Carthage, ME. Completed in 2015, the Saddleback Ridge Wind Project is a 34.2 MW, 12-turbine wind project which generates about 100,000 MWhs of renewable electricity each year. A rough but scenic 3-mile hiking trail leads over the summit of Bald Mt before ascending to the summit of Saddleback Ridge and a nice vantage point to view the Saddleback Ridge Wind Farm. Also visible from Saddleback Ridge is the 51 MW Record Hill wind project to the northwest and the 23 MW Canton Mountain wind project to the south.
Governor Mills of Maine issued an executive order requiring the state to be carbon neutral by 2045. Meeting this requirement will require rapid electrification of heating, transportation and other end uses, along with transitioning to a carbon free electricity grid. A carbon free electricity grid will require a diverse mix of carbon free electricity sources. Wind and solar, for example, are complementary on a seasonal as well as a diurnal basis. In Maine wind turbines generate most of their annual electricity during the dark days of winter – when sunlight hours are limited, and electricity loads are expected to peak once we transition our homes and businesses from oil and natural gas to heat pumps. Throughout the year, wind turbines in Maine also generate more electricity in the evening and night hours, when solar projects are offline.
At present, there are more than 400 turbines operating in Maine with a combined nameplate capacity of about 1,000 MW. Collectively these turbines generate close to 3 million MWhs each year – about 25% of the total electricity consumed each year in Maine. Combined with significant solar PV and offshore wind development, Maine is likely to need 2 to 3 times the current amount of onshore wind capacity in order to achieve its carbon neutrality goal.
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CES is pleased to welcome three new staff members to our team, Charlotte Del Col and Hannah Parks as Energy Analysts, and Maggie Paul as Energy Services Advisor. |
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Charlotte Del Col
Charlotte joined CES as an Energy Analyst in 2021. Charlotte is a recent graduate of Colby College with a B.A. in Environmental Policy and Anthropology.
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Hannah Parks
Hannah joined CES as an Energy Analyst in 2021. Hannah is a recent graduate of Northeastern University with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and International Affairs.
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Maggie Paul
Maggie joined CES as an Energy Services Advisor in 2021. Maggie recently graduated with a Master's in Business Administration, in addition to her B.A. in Geography from Clark University.
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Staff Picks: Sandy's Pick...
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The climate crisis requires that we drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions across all sectors of society. The Story of CO2 contributes to this vital conversation by highlighting the cutting-edge science and emerging technologies – a number of which are already commercially available – that can transform carbon dioxide into a myriad of products such as feedstock chemicals, polymers, pharmaceuticals, and fuels. This approach allows us to reconsider CO2 as a resource, and to add "carbon capture and use" to our other tools in the fight against catastrophic climate change.
The Story of CO2 explores all aspects of carbon dioxide, from the atomic to the universal perspective, and takes the reader on an epic journey into our physical world, starting from the moment of the Big Bang, all the way to the present world in which atmospheric CO2 concentrations continue to grow. This story presents readers with the latest carbon utilization technologies and explains how they fit within the broader context of carbon mitigation strategies in the shift towards a sustainable energy economy.
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