Skip to Main Content U.S. Department of Energy
Energy and Environment Directorate

Simon Geerlofs

Simon Geerlofs

(360) 681-3677

Biography

Simon Geerlofs is a Senior Project Manager for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, specializing in science and policy communication, coordination, and stakeholder engagement to improve management of marine and freshwater resources. At PNNL, Mr. Geerlofs has focused primarily on sustainable hydropower, marine renewable energy, and offshore wind in support of the Department of Energy Wind and Water Power Team; he served on detail to the Water Power Program in 2009 and from 2013-2015 was PNNL's Program Manager for Wind and Water Power Technologies. Mr. Geerlofs is currently the Project Manager for the DOE Water Power Technology Office's International Data Sharing initiative for marine renewable energy (www.tethys.pnnl.gov). Before his employment with PNNL, Mr. Geerlofs gained extensive experience working with local jurisdictions and diverse stakeholder groups as the Marine Programs Manager for the Northwest Straits Commission from 2007-2009. Before that, Mr. Geerlofs served as a Legislative Assistant for ocean policy to Senator Maria Cantwell, working closely with Congress, constituents, agencies, and others to enact effective marine policy.

Research Interests

  • Stakeholder engagement and decision support for effective marine spatial planning and river basin energy/environmental opportunity assessment.
  • Understanding and mitigating environmental effects and conflicts with existing uses in deployment of marine renewable energy.
  • Application of coastal and ocean modeling to address estuarine and marine management questions.
  • Policy analysis and support of Department of Energy Water Power program goals.

Education and Credentials

  • Master of Marine Affairs, School of Marine Affairs, University of Washington, June 2005
  • Bachelor of Arts, University of Washington, June 1999

Affiliations and Professional Service

  • Serve on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management/State of Oregon Renewable Ocean Energy Task Force
  • Serve on the West Coast Governors Agreement on Ocean Health Renewable Energy Action Coordination Team
  • Member of the Snohomish County Marine Resources Committee
  • Member of the Coastal Society

Awards and Recognitions

  • 2006 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • 2005 Foss Fellow for Maritime and Waterfront Studies

PNNL Publications

2023

2022

2021

  • Cotter E.D., R.J. Cavagnaro, A.E. Copping, and S.H. Geerlofs. 2021. "Powering Negative-Emissions Technologies with Marine Renewable Energy." In OCEANS 2021, September 20-23, San Diego, CA, 1-8. Piscataway, New Jersey:IEEE. PNNL-SA-164551. doi:10.23919/OCEANS44145.2021.9705807

2014

  • Larson K.B., S.E. Niehus, J.D. Tagestad, K.D. Ham, S.H. Geerlofs, and M.C. Richmond. 2014. The Integrated Basin-Scale Opportunity Assessment Initiative: Pilot Assessment for the Deschutes River Basin. PNNL-23197. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The Integrated Basin-Scale Opportunity Assessment Initiative: Pilot Assessment for the Deschutes River Basin
  • Yang Z., T. Wang, A. Copping, and S.H. Geerlofs. 2014. "Modeling In-stream Tidal Energy Extraction and Its Potential Environmental Impacts." In Proceedings of the 10th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference, 2013, n/a. London:European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference. PNNL-SA-98054.
  • Yang Z., T. Wang, A.E. Copping, and S.H. Geerlofs. 2014. "Modeling of In-stream Tidal Energy Development and its Potential Effects in Tacoma Narrows, Washington, USA." Ocean and Coastal Management 99. PNNL-SA-100989. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2014.02.010

2011

  • Copping A.E., and S.H. Geerlofs. 2011. "The Contribution of Environmental Siting and Permitting Requirements to the Cost of Energy for Marine and Hydrokinetic Devices." In Proceedings of the 9th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference, September 5-9, 2011, Southampton, United Kingdom. Southampton:EWTEC. PNNL-SA-79512.

2010

  • Khangaonkar T., Z. Yang, S.H. Geerlofs, and A. Copping. 2010. "Overland Tidal Power Generation Using Modular Tidal Prism." In Estuarine and Coastal Modeling: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference, November 4-6, 2009, Seattle, WA, edited by ML Spaulding, 466-477. Reston, Virginia:American Society of Civil Engineers. PNNL-SA-71118. doi:10.1061/41121(388)28

Energy and Environment

Core Research Areas

Contacts