Episode 1.08 On Weaving a Narrative of Hope with Una Nowling

Power Flow

The path to a clean energy future is likely not a straightforward one, strewn with complexities. Luckily, engineers love unpacking complexity.

Our guest this week is Una Nowling, a study in paradox. Una is a fuels engineer who knows so much about coal, she has been nicknamed by colleagues and clients "The Coal Goddess." Even so, Una is relentlessly committed to decarbonization. She takes a refreshingly balanced approach to decarbonization and the clean energy transition, bringing the practical wisdom of over 30 years of experience in the energy industry.

During our conversation, we consider the complexity that we'll need to hold in order to make the transition -- reliability, new technology blending with old technology, grid stability, and the need for more evolution than revolution.

Note: Episode 1.04 is referenced often- Episode 1.04: On EV Infrastructure and Green Workforce Development with Kameale Terry

Quotables

"Take some hope, combine it with passion, and apply our skills to come together and tackle these technical challenges."

"Think about all the challenges we overcame, all the first of a kind work we did, all everyone coming together, and we made it work. This, my friend, is engineering. This is the heart, the soul, the spirit of what engineering is all about."

"Try not to make the same mistake more than twice."

- All the above are by Una Nowling

“Hope is the key. And to channel passion behind that hope. That’s the motivating, driving force behind all of it.” – Amy Simpkins

This week’s guest

Ms. Una Nowling is a Project Manager and the Technology Leader for Fuels, Risk, and Reliability at Black & Veatch. She assists utilities and energy companies with decarbonization and efficiency improvement studies; fossil fuel to renewable energy conversion projects, environmental compliance and pollution reduction, research and development for the Electric Power Research Institute, National Energy Technology Laboratories, and others; and conducts technical and scientific training on various topics, as well as human resources training on gender equity and LGBTQIA+ equity in STEMM.

Ms. Nowling has managed more than 200 projects in her 28-year career at Black & Veatch, and is also an Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) campus.

Ms. Nowling is a frequent technical author and a radio producer of two weekly social justice programs on Kansas City Public Radio.

Resources:

Listen to Ms. Nowling at KKFI 90.1FM and check out the Black & Veach website.

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Thank you for listening. See you at the whiteboard!