It is an exciting time to be in the clean energy industry—especially in the environmental field.  

The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act has allowed a massive amount of investment in the clean energy space, resulting in the unprecedented growth of projects being developed, built, and operated. As development continues in existing geographies and expands into new areas, the extent of issues and potential stakeholder conflicts continues to grow and evolve. 

The ACP Siting & Permitting Conference 2024 is the place to hear about the issues currently facing the industry and discover and discuss innovative solutions to address them.  

I’m honored to co-chair the conference this year with Andrea Giampoli of Invenergy. Last year’s conference sold out and attendees had to be turned away! This year’s conference is already on track to blow away last year’s record attendance.  

Our two-day program of simultaneous conference sessions will cover topics including: 

• Policy & Regulatory Updates and Reforms  
• Transmission Permitting 
• Community Engagement and Local Affairs (including Tribal Engagement) 
• Energy Storage Safety 
• Eagle and Bat Regulations and Monitoring 
• Smart Curtailment 
• Alternative Siting (including Reclaimed Coal Mines and Brownfields) 
• Stormwater, Erosion Control, and Vegetation Management 
• Emerging Technologies  
• And more! 

There will also be networking sessions, exhibitor space, and poster sessions to allow attendees to meet one-on-one with speakers, colleagues, and other professionals. 

Please join me, ACP, and hundreds of leading clean energy professionals at the Siting & Permitting Conference in Colorado Springs this March 11 – 13.   

I will see you there! 

I attended my first ACP Operations, Maintenance, and Safety Conference (OMS) in 2016.  

From the moment I arrived, I was completely blown away by the knowledge of the panelists, the breadth and depth of the presentations, and the quality of the networking on the exhibit hall floor.  

I walked away with new contacts and a new perspective on how to solve issues I had been trying to work through, returning to work the following Monday ready to roll up my sleeves to help move the industry forward.  

After that conference, I joined the ACP Operations, Maintenance, and Safety committees and met more inspiring new colleagues. Everyone was committed to how we could improve our industry and the longevity of the renewable assets that we managed.  

Through the conference and the committees, I built relationships across the industry that I could call on to talk through challenges and got to know vendors that could get me parts and equipment I needed at the drop of a hat.  

I still get butterflies every year as the excitement builds getting closer to the ACP Operations, Maintenance, and Safety Conference. This year’s conference will feature the latest topics and trends across all technologies including solar, wind, hydrogen, and energy storage. The leading experts in the industry are gathering their thoughts on how to maximize production, protect our people, and extend asset useful life safely and effectively.  

This year, I am looking forward to discussing Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) impacts on operations, ACP standards and qualifications for technicians, evolving safety standards, and maintenance best practices. In addition, I am particularly eager to learn about new mental health practices that we can implement at sites to help support our technicians in the field.  

Additionally, I am honored to be joining OMS this year as a co-chair. This has been an aspiration of mine since joining the industry, and I am thankful to have been given this opportunity.  

I can’t wait to see you there! 

Each October, Bat Week is celebrated across the globe and raises awareness about the need for bat conservation. The U.S. clean power industry is committed to co-existence with bats when building and maintaining new energy projects and the industry has made positive strides to reduce impact on bats.

Hibernating NLEB. Photo credit: Al Hicks, New York Department of Environmental Conservation (retired).

Wind and solar energy are some of the most environmentally friendly ways of generating electricity. Wind energy has one of the lowest impacts on wildlife and their surrounding habitats of any utility-scale electricity generation.  Good stewardship is a core value for the U.S. clean energy industry and the industry is committed to further reducing its already low impact on the environment, including bats.

Clean energy developers take a systematic approach to identifying wildlife impacts and engaging in initiatives to reduce if not eliminate them. The U.S. clean energy industry has a long history of partnering closely with the conservation community and federal and state regulators to solve wildlife challenges.

For nearly three decades, industry leaders have worked collaboratively with conservation partners to develop innovative solutions that support wildlife and the environment. From collaborations with the Department of Energy and NREL, to forming the Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI) and the Renewable Energy Wildlife Research Fund (REWRF), and The Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative in partnership with conservation and science organizations to implementing technology such as the NRG’s bat deterrent systems, the clean energy industry is committed to coexistence with wildlife.

Here are just a few of the many ways the clean energy industry is aiding and researching new ways to mitigate bat incidents and ensure thriving ecosystems for our flying mammal friends.
 

Apex Clean Energy’s Grant Conservation Program

With the company’s core value of sustainability top of mind, Apex Clean Energy strives to not only advance the sustainability of America’s energy system as a whole, but also enhance local ecosystems and habitats where Apex’s projects are developed and operated. That’s why this ACP member company created the Apex Conservation Grant (ACG) program.

Through Apex Clean Energy’s Conservation Grant Program, each renewable energy project commercialized by Apex contributes a sum of money, proportional to the size of the project, to support local or regional wildlife conservation, reforestation and flora restoration, protection of sensitive habitats such as grassland or wetlands, and other environmental conservation initiatives in or near project communities.

In December 2022, Apex Clean Energy awarded a $200,000 conservation grant on behalf of El Sauz and Young Wind to Bat Conservation International (BCI). BCI will work alongside Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to restore or relocate a colony of nearly one million Mexican free-tailed bats from a critical historic bat roost in an old cotton warehouse in Huntsville, Texas. The grant will allow BCI, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to assess the condition of the existing roost within the warehouse and develop designs to either renovate the structure or construct a new, similar one. Additionally, the grant will be used for bat education, outreach, and research at the site and as a local economic uplift for local businesses, as visitors view the bats’ nightly flight emergences.

Invenergy’s Partnership with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 

At ACP member company Invenergy, a multi-year commitment to protect listed bats from predation at one of the remaining New York hibernacula is underway.  Invenergy partnered with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) on a mitigation project to address a risk to the state and federally protected northern long-eared bat. Raccoons were accessing a large cave where bats where hibernating, killing numerous bats each year. The Invenergy project team worked with a wildlife consultant to coordinate the trapping and removal of the raccoons at the cave entrance, which eliminated the problem of predation for not only northern long-eared bats, but also for the other bat species using the cave.

Duke Energy’s deployment of NRG System’s Bat Deterrent System
In 2019, ACP member Duke Energy was the first to commercially deploy NRG System’s innovative Bat Deterrent System in the continental U.S. This technology uses high frequency signals to block the echolocation, a radar of sorts, that bats use to navigate in the dark, causing them to avoid areas around wind turbines. Researchers believe the system works by preventing bats from hearing their own echolocation, making it difficult for them to hunt or socialize and causing them to leave the immediate area for more conducive spaces. The system was inspired in part by a natural defense of the tiger moth, which emits its own sound to block bat echolocation. 

The results of the study were largely successful, reducing bat fatalities over 54 percent for the Brazilian free-tailed bat and almost 80 percent for the Hoary bat. The latter species is a species of conservation concern that is found throughout the United States.   

The issues facing bats are complex, but these critters are crucial to the ecosystem. That’s why we’re using new technology to help keep these #pollinators safe from wind turbines. https://t.co/bGLEdguuGt #BatWeek pic.twitter.com/axbk7ych97

— Duke Energy (@DukeEnergy) December 7, 2021

The clean energy industry supports strong collaboration and research to ensure that wind, solar and storage coexists with wildlife. Achieving a sustainable future depends on significantly expanding our nation’s clean energy supply while also protecting and conserving the environment. The work underway to successfully co-exist with bats by ACP member companies and the industry writ-large takes us one step closer toward reaching that goal.  There’s nothing spookier than the idea of not taking the steps necessary to ensure a clean energy future for all.  

For more information on bats and clean energy, visit REWI’s Bats and Wind Energy webpage. 

First, the work was interesting! This was clearly an industry constantly trying to improve itself. Presenters shared the latest methodologies for long-term wind speed correction and there was a collective effort to come to grips with uncertainties in those and other assessment steps.  The technical content was directly relevant to my day-to-day as an analyst.

The second thing that could not be missed was how much this community of experts seemed to genuinely enjoy each other.  The gathering was lively in addition to educational.

Fourteen years later, I still find these to be hallmarks of what is now the ACP Resource & Technology (R&T) Conference.

This year’s conference has a broader scope than ever – including wind, solar, storage, transmission, and hydrogen sessions. Experts will share insights ranging from preconstruction assessment methods and models to asset management and project life extensions.

Whenever I share with someone the story of my career thus far, one thing I often say is that while the goal of my team’s efforts hasn’t changed, the way we go about our work is constantly evolving to be more efficient and more accurate. This dynamic is what keeps me engaged and excited to continue our work. To that end, I am particularly looking forward to sessions this year on offshore wind, wake modelling, solar P50 bias, AI & performance analytics, and more.  Having participated in many session planning calls already, I can assure you the industry’s best and brightest are preparing some incredible content.

However, as I mentioned above, content is not the only reason to join us in Austin next month.

ACP R&T is also a wonderful place to meet colleagues and counterparts. In this post-covid era, the importance of in-person networking cannot be overstated. If you’re early in your career or have yet to meet many people in your discipline, you will not find a more welcoming group of subject matter experts than those at this event. Making connections and getting in the weeds of a technical topic over a drink is one of the best ways to grow as an analyst or engineer.

Additionally, I’ve always found this conference to be one which largely checks competitiveness at the door. We may each have our secret sauce, but we are also working to help the clean energy industry succeed as a whole and that means working together to advance the state of the art in clean energy assessment, performance, and reliability.

I must admit, even from the early years of my attendance, I did aspire to eventually co-chair this conference. I am exceedingly thankful to have been given the opportunity to serve in this way. But what began with ambition (or perhaps pride: hoping to be ‘important’ enough for such a role), has ended up instead giving me a vantage to see the diverse and impressive talent which makes up our industry.

Join us in Austin and see for yourself!

Safety Campaign Objectives: 

1. Empower Workers: Equip clean energy workers with a comprehensive toolkit to enhance their human performance and make informed decisions when facing challenges on the job.
2. Prioritize Safety: Reinforce the importance of safety as an integral part of every task and encourage workers to proactively identify potential hazards.
3. Promote Continuous Improvement: Instill a culture of learning and growth, encouraging workers to share lessons learned and innovative ideas to improve overall safety standards.
4. Reduce Incidents: Lower the rate of accidents and incidents within the clean energy sector through the application of effective human performance tools.
5. Raise Awareness: Increase awareness about the significance of human performance in maintaining a secure workplace, fostering a sense of responsibility among all stakeholders.

The annual safety campaign is a reminder that people are fallible; even the most experienced and qualified individuals can make mistakes. But what truly matters is how we respond to these mistakes and the lessons we learn from them.

1. Acknowledging Human Fallibility (We all will mess up or make mistakes):
In every industry, even with the best training and experience, errors can occur. In clean energy, where precision is vital, acknowledging that no one is immune to making mistakes is a significant step towards improving safety. The campaign recognizes that accidents are often not a result of personal inadequacy, but rather inherent aspects of complex operations.

2. The Power of Reaction and Response (How we respond matters):
How we react to failure or potential failure can define the trajectory of future performance. Viewing failures as learning opportunities rather than sources of blame fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Renewable energy workers, regardless of their expertise, can thrive in an environment that values openness about mistakes and seeks solutions rather than assigning blame.

3. Predictable Errors and Preventable Conditions:
Error-likely situations and conditions are not random occurrences; they are predictable, manageable, and preventable. By studying patterns in incidents and near-misses, the clean energy sector can proactively identify potential hazards and implement safeguards. This approach transforms mistakes into a roadmap for safety enhancement.

4. The Organizational Influence on Individual Performance:
Individual performance is profoundly shaped by the values, systems, and engagement of the organization. The “Fail Safe, Improve Safety” safety campaign recognizes that the top-down commitment to safety from management, the provision of adequate resources, and fostering a sense of ownership among workers are vital ingredients for reducing incidents.

5. The Crucial Role of Psychologically Safe Workplaces:
A psychologically safe workplace culture is the cornerstone of learning, growth, and improvement. Workers must feel comfortable admitting errors, voicing concerns, and suggesting improvements without fear of retribution. This environment encourages knowledge-sharing and allows the industry to collectively evolve towards safer practices. This is commonly mentioned by leaders, but developing a culture of comfortability with admitting errors or voicing safety concerns is still being widely adopted.  

Join ACP in the 2023 “Fail Safe, Improve Safety” safety campaign that is representative of a paradigm shift in the renewable energy sector.  As the renewable energy industry marches forward towards a sustainable future, it’s the commitment to safety that will truly make this journey fail-safe. 

ACP members can download and access the 2023 Safety Campaign materials, which include daily Toolbox Talks in both English and Spanish, videos, and a PowerPoint, here.  

Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

With just the utility-scale solar, wind, and energy storage systems operating in the US today, we’ve achieved massive environmental benefits through reducing carbon emissions. At a high level, wind and solar power projects already on the grid avoid 426 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year – that’s equivalent to the total emissions 50 billion gallons of gasoline would produce. That’s also the equivalent of the amount of carbon sequestered by planting 20 billion trees. These emissions savings can prevent over $22 billion in future climate-related damages each year – and that number is only growing.  

Air Quality 

Locally, we can see the direct health benefits renewable energy has on our air quality. Current projects avoid 289,000 metric tons of sulfur dioxide and 330,000 metric tons of nitrogen oxides annually. Removing these harmful pollutants from our ecosystems reduces smog and rates of asthma and other respiratory issues, generating health benefits that are valued between $20 and $51 billion.   

Water Preservation 

As the world becomes more susceptible to drought and extreme weather, clean energy remains sustainable by not using precious water resources for cooling like conventional power plants. Wind and solar projects save an estimated 211 billion gallons of water each year across the country, enough to fill 319,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Projects across the country are designed to save water in other ways as well – solar farms with regionally appropriate plants underneath help retain stormwater, wind turbines disturb so little ground that they barely impact hydrological conditions. In every way, clean energy is producing more while using less.   

Scaling the Benefits 

The best part about these numbers? They’re already outdated. Thanks to federal clean energy incentives, clean energy is providing even more of these benefits at a faster pace than we’ve ever seen. In just the past year, we’ve seen $271 billion in investment in clean energy projects, including 83 new or expanded clean energy manufacturing facilities and 184,850 MW of new projects. Each new clean energy project is a step forward in making our air, water, and communities healthier and more resilient.   

The US and the world still have a long way to go, in both decarbonizing energy production and protecting global ecosystems, but progress is clearly underway.  

The U.S. clean energy industry has entered an exciting era, fueled by policy and supercharged by the urgency of emissions reduction. Alarm bells are sounding globally with higher frequency and greater magnitude extreme weather events such as hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, and hail. The enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has provided unprecedented support for the build-out of the infrastructure needed to create jobs to advance new, clean energy technologies. Yet even with policy support and motivations to mitigate climate change, clean energy projects must be deployed successfully, operate efficiently, and the businesses must thrive on their own—well past the incentives of the IRA—to make a lasting change to the U.S. energy industry. The technical experts of our industry must come together to share best practices and practical solutions to optimize project performance, strengthen reliability, and increase resilience of projects through extreme weather events. Contribute to the growth and sustainability of clean energy businesses by joining us at ACP’s Resource & Technology Conference.

At this conference, you will join the top techno-commercial minds in the world doing their part to advance clean energy in the United States by developing effective and efficient clean energy projects. This conference offers multiple topics including:

• Combined Technologies: Extreme Conditions & Events, Measurement Systems, Time Series Analysis, Green Hydrogen
• Performance & Reliability: AI & Performance Analytics, Life Extension & Loads Modeling
• Solar & Energy Storage: P50 Bias Update, Advancements in Modeling, Optimization & Dispatch Modeling, Performance Modeling for Asset Management
• Transmission & Basis: Congestion & Basis Modeling, Mitigation Strategies & Off-take Structures
• Wind: Offshore & Metocean, Wakes & Losses, Asset Management & Repowering, Operational Assessment

In addition to presentations and posters on these topics, the conference offers fantastic opportunities for networking and sponsored exhibition space for like-minded folks to brainstorm and resolve some of the bottlenecks in accurate, reliable energy modeling and performance.

I am personally excited to be the co-chair and attend this conference as it offers a unique symbiosis of technical content which is extremely commercially relevant. This place offers subject matter experts’ opinions on topics that really matter. Please join us at ACP’s Resource and Technology Conference in Austin, TX on November 14-15. We look forward to hosting you!

Rethink Your Path to Decarbonization
A wise academic once claimed “complexity is the key to simplicity” and that by “embracing the intricacies of a problem, we uncover the hidden path to its resolution.” We face a similar challenge when we’re looking at ways to make real progress against decarbonizations goals. To “see” opportunities, we need to expand the resolution of our data sets, capturing a more complete (some might say, complex) view of energy usage across the enterprise.

Today, organizations with multiple sites and asset types, disparate data sources and utility bills can find it difficult to generate a comprehensive view of energy and emissions. And all too often, projects to monitor progress against energy or decarbonization goals result in expansive, time consuming and high budget IT implementations. But if we take a step back for a moment, and consider the larger opportunity at hand, three key principles emerge that can guide us to a more effective approach to decarbonization: increase data resolution, break current paradigms, and avoid IT pitfalls.

Unleashing the Power of High-Resolution Data
As the world’s largest producer of energy from the wind and sun, NextEra Energy recognizes that increasing data resolution was a precursor to many major breakthroughs in human history, and the twenty-first century’s decarbonization efforts will be no exception. To achieve the necessary scale of data resolution, paradigms of thought-influencing technology advancement and business practice must be reimagined.

Shifting Paradigms, Shaping the Future
As sets of rules that help us filter information to make quick decisions and keep society running, paradigms are frequently helpful. However, paradigms can pose challenges when strategizing for lofty, out-sized goals. Doubt in the viability of decarbonization solutions and disbelief that they could be economical, reflect these paradigms and the need to leave them behind.

Streamlining to Avoid IT Pitfalls
One of the most common IT pitfalls is related to overcomplication. We must streamline implementations by keeping the goal in mind and avoiding work that does not serve the ultimate purpose of the business initiative. Leaving messy IT projects behind will help launch us into an efficient and sustainable future – and help us more effectively tackle the initiatives that support our decarbonization goals.

Embracing Data-Driven Strategies
In our pursuit of a more sustainable future, data-driven strategies play a crucial role. Tools such as NextEra 360 Connect can be instrumental in helping to maximize data resolution and identify opportunities for energy generation and usage with the aid of AI. This highlights the broader potential of how strategic, data-driven interventions can lead to improved performance and significant savings.

At NextEra Energy Resources, we have been proactive in managing our renewable energy assets and tracking emissions and energy trading strategies. This has not only helped in optimizing our own operations but has also enabled us to assist our clients in efficiently managing their energy needs.

We believe that embracing complexity can lead to innovative simplicity. By increasing resolution and changing paradigms, big problems become manageable, yielding improved financials and sustainability. Our customers are turning data into action to realize real savings:

• One of the world’s largest banks implemented energy trading strategies supporting their 17% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and reducing their costs by $1.25 / MWh
• A leading US university optimized a hybrid solar and battery storage site to achieve their 100% renewable energy goal and generate over $5 million in savings in six months
• A regional bank implemented smart HVAC set points and achieved
  • 8% savings in the first 3 months of operation
  • 10-15% forecasted savings during the summer months
  • 8% or 10,000 pounds of carbon emission reduction

Ultimately, our journey towards clean energy relies on our willingness to chart a new course, break free from constraining paradigms, and harness the transformative power of data. To explore how NextEra 360 Connect can guide your organization along this journey, please reach out to us at nextera-360@info.nexteraenergy.com.

Check out more of ACP’s blogs, including member company news, events, and research and reports analysis.

Sources

1. Participants – United Nations Global Compact
2. Companies Taking Action – Science Based Targets
3. Use AI to Measure Emissions – Exhaustively, Accurately, and Frequently – Boston Consulting Group
4. Report: 88% of IT Leaders Face Integration Challenges That Slow Digital Transformation – Venture Beat
5. Delivering Large-Scale IT Projects On Time, On Budget and On Value – McKinsey Digital

In 2021 the COVID-19 pandemic threw global supply chains into disarray, making clear the need to build more resilient supply chains.

America has the innovation, engineering expertise, and natural resources to revive our supply chain. But our industry needs to be able to perform no matter what the world throws at us, whether it’s some unseen supply chain crisis, a meltdown in global logistics, or commodity price shocks.

Fortunately, since the IRA’s passage in August of 2022, American Clean Power Association (ACP) has documented over 47 new clean energy manufacturing facilities that created 18,000 jobs. That’s on top of the four new U.S. factories Nextracker opened or expanded with its supply partners in 2021-2022.

The clean energy transition faces another serious challenge: rural communities rejecting job-creating renewable energy projects. Even permitted projects face opposition, with disgruntled neighbors harassing landowners. More than 100 local ordinances have passed in recent years that block or restrict clean energy projects.

We need to engage and think differently about how we connect with our customers and consumers of electricity. If we don’t get our conversation with rural Americans right, we risk billions of development dollars and our best chance at a sustainable long-term national energy supply.

What if the work we’ve already done on reshoring could help? What if bringing factory work and energy security back to America is something we could meaningfully share with rural Americans as they consider whether to host renewable energy production in their communities?

Polling is instructive: In December 2021, Morning Consult found 90% of voters think it’s important that the U.S. “produce its own renewable energy equipment here in America.” As Americans, we want things made in America because we identify with the experience of people like Michelle Barszcz, a Lead Line Operator at our partner, BCI Steel’s, new tube mill near Pittsburgh. Michelle is supporting her three children in the very same factory her grandfather worked at when she was a kid. That factory was shuttered, but it now produces critical utility-scale solar tracker components for clean energy projects in the heart of our country. Michelle is someone many Americans can relate to, and she has a perspective to share with them. You can hear her story in this video here.

We firmly believe that renewables’ ability to cut our foreign energy dependence is one of the most compelling points we can make to rural Americans. Through military service, many have seen firsthand the risk of relying on other countries for our energy. They also know that foreign dictators can’t stop the wind from blowing in Wyoming or the sun from shining in Virginia.

We agree with ACP that new projects, especially domestic manufacturing facilities, are a winning argument because they help Americans connect renewable energy with new jobs and local economic growth. Investments such as the newly dedicated tube mill in Memphis with our partners MSS Steel Tubes will create 130 good-paying manufacturing jobs. With this new factory we’re both boosting our speed and reliability in supplying customers, and we’re investing in American communities. If we communicate what we’re doing, we stand a good chance of increasing the popularity of clean energy among neighboring residents.

Because of these efforts, the 800 MW Double Black Diamond project in central Illinois will be equipped with American-made solar panels on Pittsburgh-made steel; and along with our partner Swift Current Energy, we’re letting everyone know it. As an industry, we’ve underinvested in conveying the benefits of our projects to host communities. We can’t afford to do that anymore.

We’ve seen incredible progress and tremendous growth the past 10 years. Our technology works. It’s cost-effective. And it provides energy security and high-quality jobs. We’ve graduated from megawatts to gigawatts, and now we’re on a trajectory for decisions that will have profound consequences for America and the world economy.

McCarthy Building Companies solar installer at the Swift Current Double Black Diamond solar project building the Nextracker “golden row” exemplary row for training and quality purposes. Photo: Swift Current Energy

We need to have focus and discipline not just in how we operate, but also in how we communicate. Our industry has the opportunity to showcase the economic and environmental benefits of solar energy to an expanding American landscape — whether that is farmers, ranchers, rural neighborhoods, or desert communities. The good news is that good business practices are equipping us with strong communications assets. Let’s get out there and use them.

Dan Shugar is the Founder and CEO of Nextracker and a Board Member of American Clean Power Association.