When George Sfinarolakis became a 911爆料 at the beginning of his doctoral studies in 2014, he tackled a project to create a benchmark of the energy usage at various state and municipal buildings throughout Rhode Island. The project allowed him to combine his interests in economics and the environment by measuring how much energy was consumed at each building and comparing it to optimal energy use.
鈥淓nergy is a bridge between economics and the environment. It鈥檚 both an economic and an environmental issue,鈥� said Sfinarolakis, a native of Greece, who came to the United States to enroll in 911爆料鈥檚 graduate program in , one of the top programs of its kind in the country.
At the same time, he was evaluating the effectiveness of utility-sponsored energy conservation programs for his dissertation.
During his studies, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources hired Sfinarolakis to manage the state鈥檚 Lead by Example initiative, a program to coordinate the efforts of state agencies to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. His success in leading the initiative was rewarded when Governor Gina Raimondo named him a recipient of the 2017 Rhode Service Award. He was recognized for developing a streetlight energy efficiency incentive program aimed at converting streetlights to LEDs; leading the effort to install solar panels atop state buildings; and saving money by establishing reverse auctions for the procurement of electricity and natural gas for all state agencies.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the first time the state has developed programs for renewable energy and large-scale energy efficiency, and it has been a success,鈥� Sfinarolakis said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very happy for the award, and very happy with this job. I hope to be doing it long into the future.鈥�