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Congratulations to AEE’s 2021 International Award Winners!

Through its International Awards Program, the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) shines light on the important work that is being done by individuals, organizations, agencies, and corporations. These awards identify those who exemplify the very best in their fields.

The 2021 International Awards were presented on Wednesday, October 20, 2021.

Energy Engineer of the Year
Mr. Bali Singh

Bali Singh has conducted 30 energy audits in the year 2020, saving approximately 3 million kWh. Whereas suggest saving measures are of 200 million kWh which are under implementation. He is also appointed consultant of Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee for the Noida smart Street lights project in Noida city, which has saved approximately 63.6 million kWh annually. He has also developed an Online Tool for Energy Management to monitor key parameters of different energy intensive equipment, to allow Energy Managers to better analyze the condition of equipment from the comfort of their home. Mr. Singh’s software is installed on 17 hospitals, 3 industries and approximately 500 solar sites for monitoring of energy efficiency parameters.

Corporate Energy Management
Mercury Marine, A division of Brunswick Corporation

Mercury Marine is an environmental steward, driven by environmentally conscious production and sustainable energy management. Its most recent initiative, installation of its first photovoltaic array will contribute toward fulfillment of a goal beginning in 2020 to derive 50% of the company’s electricity from renewable sources by the end of 2030.

Mercury’s initiatives, including modernization of HVAC and lighting systems, containment of compressed air systems, optimization of equipment and facilities, redirection of manufacturing generated heat for multiple purposes and incorporation of natural lighting and passive heating into the design of new facilities demonstrated its strong commitment to energy efficiency.

Institutional Energy Management
Baylor University Energy Management Team

The Baylor University Energy Management Team (Energy Team) was formed in 2014 to support the changing culture and focus on the new campus infrastructure expansion. Spanning over more than 1,000 acres with over 125 facilities, and over 8 million square feet of conditioned space, the Energy Team was tasked with energy-focused operations with outcome-based solutions. The comprehensive energy program embarked on a quest to improve facility operations, campus engagement and utility savings projects on both the energy supply and demand opportunities. Implementing many energy industry proven saving methods throughout the years, Baylor University saw a reduction in electrical consumption by 17 million kWh in 2020. Since its inception, the Baylor Energy Team has captured energy savings of more than $13 million dollars.

Energy Professional Development
Dr. Fahad Abdulaziz Al-Sulaiman

Dr. Fahad Al-Sulaiman has a long history in energy efficiency and renewable energy with over 150 publications and 10 patents. He has led the development of several energy courses, two concentration programs in energy efficiency and renewable energy and an MS program in sustainable energy and renewable energy at KFUPM. He is also the founding director of the Center of Excellence in Energy Efficiency, the Center of Research Excellence in Renewable Energy, and the founder of the Renewable Energy Incubator, which is responsible for working with students to develop ideas from concepts to final products for the market. He has participated in more than 35 different committees and attended more than 60 short courses and workshops in leadership, project management, strategic planning, research projects, entrepreneurship, educational skills, engineering skills, and dialogue skills. He is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and Certified Energy Auditor (CEA) by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and, in addition, certified trainer for CEM and CEA.

Energy Manager of the Year
Mr. Tom Lanzilotta

Tom Lanzilotta, Energy Manager for Stony Brook University, has led energy efficiency initiatives that have reduced campus-wide consumption per square foot by 21% and have resulted in cost savings of over $10 million per year. He is responsible for a utility budget of over $50 million per year covering 200+ buildings totaling 12 million square feet. Tom continues to advance innovative energy conservation programs including comprehensive energy audits, leveraging of real time data analytics, and verification of savings through submetering systems. Tom was recognized as the 2016 NY – AEE’s “Energy Manager of the Year” and 2019 Region-1 Energy Manager in recognition of his efforts.

Energy Project of the Year: National
Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum

New York City’s Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex is an educational and cultural non-profit institution centered on the aircraft carrier Intrepid. The Museum’s mission is to promote the awareness and understanding of history, science, and service, honor our heroes, educate the public, and inspire our youth. Over the last 15 years, a number of energy efficiency project have been completed to reduce energy and carbon footprint. Projects spanned from the replacement of the mechanical plant on Pier-86 with a CHP system on board the ship, for overall energy footprint reduction, enhanced resiliency after Sandy, and recovery of the pier space currently occupied by the mechanical plant, to installation of an extensive BMS for CHP and plant monitoring and operational control of the new central plant.

Energy Project of the Year: International
LTM Energy Project

South Africa has an abundance of sunshine and farmers with large amounts of land, that may sometimes have limited or unpredictable access to grid power. LTM Energy developed a unique product that offers farmers an affordable solar system with no minimum offtake or performance risks. LTM Energy suggested to farmers to keep the cost of the system low whilst addressing quality and the power needs of the client: Construction of a large enough solar system that could produce sufficient power for at least 1 pump set to run 8-9 hours a day. So, the potential for a roll out on a 10% capture rate is50953135 KWh pa from the grid. The systems have provided a reduction in dependence on municipal water supply systems (reducing South African carbon footprint), and improving community health by providing water for sanitation, drinking, cooking, cleaning, and more.

Innovative Energy Project of the Year
A Pioneer Energy Saving Solution in Gas Dehumidification System – Integrated D-PAU with Solar Collectors

Towngas (HKCG) helps clients achieve building sustainability objectives by adopting advances in energy efficiency technologies. In cooperation with Henderson Land Development (HLD) they implemented an integrated D-PAU which utilizes renewable energy with gas water heaters for fresh air dehumidification in H Zentre. This is the first development in Hong Kong that puts wellness and health at the forefront. The UV sanitizing light installed and integrated with D-PAU provides excellent sanitized fresh indoor air quality for medical centers on wellness floors.

Energy Innovator of the Year
Dr. Pan Lee

Dr. Lee led the R&D team at ATAL to successfully develop an explainable AI platform for energy optimization in central chiller plants. The key innovation is to combine principles of physics with machine learning techniques to better capture the dynamics of chiller plant systems, providing an explainable and highly accurate modelling performance for real-time optimizations. This innovative development helps transform HVAC control from discrete rule-based optimization to holistic data-driven optimization. The platform has been successfully applied to a Grade-A office building in Hong Kong, achieving a further yearly energy saving of 7.52% in 2020.

Young Energy Professional of the Year
Ms. Anna Harman

Anna Harman E.I.T., leads carbon road mapping studies for building portfolios with WSP’s Climate Change Team. At the age of 25, Anna is already a Canadian leader in this field. She was a key contributor to the development of plans to avoid over 18 million tons of CO2 emissions in over 1,000 buildings across Canada. As emissions from energy use is only one contributor to climate change, her work also focuses on benchmarking and reducing water and waste. She has benchmarked energy, carbon, and water for over 200 buildings internationally and has identified possible reduction measures as a first step towards sustainable operations and carbon neutrality. Anna has played a critical role in developing multiple holistic sustainability strategies. Anna is developing programs to assist young people of all backgrounds in their exploration of engineering and climate change reduction. She co-founded and chairs a volunteer committee fostering a sustainable workplace and surrounding community.

Young Energy Professional of the Year
Mrs. Nicole Hartman

Nicole Hartman is a CEM and CMVP who has already developed $140+ million of high-impact ESPC projects. Nicole’s projects have received numerous industry awards including the 2020 AEE Region III Energy Project of the Year and six other awards from DOE and the Army. One project is on track to reduce energy consumption by 57% for a 540,000 square foot federal facility. Nicole is a senior project manager and a member of the leadership team for CEG Solutions. Beyond her certifications, management experience, and awards, Nicole is a leader who pursues excellence, drives innovation, shares best practices, and mentors younger associates.

Young Energy Professional of the Year
Anthony Scaparra

Anthony Scaparra, CEM, manages the Lewisville Texas Independent School District’s Comprehensive Energy Efficiency Program. LISD spans over 127 square miles, contains over 100 facilities, and totals 9.7 million square feet of conditioned space, making it one of the largest K-12 districts in the state of Texas. Under his leadership, the Program achieved 29.4% in energy savings and over $3 million in savings for the year 2020. Mr. Scaparra is a mentor to his team’s engineering associates and continues to serve the North Texas chapter of AEE as their treasurer. Mr. Scaparra supports young professionals in the area by staying involved with engineering students at the University of North Texas. He has spoken to UNT’s College of Engineering’s freshman engineering class as well as at UNT’s Student Chapter of AEE on topics such as energy engineering, engineering associations, work experience, certifications, and interviewing skills.

Disntinguished Service
Samer A. Zawaydeh

SAMER ZAWAYDEH, M.S.C., C.R.M., R.E.P., is an Independent Engineer internationally recognized energy expert with 32 years of management experience around the world. He is working on Jordan ESCOs Accreditation Scheme, Co-Authored Jordan Renewables Readiness Assessment (2020-2025) with IRENA, organized South Pole/ EBRD Jordan Climate Change Stakeholders Dialogueto initiate the carbon market and finance, implemented hundreds of small energy efficiency and renewable energy project, participated in utility scale Wind and PV projects development and is a Lecturer at Al Hussein Technical University since 2019. He is the first consultant that started implementing Jordan Green Buildings Guide rating system in 2015 and 1st LEED Platinum Building locally. Committed volunteer to the development of the energy sector locally, regionally and around the world through AEE. He coordinated AEE Certification courses to 4,000+ professionals, and gave energy awareness seminars to 100,000+ people. He served as AEE Foundation President (2021), AEE President (2020), AEE President Elect (2019), AEE Secretary (2018), CRM Board Chairman (2018-2021), CRM Trainer (2012 -2021) Jordan Energy Chapter President (2015·- 2017), JEC Secretary (2017-2019), International Certification Board (2016-Present), Assistant Director for International Membership Development for Special Projects (2014-Present), Student Chapters Mentor (2014-Present), ADIMD for Middle East (2012-2014), supported development of CWEEL Internationally, and AEE newsletter columnist. In addition, he founded ten student chapters locally, six regionally, and helped in the startup of eight international chapters.

About the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE)
The Association of Energy Engineers is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit professional society with over 18,000 members in more than 100 countries. AEE offers a variety of informational outreach programs including training, conferences, chapters, journals, and certification programs. The mission of AEE is to promote the scientific and educational interests of those engaged in the energy industry and to foster action for sustainable development.