It is my pleasure to give my strongest recommendation for the work and professionalism of the bearer of this letter, Mr. Benjamin Bunker, who worked in my office as the Duke Energy Graham Institute Summer Intern during the summer of 2011. My department at Duke Energy is charged with developing environmental and energy policy recommendations and strategies with a focus on climate change, renewable energy, power plant emission regulations, low-carbon emission technologies and international partnerships. I have served as vice president of this group since 2003. Ben came to us through the offices of the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan, where Ben was completing his first year of his M.S. program at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Ben’s work focused on a number of initiatives – most of which we had prepared for but one that was unexpected. His work in support of Duke Energy’s continuing dialogue with our Chinese partners through a formal EcoPartnership was critical in preparing both the mayor of Charlotte and Duke Energy executive staff for more detailed substantive economic development discussions in November 2011. I was particularly taken by Ben’s attention to detail and his writing skills, both of which were exemplary. Ben performed a coal plant retirement study using advanced risk analysis software. He individually assessed more than 400 coal plants nationwide and created his own methodology to determine which of these plants might face retirement in the wake of newly-promulgated power plant emission regulations. His results identified regions in the US that might face electricity reliability issues in the next decade. I would also point to Ben’s research work on the mountaintop mining issue which provided us with useful information as we evaluated potential supply risks. His perspectives on web redesign were very helpful as we worked on policy alignment and communication issues surrounding Duke Energy’s merger with Progress Energy. However, most telling about Ben’s abilities was how he dealt with a summer surprise. Very shortly after arriving, I asked him to become involved in the start-up of a new charitable foundation that had the personal involvement of our CEO, Jim Rogers. The BrightLight Foundation proposes to provide electric power through use of small solar panels to remote populations with no access to electricity. Ben dove into the project without hesitation and with the enthusiasm I saw in my interview. He did a tremendous amount of research on the technology and potential customers in Brazil and Rwanda before writing the initial business plan for the foundation. His work was impressive, thorough, and organized. He met demanding deadlines and demonstrated strong focus and drive, displaying a real passion for success. If you have any questions regarding Ben’s work, I would be happy to discuss. Sincerely, John Stowell

Benjamin was working as a research assistant for me from 2010 Fall to 2011 Winter. He conducted an extensive literature review on life cycle assessment studies for wind power and solar power systems. His work was accepted for an oral presentation at the 2010 IEEE International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology held in Chicago in May 2011. Benjamin's role in this project is essential and he demonstrated significant ability of fast learning, strong analytical skills, his usual high level of energy, and great communication ability. From a personal perspective, he has also proven to be flexible, considerate, and an easy colleague to work with, which is an important skill given the multicultural nature of our graduate program.

It is my pleasure to give my strongest recommendation for the work and professionalism of the bearer of this letter, Mr. Benjamin Bunker, who worked in my office as the Duke Energy Graham Institute Summer Intern during the summer of 2011. My department at Duke Energy is charged with developing environmental and energy policy recommendations and strategies with a focus on climate change, renewable energy, power plant emission regulations, low-carbon emission technologies and international partnerships. I have served as vice president of this group since 2003. Ben came to us through the offices of the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan, where Ben was completing his first year of his M.S. program at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Ben’s work focused on a number of initiatives – most of which we had prepared for but one that was unexpected. His work in support of Duke Energy’s continuing dialogue with our Chinese partners through a formal EcoPartnership was critical in preparing both the mayor of Charlotte and Duke Energy executive staff for more detailed substantive economic development discussions in November 2011. I was particularly taken by Ben’s attention to detail and his writing skills, both of which were exemplary. Ben performed a coal plant retirement study using advanced risk analysis software. He individually assessed more than 400 coal plants nationwide and created his own methodology to determine which of these plants might face retirement in the wake of newly-promulgated power plant emission regulations. His results identified regions in the US that might face electricity reliability issues in the next decade. I would also point to Ben’s research work on the mountaintop mining issue which provided us with useful information as we evaluated potential supply risks. His perspectives on web redesign were very helpful as we worked on policy alignment and communication issues surrounding Duke Energy’s merger with Progress Energy. However, most telling about Ben’s abilities was how he dealt with a summer surprise. Very shortly after arriving, I asked him to become involved in the start-up of a new charitable foundation that had the personal involvement of our CEO, Jim Rogers. The BrightLight Foundation proposes to provide electric power through use of small solar panels to remote populations with no access to electricity. Ben dove into the project without hesitation and with the enthusiasm I saw in my interview. He did a tremendous amount of research on the technology and potential customers in Brazil and Rwanda before writing the initial business plan for the foundation. His work was impressive, thorough, and organized. He met demanding deadlines and demonstrated strong focus and drive, displaying a real passion for success. If you have any questions regarding Ben’s work, I would be happy to discuss. Sincerely, John Stowell

Benjamin was working as a research assistant for me from 2010 Fall to 2011 Winter. He conducted an extensive literature review on life cycle assessment studies for wind power and solar power systems. His work was accepted for an oral presentation at the 2010 IEEE International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology held in Chicago in May 2011. Benjamin's role in this project is essential and he demonstrated significant ability of fast learning, strong analytical skills, his usual high level of energy, and great communication ability. From a personal perspective, he has also proven to be flexible, considerate, and an easy colleague to work with, which is an important skill given the multicultural nature of our graduate program.

It is my pleasure to give my strongest recommendation for the work and professionalism of the bearer of this letter, Mr. Benjamin Bunker, who worked in my office as the Duke Energy Graham Institute Summer Intern during the summer of 2011. My department at Duke Energy is charged with developing environmental and energy policy recommendations and strategies with a focus on climate change, renewable energy, power plant emission regulations, low-carbon emission technologies and international partnerships. I have served as vice president of this group since 2003. Ben came to us through the offices of the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan, where Ben was completing his first year of his M.S. program at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Ben’s work focused on a number of initiatives – most of which we had prepared for but one that was unexpected. His work in support of Duke Energy’s continuing dialogue with our Chinese partners through a formal EcoPartnership was critical in preparing both the mayor of Charlotte and Duke Energy executive staff for more detailed substantive economic development discussions in November 2011. I was particularly taken by Ben’s attention to detail and his writing skills, both of which were exemplary. Ben performed a coal plant retirement study using advanced risk analysis software. He individually assessed more than 400 coal plants nationwide and created his own methodology to determine which of these plants might face retirement in the wake of newly-promulgated power plant emission regulations. His results identified regions in the US that might face electricity reliability issues in the next decade. I would also point to Ben’s research work on the mountaintop mining issue which provided us with useful information as we evaluated potential supply risks. His perspectives on web redesign were very helpful as we worked on policy alignment and communication issues surrounding Duke Energy’s merger with Progress Energy. However, most telling about Ben’s abilities was how he dealt with a summer surprise. Very shortly after arriving, I asked him to become involved in the start-up of a new charitable foundation that had the personal involvement of our CEO, Jim Rogers. The BrightLight Foundation proposes to provide electric power through use of small solar panels to remote populations with no access to electricity. Ben dove into the project without hesitation and with the enthusiasm I saw in my interview. He did a tremendous amount of research on the technology and potential customers in Brazil and Rwanda before writing the initial business plan for the foundation. His work was impressive, thorough, and organized. He met demanding deadlines and demonstrated strong focus and drive, displaying a real passion for success. If you have any questions regarding Ben’s work, I would be happy to discuss. Sincerely, John Stowell

Benjamin was working as a research assistant for me from 2010 Fall to 2011 Winter. He conducted an extensive literature review on life cycle assessment studies for wind power and solar power systems. His work was accepted for an oral presentation at the 2010 IEEE International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology held in Chicago in May 2011. Benjamin's role in this project is essential and he demonstrated significant ability of fast learning, strong analytical skills, his usual high level of energy, and great communication ability. From a personal perspective, he has also proven to be flexible, considerate, and an easy colleague to work with, which is an important skill given the multicultural nature of our graduate program.