This Black History Month, we’re remembering Black energy leaders through time who have made today’s Clean Energy Generation possible. The Clean Energy Generation is made up of people across the Southeast who are choosing action over despair to build momentum toward a safer, more sustainable future and protect the people and places we love. Our purpose and progress are strongest when we rise together – all of us.
Below are just a few examples of Black Americans who, in an effort to better their communities, in turn bettered the entire world by influencing the technologies or policies we rely on today to heat and cool our homes, power our vehicles, and protect our environment.
1870s – Lewis Howard Latimer
Lewis Howard Latimer was an inventor and patent draftsman from Massachusetts. Notably, he improved the process of manufacturing a longer-lasting carbon filament for Thomas Edison’s lightbulb, which made electricity more accessible and affordable. He authored the first book on electric lighting, Incandescent Electric Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System, and oversaw the installation of public lights worldwide.
“We create our future by well improving present opportunities, however few and small they are.” – Lewis Latimer
Early 1900s – Granville T. Woods
Granville T. Woods grew up in Columbus, Ohio, with little schooling, but held a variety of odd jobs that led him to take courses in engineering and electricity as a young man. Among his nearly 60 patents, he invented the power pick-up device in 1901, which is the basis of the “third rail” currently used by electric-powered trains; and developed the troller, a device that collects electricity from overhead wires. This revolutionized electric transit systems like streetcars and trolleys, paving the way for electric transportation today.
1920s-1930s – David Crosthwait
Nashville, Tennessee’s David Crosthwait was a pioneer in energy efficiency, which is key to reducing climate pollution and lowering power bills. He transformed the HVAC industry through improvements to the boiler system and thermostat control, which made heating and cooling larger buildings more efficient. He designed HVAC systems for many high-profile projects, such as the steam system used to heat Radio City Music Hall at Rockefeller Center in New York City.
1950s – Annie Easley
Annie Easley of Birmingham, Alabama, was known as a “human computer.” After a 34-year career of laying the groundwork for future satellite and space shuttle launches, she shifted to energy, developing storage batteries for electric vehicles and computer applications used to analyze alternative power technology. One of only four Black employees – and one of few women – at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (now NASA) in the 1950s, Easley was confronted by racial segregation in the Jim Crow South throughout her entire life.
“My head is not in the sand. But my thing is, if I can’t work with you, I will work around you. I was not about to be so discouraged that I’d walk away. That may be a solution for some people, but it’s not mine.” – Annie Easley
1970s – Clarke Watson
In 1977, Denver, Colorado, Clarke A. Watson was an ambitious young man who owned an energy-consulting firm. That year, then-President Jimmy Carter assembled a task force of energy policymakers across the country to manage the energy crisis brought on by one of the coldest winters on record – but no minorities made the guest list. Watson felt called to amplify the connection between energy production, economic growth, and the lived experience of African Americans and other minorities, so he founded the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) as a network for Black energy workers, journalists, lobbyists, and more. Today, AABE remains a resource for Black energy workers and serves as a reminder that we cannot afford to ignore the need for Black participation in every aspect of energy policy.
1990s-2000s – Vicky A. Bailey
Vicky A. Bailey of Indianapolis, Indiana, got her start in the energy field through her election to the Indiana Public Service Commission (PSC) in 1986 after her husband inspired her to make her voice heard through local political involvement. She made history as the first African American woman to be on the Commission, and again as the first woman to be elected board chair of the United States Energy Association (USEA) in 2013. She has also served as president of Indiana’s largest electric utility, and as a commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which regulates regional transmission planning to lower power bills and improve grid reliability.
“At times, this made me wonder how do I fit in and what do I say that has substance… You are so busy trying to choose your words so carefully that sometimes you end up saying nothing at all and the last thing you want is to not have a voice… So that may mean getting out of your comfort zone and give voice to your thoughts and ideas and know they are important because you are there for a reason. I had to know that I was at the Commission for a reason and representing those that are inarticulate and unable to be at the table. I was at the table and I needed to be heard.” – Vicky A. Bailey
Today – Peter F. Green
Peter F. Green is the Emeritus Deputy Laboratory Director for Science and Technology (DLD S&T) and Chief Research Officer (CRO) for the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), formerly named the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) since 1991 until a federal administration renaming in 2025. After emigrating from Jamaica to the U.S. in 1977, he embarked on a career marked by 20 years as a professor and 11 years working at the intersection of energy and national defense. Since 2016, he has worked to advance affordable, renewable energy at NRL through his complex materials and thin film research, which aims to enable higher efficiency, lower costs, and greater flexibility in devices like solar panels, batteries, and fuel cells.
Today – Alicia M. Johnson
Growing up in Savannah, Georgia, Alicia M. Johnson experienced firsthand what it’s like to be a customer of a for-profit monopoly utility like Georgia Power: high bills, low transparency, and nowhere else to turn. In 2025, she was sworn in as the first Black woman to serve on the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), a board of five that determines the rates Georgia Power customers pay for electricity. Having worked in advocacy, human services, and healthcare, she vows to bring lower bills and just energy policy to hardworking Georgians.
Want to learn more? We encourage you to do your own research this month – there’s always more to learn. To get started, check out SACE’s article from a few years ago showcasing contemporary Black energy leaders here.
Join the Clean Energy Generation
Together, we are taking action as one Clean Energy Generation movement, coming together to create healthier communities and a more secure and sustainable environment for all. No matter what you look like, where you live, or how much money you make, you can play a role, and learning more is a great way to start. Join us, and we’ll share ideas, resources, tools, and practices to show how we can all be part of the transformation.
