Working at the Intersection of Energy, Environment, and Society

For the past thirty years, Bonnie Ram has contributed to the clean energy transformations in the US, Europe and China, collaborating with local, national, regional, and international organizations. 

  Ram’s valuable experiences translate consistently to results because of her applied experiences, extensive professional network as well as a deep knowledge of the scientific literature. In the wind and solar energy areas, her environmental science background combined with local stakeholder engagement strategies has led to innovative approaches in a range of technical areas, including effective federal and state permitting, citizen participation strategies, curriculum development, and economic development opportunities.   

Bonnie Ram led the cutting-edge program demonstrating offshore wind and ocean energy supporting the clean energy efforts of the Department of Energy Office of Wind Technologies and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. 

Her leadership during the project provided technical support for gigawatt-scale wind deployments, ocean technologies, and marine and hydrokinetic devices. Throughout the project Bonnie provided compliance and documentation for environmental risk assessment, permits, and siting strategies, while emphasizing the importance of stakeholder engagement and interagency collaborations. It was during this time that Bonnie led the first Wind Vision Report: 20% by 2030.

Just as important as scientific know-how and community engagement is creating an effective method of strategic analysis and market research.

With her many achievements and experiences in the field of wind energy, Bonnie succeeded in completing a comprehensive analysis on North American wind manufacturing. Given her vast knowledge on the subject, she has provided consultation for the University of Maryland to find grant collaborators in support of offshore wind resources, a large part of which was to aid in translating the complexities wind energy functionality for policy makers. She has also lead successful strategic marketing strategies on offshore wind for Kearns and West as well as a German economic development agency focusing on wind and solar power.