Dr. Richard Rocheleau
Dr. Rocheleau is the Director of the Hawai'i Natural Energy Institute. He works closely with faculty, funding agencies, industry, and legislators to develop and implement collaborative programs and partnerships in advanced energy technologies. Hawai'i centric activities include being a member of the “US-DOD Alternative Vehicle Working Group”, an active member of the Steering Committee for the Hawai'i Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI), and contributing to high-level energy planning meetings facilitated by the Governor’s office. In select programs, such as hydrogen and biofuels, he has integrated DOD, DOE and State partnerships and funding to leverage resources. A key element in achieving HNEI goals is to identify and reduce barriers to the integration of intermittent renewable generation technologies onto the electrical grid. Dr. Rocheleau’s efforts have led to national and international partnerships in the development and deployment of smart grid technologies including advanced inverter technology, advanced storage systems, and the application of hydrogen as a grid management tool. HNEI partnerships now extend to Japan with the New Energy and Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and to Europe with the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA).