Richard Kessel

Watts up with Richie? The irrepressible CEO of the New York Power Authority has been lighting up the Empire State, burning up the miles between Long Island and Buffalo, Rochester and Westchester, to oversee the vital needs of the power grid. Nobody’s plugged in like him. One minute he’s in Jefferson County, the next he’s overlooking Niagara Falls. Some local folks still can’t get over the shock that Kessel is no longer head of the Long Island Power Authority. It’s time to move on, people. Kessel certainly has, and it’s a tribute to his drive and vision that he is properly enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Talk about renewable energy, Kessel is a one-man perpetual-motion machine. He may have gotten burned by the South Shore when his plans for giant windmills in the Atlantic were shot down, but his Great Lakes Offshore Wind initiative looks very promising indeed, and NYPA’s 100 Megawatt Solar request for proposals is certainly gathering steam. Summer’s coming, and the temperatures will soon be soaring, but Kessel won’t be cooling down any time soon. The big man is off and running.

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2010