when we're working on your team, expect much, much more than the sum of our individual efforts


Law Seminars International's 5th Annual Conference on Renewable Energy in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA. "Entrepreneur's Panel: Leveraging Policy Promise into Commercial Reality." August 7, 2009.

American Wind Energy Association's Wind Power Project Siting Workshop. Seattle, WA. "Project Opposition in New Forms." February 25, 2009.

Energy Action Northwest's Energy Summit 2008. Portland, OR. "A Call to Action for the Northwest: Policies to Foster Transition to Clean, Affordable, Reliable Energy." October 23, 2008.

Harvard Electricity Policy Group. Chicago, IL. "Regulatory Treatment of Purchased Power: Pass Through or Profit Center?" October 3, 2008.

Law Seminars International's 4th Annual Conference on Renewable Energy in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA. "Entrepreneur's Panel." August 8, 2008.

American Bar Association & The American Council on Renewable Energy's Renewable Energy Series. Teleconference. "Utilities & Renewables: Is There a Role for Independent Power Producers?" November 14, 2007.

Northwest Energy Coalition's Fall Conference. Seattle, WA. "Renewable Energy: Climate Friendly Power." October 12, 2007.

Renewable Energy in the Pacific Northwest's Annual Conference. Seattle, WA. "Introduction & Overview." August 9, 2007.

Utility Wind Integration Group's Wind-Hydro Integration Workshop. Portland, OR. "Overcoming the Structural Barriers to More Liquid Markets for Flexibility Products." March 22, 2007.

Law Seminars International's 11th Annual Conference on Buying & Selling Electric Power in the West. Seattle, WA. "Role of Independent Power Production in a Regulated Environment." January 19, 2007.

MRTU Seams Technical Conference. Phoenix, AZ. "Operational Seams Between CAISO and Other Systems." December 14, 2006.

Western Power Supply Forum II. San Francisco, CA. "Environmental, Reliability & Cost Considerations in Developing Additional Generation Capacity." December 5, 2006.

Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission's Sixth Energy Regulatory Partnership with the Kyrgyz Republic. Olympia, WA. "The Role of Independent Power." October 18, 2006.

Cornish College of the Arts Biennial Charette: The Citizen Designer, Visionary Sketches. Seattle, WA. "Buckminster Fuller: Exemplar of Design." September 25, 2006.

Northwest Public Power Association's Conference on Preparing for BPA Allocation. Portland, OR. "Purchasing Energy from Independent Power." September 19, 2006.

Law Seminars International's 2nd Annual Conference on Renewables & Energy Efficiency. Seattle, WA. "Introduction & Overview." August 10, 2006.

Western Power Supply Forum: Finding Solutions to the Western Power Shortage. Salt Lake City, UT. "Resource Adequacy: What is Really Needed in the West?" May 9, 2006.

Law Seminars International's 10th Annual Conference on Buying & Selling Electric Power in the West. Seattle, WA. "The Role of Independent Power Producers." January 20, 2006.

Intermountain Forest Association. Coeur d'Alene, ID. "Energy: Today & Tomorrow." December 8, 2005.

Joint Board of Security Constrained Economic Dispatch Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Ð Western States' Regulatory Commissions. Indian Wells, CA. "Economic Dispatches: Stakeholder Panel." November 13, 2005.

Law Seminars International's 1st Annual Conference on Renewables & Energy Efficiency. Seattle, WA. "Introduction & Overview." August 11, 2005.

Bonneville Power Administration's Energizing the Northwest Ð Today and Tomorrow. Portland, OR. "Non-Wires Solutions." September 29, 2004.

Law Seminars International's 9th Annual Conference on Buying & Selling Electric Power in the West. Seattle, WA. "Post 2006 Ð The Key to Selling Power in the Pacific Northwest." January 23, 2004.

New Energy. "Simply a Smart Business Decision: The Northwest Discovers Wind Power," OsnabrŸck, Germany, February 2001.

New Energy. "Bigger & Better: Texas Finds Room for Renewable Energies," OsnabrŸck, Germany, April 2000.

Independent Energy. "Wind Energy: On Its Way," Tulsa, OK, March 2000.

Electricity Journal. "Siting Struggles: The Unique Challenge Permitting Renewable Energy Power Plants," New York, NY, March 2000.

New Energy. "New Life for the Agricultural Community: Wind Power Has Come to Stay in the American Midwest," OsnabrŸck, Germany, January 2000. Independent Energy. "Windpower in the New Millennium," Tulsa, OK, October 1999.

Rock Products' 34th Annual International Cement Seminar. Salt Lake City, UT. "Considerations for Evaluating a Biosolids Injection Program." December 9, 1998.

Renewable Energy World. "107 MW of Wind Power: The World's Largest Single Wind Power Contract," London, England, July 1998.

European Water Pollution Control Association's Innovation 2000 Conference. Cambridge, England. "BioSolids Injection: A New Technology for Effective Biosolids Management." July 1998.

Water Environment & Technology. Cover Story. "An Uncommon Use: County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County Sends Biosolids to Cement Plant to Reduce Manufacturing Emissions," Arlington, VA, May 1998. With Penny Hill.

Water Environmental Federation and American Water Works Association's 11th Annual Water Residuals and Biosolids Management Conference. Philadelphia, PA. "Achieving Air Quality Improvements with Biosolids." August 3, 1997.

Bonneville Power Administration and Portland General Electric's Conference. Portland, OR. "Wind Energy Comes to the Northwest." June 1995.

Windpower Monthly. "Facing a Free Market," Vrinners Hoved, Denmark, May 1994.

University of Washington & University of Groningen's (The Netherlands) International Symposium on Urban Planning and the Environment. Seattle, WA. "Making Tough Choices: Can Desirable Infrastructure Be Built in Urban Washington?" March 1994.

Rock Products' 29th Annual International Cement Seminar. San Francisco, CA. "Crafting a National Campaign: The Role of Public Relations in the Cement Industry." December 1993.

Independent Energy "The Northwest Gold Rush," Milaca, MN, May/June 1993.

Washington State Energy Strategy Committee. Sea-Tac, WA. "Power Plant Siting and Public Acceptance." April 1992.

Independent Energy. "Surviving The Siting Struggle," Milaca, MN, November 1992.

Windpower Monthly. "Proud of Our Green Values," Vrinners Hoved, Denmark, October 1992.

Rock Products. "Four Steps to Better Community Relations," Chicago, IL, May 1992.

University of California at Davis. Davis, CA. "Public Relations For Planning & Decision Making." December 1991.

National Association of Farm Broadcasters. Kansas City, KS. "Biotechnology and the FROSTBAN Field Trial." October 1987.

California Solid Waste Management Board. Los Angeles, CA. "Public Perception of Resource Recovery." February 19, 1986.

Technology Review. "Harvesting the Wind," November/December 1984.

The Futurist. "Personal Glimpses of Bucky Fuller," World Future Society, Washington, DC, October 1983.

Technology Review. "The Implications of Cable: More Messages from the Medium," MIT, Cambridge, MA, January 1983.

Editor, Common Sense Wind Energy. Brick House Press, Andover, MA, 1982.

Co-Editor, Buckminster Fuller: On Education. University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, MA, 1979.


Robert D Kahn
Principal

Email: rkahn (at) rdkco.com
Phone: 206-236-7200

Robert Kahn, Principal of Robert D. Kahn & Company, began his career working as a Research Assistant for the late architect and philosopher R. Buckminster ("Bucky") Fuller. He later joined the Program for the Study of the Future at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst School of Education where he completed his Doctorate in Education in 1982. Kahn's dissertation, "Community Education for Indigenous Renewable Energy Development," reflects his long-term interest in energy resource development and public acceptance of new technology.

Dr. Kahn directed community education programs funded by the National Science Foundation for Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, New Hampshire. He later joined the Office of Appropriate Technology in Sacramento, California under Governor Jerry Brown's Administration.

Since founding Robert D. Kahn & Company with his wife Cathy, in 1982, Dr. Kahn has directed work for over 50 private and public sector clients. The agency is known throughout the West for its work in support of infrastructure by securing official acceptance of new technology in often challenging contexts.

A common theme underlies Kahn's work: infrastructure initiatives can succeed so long as their proponents are committed to positioning, mitigating, and - above all - explaining their plans.

Robert D. Kahn & Company has consulted on a wide variety of proposed energy project developments. These projects include the construction of a ground breaking, 44-mile long, private transmission power line, along with proposed thermal and renewable power plants totaling over 4000 megawatts of capacity in four western states. Dr. Kahn has helped independent energy developers with advocacy and media relations in California and the Pacific Northwest and assisted manufacturers of innovative energy technologies build market share throughout North America. Robert D. Kahn & Company has also supported efforts to site and operate hazardous waste processing and industrial recycling facilities in California and Texas, and the execution of several historic field trials of innovative agricultural biotechnologies.

In the mid-1990's Kahn acted as a Special Assistant to the Chair of the Comprehensive Review of the Northwest Energy System, the blue-ribbon, four-state panel that helped direct energy policy for the region served by the Bonneville Power Administration. Kahn also served as a member of the Washington State Energy Siting Process Review Committee.

Dr. Kahn is a founding board member of the Renewable Northwest Project, the advocacy group headquartered in Portland, Oregon. He also helped found and currently directs the Northwest Independent Power Producers Coalition (www.nippc.org).

A resident of Mercer Island, Washington, Kahn holds a B.A. from Colgate University and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has edited two books and authored numerous articles.


Cost-Effective Operation of Power Grid is at Stake Cost-Effective Operation of Power Grid is at Stake

Open Editorial for Seattle Times, October 6, 2005

European Water Pollution Control Association Innovation 2000 Conference European Water Pollution Control Association Innovation 2000 Conference

"BioSolids Injection: A New Technology for Effective Biosolids Management" July 1998

New Energy: Simply Smart New Energy: Simply Smart

"Simply a Smart Business Decision: The Northwest Discovers Wind Power" February 2001

Buckminster Fuller: The Five Year Old's Revolutionary Challenge to Contemporary Education Buckminster Fuller: The Five Year Old's Revolutionary Challenge to Contemporary Education

Featured story in special issue of Trim Tab, the publication of the Buckminster Fuller Institute.

New Energy: Vision New Energy: Vision

"No Vision Seems Too Impossible: It has taken years to create favorable market conditions in the 11 north-eastern states of the US" March 2002

Electricity Journal: Siting Struggles Electricity Journal: Siting Struggles

"Siting Struggles: The Unique Challenge of Permitting Renewable Energy Power Plants" March 2000

New Energy: Bigger and Better New Energy: Bigger and Better

"Bigger & Better: Texas Finds Room for Renewable Energies" April 2000

New Energy: New Life New Energy: New Life

"New Life for the Agricultural Community: Wind power has come to stay in the American Midwest" January 2000

Independent Energy Independent Energy

"Windpower in the New Millennium" October 1999

Technology Review: The Implications of Cable Technology Review: The Implications of Cable

"More Messages from the Medium" January 1983

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