A former top official in the Department of Energy’s fossil office during President Donald Trump’s first term has returned to DOE to guide research and development of renewable and efficiency technologies.
Angelos Kokkinos also was recently a volunteer judge for the Elon Musk Foundation’s XPrize carbon removal competition, a $100 million effort to find breakthroughs in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Kokkinos, now a senior adviser at DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, joins other leaders at EERE with a background in fossil fuel development, including Audrey Robertson, the office’s current chief who worked previously for multiple oil and gas firms.
Kokkinos will be guiding the office on “research, development, validation, and effective utilization of renewable energy and efficiency technologies that improve the affordability, reliability, resiliency, and security of the American energy system,” DOE said in an online profile on its website.
The presence of fossil fuel leaders at the top of EERE has angered environmentalists who say it could damage programs that cut emissions, while supporters say that oil and gas expertise at the office could help development of technologies like geothermal, a priority of Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
