Division of Clean Energy
Sara Hannah Thonet is the Bureau Chief of Policy For Clean Energy at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.
The PUF team was warmly welcomed by those energy stalwarts charged with drafting and implementing Governor Phil Murphy's Energy Master Plan at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.
It's serious work, but it's fun too, as you will hear Staff attest. And the New Jersey BPU is big, with some two hundred and twenty-five Staff, because in 2003 it established the Office of Clean Energy to help administer its programs. Talk about forward thinking.
PUF: What is your role at the New Jersey Board?
Hannah Thonet: I am the Bureau Chief of Clean Energy Policy within the Board, and my primary role right now is developing the Energy Master Plan for the state.
PUF: What is your typical day like?
Hannah Thonet: I would say it varies. I'm fortunate that I get to work with several different divisions within BPU as well as different agencies and authorities within the State of New Jersey, because the Energy Master Plan is not just on the regulated side of the energy system, but also on the non-regulated side. We're also dealing a lot with the public, so I have stakeholder meetings and public hearings that I'm going to.
My days are a mix of quiet, intensive focus days where I'm immersed in reading, writing, researching, and editing. Then there are days of nonstop meetings where I'm talking with all the people within BPU as well as all the other agencies.