How does one begin to throw light on the glowing contributions of a person that many of us fondly called “Art?” He possessed a small body frame but was truly a giant in the field of energy efficiency. One can talk about the unit for energy efficiency, Rosenfeld, that has been named after him; his formal recognition as an Enrico Fermi Award Winner or a recipient of National Medal of Technology and Innovation and many others; as an institution builder – Center for Building Science at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and American Council of Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE); as someone who strongly advocated and pushed many of the early energy efficiency policies at California Energy Commission and at US Department of Energy that are now the norm for energy efficiency policymakers around the world (e.g. building energy code, standards and labeling, demand side management programs through public benefit funds); or the many scientific and technological advancements that he contributed to – electronic ballasts for fluorescent lighting, a transparent “low-e” coating for window glass that saved on cooling and heating, for developing the DOE-1 and DOE-2 series of computer programs for building energy analysis and design, among many others.
His numerous professional contributions to the field of science, R&D and policy that formed the basis of a fledgling energy efficiency discipline more than 30-40 years are extremely significant and well documented. But, it was his approach – evidence based policy, quest for quantifiable data to show the proof of “energy efficiency as a resource” to policy makers that influenced thousands of students, young professionals and colleagues in the US and around the world.
I vividly remember my first encounter with him when he interviewed me for my first job while I was finishing my Ph.D. in 1997 and how nervous I was meeting someone of his stature – he was a legend even at that time. He put me at ease and took one more, among countless young professionals trying to find their feet in the field, under his wings to mentor and explain the nuances of energy efficiency and policy development and formulation based on technically sound analysis and research. I also distinctly remember when he visited India and AEEE hosted him and arranged for a meeting with our members where, true to his inimitable style, he made an impassioned plea to put energy efficiency before renewable energy and make it the “first fuel.”
Why Art left such an indelible impression on me was because he was an unbelievable human being and his passion for energy efficiency, which was irresistible. Whether it was offering his car or his home in Berkeley to his friends’ and colleagues’ for their use or always checking on how the family was doing even while discussing subjects of immense importance. When I last met him along with Prof. Vishal Garg at this home in Berkeley, on August 31st last year after the ACEEE Summer Study, the first one that he had missed in his entire career, he was extremely frail but his mind was as sharp as ever. He amazed both of us by engaging us for 45 minutes on the importance of cool roof for India, a subject that was so dear to him.
I’ll end with a quote (borrowed from LBL’s article on Art) from Prof. Steven Chu, Nobel Prize Winner, Former Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Director and US DOE Secretary: “Art was one of the most decent, generous, engaging, passionate, and thoughtful people that I have known. His wonderful persistence in asking interesting, important questions and being completely open to new ideas makes him a compelling colleague.”
Thank you Art so much for giving so unselfishly, teaching so many things, and for shaping my thinking and beliefs in a fundamental way. I’ll miss you enormously but cherish your wonderful attitude towards life, young professionals, openness to new ideas and pursuit of learning. RIP Art – you’ll be missed by tens of thousands and will continue to inspire millions for many years and decades to come!
Here are links to some of the articles on Art in case you are interested:
- New York Times Obituary (January 27th, 2017): https://www.nytimes.com
/2017/01/27/science/arthur-ros enfeld-dead-energy-efficiency. html?_r=0 - LBNL’s Tribute to Art Rosenfeld: http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2017
/01/27/art-rosenfeld-californi as-godfather-energy-efficiency -90/ - Scientific American Article Introducing “Rosenfeld,” the new Unit for Energy Savings: https://www.scientifi
camerican.com/article/ rosenfeld-energy-savings/ - Biography of Art Rosenfeld tracing his journey from Physics to Energy Efficiency: https://eetd.lbl.gov/sites/all
/files/content/fellowship/the- art-of-ee-1999.pdf