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ECO PROFILE: ECO PROFILE:

KEN GLAZIER KEN GLAZIER

I
’m Vice President of Suzlon Wind Energy Corporation. It’s
the US subsidiary of a company from India, which is the fifth
largest worldwide supplier of commercial turbines that generate
electricity from wind. These are huge turbines which extend a
football field high. We’ve installed or planned over 1,000 turbines,
primarily in the US Midwest and Pacific Northwest. Each turbine
supplies enough renewable electricity for about 600 families. I
handle technical and commercial issues. I still climb turbines,
Can you mention any teachers or courses at ASIJ that
influenced you?
Like many alumni of my generation, I cite Margaret Noble from
junior year English. She gave us priceless instruction in how to
organize thoughts and write persuasively under time pressure.
I was a budding engineer at ASIJ. But Bill Ricketson cast me as
a lawyer with the ASIJ Players, and told me to prepare for the
part by thinking about what a lawyer does and how a lawyer

Mind-blowing Ken Glazier ’67 on his work

on wind power
sometimes several times in one day, by means of a ladder inside
a tower extending 20 stories high. It’s amazing to work on
equipment 250 feet in the air, particularly when the temperature
behaves. A seed planted that germinated at Harvard Law
School? Perhaps.

in the Minnesota winter is minus 30. Maybe those laps I ran for
Coach Lou Mannara 40 years ago are keeping me going.
How did you get started in this business?
A friend asked me to help him negotiate his employment
agreement with Suzlon. That was successful, so he suggested
that I consider joining Suzlon myself.
What influenced you to choose this field?
I’ve spent much of my career in energy businesses, starting with
oil and gas. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the world can’t
continue burning more and more hydrocarbons to generate more
and more energy. But the world can’t tell people in developing
countries—presently Brazil, Russia, India and China known as
BRIC—that they can’t aspire to the energy-rich lifestyle that is
common in the US. I think people like me with a background
in energy have an obligation to consider how the world will
provide energy in developing areas while restructuring energy
use in developed areas.
What inspires you?
A task well done by a talented person or group. The task can
be a business deal, an artistic performance, an invention, or
anything else worth doing.
How green are you at home?
I’m conscious of my use of resources. I recycle, take public
transportation, and try to live a lifestyle that others can sustain
into future generations.
One piece of advice for current students:
Be broad and bold. You have no idea what you’ll be doing in 40
years. Seek out a variety of educational and life experiences to
enable flexibility as things change.

What is the biggest challenge for you in working in this

area?
Inconsistent governmental policies. Most politicians are “for”
the environment but regulate, tax, and spend incoherently. The
result is starts and stops in many inconsistent directions.

Where do you see this business/area heading in the next 5 –

10 years?
Expansion. The world needs energy, much of it from renewable
and alternative sources. Wind, solar, and other sources to be
invented by some smart student now at ASIJ need to be part of
the mixture. Japan is a good candidate for renewable energy,
having expanding energy needs, limited hydrocarbons, and
strong emotions about nuclear power.

How has the field changed since you began working?

Expansion. Renewable energy has become mainstream. Ken Glazier at his office in Minnesota

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