ABSTRACT
Installing PV panels with Atlanta in the backgroundOne renewable energy event that could be lost in the stream of history is the DOE’s role in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games held in Atlanta, Georgia. It was an important event in the sense
that it set a new standard for the greening of the Olympics, a standard that has been met in subsequent Summer Olympic Games. This includes the 2000 Games in Sydney, the 2004 Games in Athens, the 2008 Games in Beijing, and the 2012 Games in London. It is expected that the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro will meet this standard as well.When Atlanta was selected for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games it was understood that it was likely to be the last U.S. city to host the Summer Games until well into the 21st century. Planning for the DOE’s activities at the 1996 Summer Games began in 1990, under the Bush-41 Administration, at the DOE’s Atlanta Support Office. It took formal shape in March 1992 when the newly formed National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Atlanta Support Office formed a team to identify and discuss opportunities with the Atlantic Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) and the Metropolitan Atlantic Olympic Games Authority (MAOGA). Technical opportunity teams were formed, and initial discussions with industry and other potential stakeholders began that fall. The DOE’s interest was clear-the Olympics represented a unique and highly visible opportunity to showcase American progress in developing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and speak directly to potential global markets. More than two million on-site visitors were expected in Atlanta, as well as a global TV audience of more than three billion.Unfortunately, much of this planning activity got lost in the aftermath of the 1992 U.S. presidential election, the beginning of the Clinton-Gore Administration, and the appointment of a new Secretary of Energy. This became clear at a meeting I attended in February 1993 that was called by the new Secretary, Hazel O’Leary, to discuss her plans for the future. There was no mention of the planning for Atlanta, which some of us were familiar with, but we just assumed that a new Secretary has lots of issues to think about.When it became clear shortly thereafter that no active planning for Atlanta was still underway, and that no DOE funds had been budgeted for activities in Atlanta, two of us decided to act-John Millhone, head of the EERE Buildings Program, and me. Under my leadership we revived the effort as an ad hoc activity that would be carried out using program funds over which John and I had discretion, and, hopefully, generous
in-kind and cash contributions from private sector partners who wanted to demonstrate their technologies. On this basis a significant demonstration project was planned and implemented. Final estimated cost of the project was $25 million (in 1996 dollars) with the DOE’s share being $5 million. Getting the $5 million out of our limited budgets was not easy. I had to twist arms of two people-one in my own shop, and John’s. John was fully supportive of the project but felt so badgered by my repeated requests for funds that after a while he would occasionally turn the other way when he saw me approaching him in the hallway. Nevertheless, he came through and today a building in Atlanta exists because of John’s financial support. More on that later.The issue in my shop was with the head of my solar energy program, Bud Annon’s successor Jim Rannels, who claimed all his allocated funds were already committed to other projects. While I could have pulled the money in my role as DAS, I did not want to do that without first talking with him. The funds I wanted were to be used for a large solar PV installation on the roof of the new 1-million gallon Olympic swimming pool (Natatorium) that was being built on the Georgia Tech campus for the Games. After a bit of delicate and some not-so-delicate persuading, he saw the value to his program and agreed to adjust his budget.To ensure the widest possible visibility of our clean energy projects in Atlanta, I decided to hire a contractor, Casals and Associates, to develop a detailed outreach plan that would take full advantage of the Olympic opportunity. We worked closely together with the contractor team for the next two years, producing a detailed plan that would give us good TV exposure and relied on partnerships with small and large corporations. A copy of the plan still resides in my files. Unfortunately, 1996 was the year of Secretary O’Leary’s infamous trip to India which raised Congressional concerns, and EERE’s leadership, being gun-shy about stirring up the already stirred up Congress, directed me not to implement several aspects of the outreach plan. As a result parts of a unique opportunity were lost. Nevertheless, several clean energy demonstrations were in place on the Georgia Tech campus during the Games and several provided ongoing benefits to Georgia Tech and Atlanta after the Olympic Games were concluded.
