It’s a question Texas is being forced to address amidst a miserable month for wind generation, but the initial answer lends a promising prognosis to ratepayers. So far, electricity prices have remained stable despite nearly one-quarter of ERCOT’s generation profile being hampered by Mother Nature.

According to preliminary data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), wind power in the contiguous United States produced only 302,615 megawatt hours (MWh) on Tuesday, July 23. That’s the lowest amount since… The day before, when wind power produced 335,753 MWh. Six of the 10 worst days for wind power this year have been this month (July), but previous to this week’s abysmal totals, there hadn’t been a comparably bad day since October 4, 2021.

Wind farms are on track to produce an average of just 4% of power generation this week, down from 7% last week and 12% so far in 2024, per the EIA.

So how are electricity prices fairing in ERCOT territory, which counts on wind for 28% of its fuel mix in Q2 2024? Well…

Is anyone else surprised that Texas (ERCOT) can now have very boring price days MID SUMMER when wind output is sub 200 MW

I shouldn't be, the solar obviously was going to compliment a wind profile, but this is a paradigm shift in terms of price forecasting. pic.twitter.com/SgcunfUo3b

— Andrew Gelston (@agelston) July 24, 2024

“A paradigm shift in terms of price forecasting” may sound strong, but “boring days” are far better than blackouts. Boring days are welcomed in any territory, especially during the heat of summer.

Of course, ERCOT isn’t relying entirely on renewables to keep electricity prices in check- far from it. In the lower 48, gas-fired power plants are producing an average of 48% of generation this week, up from 46% last week, according to the EIA. U.S. plants generated 6.9 million MWh of electricity from natural gas in the lower 48 states on July 9, 2024, probably the most on any day in history, says the EIA.

Texas has generally lingered between 30,000 and 40,000 MWh of natural gas generation over the last week.

The stable pricing is not just ERCOT passing gas, though (sorry, had to).

ERCOT’s commitment to diversifying its fuel mix deserves recognition, as energy research scientist Joshua D. Rhodes points out:

Updated (through Q2 2024) ERCOT fuel mix shows solar's rapid growth and that ERCOT has run on about 47% clean electricity for the first half of 2024!

Fun fact: it looks like solar is growing about twice as fast as wind did; wind: 2%->10% in 7 years, solar: 2%->10% in 4 years. pic.twitter.com/1HlTabNyDy

— Joshua D. Rhodes (@joshdr83) July 24, 2024

Rhodes’ graph makes it easy to see how rapidly solar and wind are driving coal (and to a lesser extent, natural gas) out of the fuel mix. The fact that solar is expanding nearly twice as quickly as wind generation did in Texas is likely a testament to the success of the IRA and to the staying power of the industry (and all that land fit for utility-scale installations) .

In totality, the data indicates we may have reached a tipping point- hopefully, one that keeps electricity prices stable.

DEV will only consider proposals for facilities located within PJM territory, not including those located in the state of Virginia.

All electrical output from the facilities will be delivered to the PJM Dominion Transmission Zone. Facilities that achieved a commercial operations date (COD) after October 1, 2021, and facilities under construction that achieve COD prior to the end of calendar year 2035 are eligible.

All participating bidders must register by submitting an Intent to Bid Form and an executed confidentiality agreement by August 30. The proposal submission deadline is September 30.

The Intent to Bid Form, CA, and other additional information on the RFP can also be found on the company’s website. 

This week, Virginia Electric and Power Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dominion Energy, agreed to acquire the Kitty Hawk North Wind offshore wind lease and associated developments from Avangrid for approximately $160 million, including a payment of roughly $3,000 per acre for the nearly 40,000-acre lease.

If approved by regulators and constructed, the former Kitty Hawk North Wind site, which will be known as CVOW-South, would connect to the company’s transmission grid and have a capacity of 800 MW. Avangrid retains the ownership and associated rights to Kitty Hawk South, and says it will continue the development of the area, which can potentially deliver up to 2.4 GW to North Carolina, Virginia, or other states or private companies. After receipt of necessary approvals from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the City of Virginia Beach, Dominion Energy and Avangrid expect to close the transaction in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The firm’s latest analysis predicts developers will put more than 5.4 terawatts (TWac) of new solar and wind capacity online over the next decade, increasing the cumulative global total to 8 TWac.

Energy storage capacity (excluding pumped hydro) will grow by more than 600%, Wood Mackenzie predicts, as nearly 1 TW of new capacity is expected to come online from 2024-2033.

“Global demand for renewables has reached unprecedented levels, driven by country-level policy targets, technology innovation, and concerns over energy security,” stated Luke Lewandowski, vice president of global renewables research at Wood Mackenzie. “Integrated power technology solutions will continue to evolve, evidenced by a significant increase in storage-paired capacity growth, despite inflation, grid constraints, and permitting challenges.”

Annual capacity will increase from approximately 500 GW of new solar and wind capacity installed in 2023, and average 560 GW annually over the 10-year outlook. China will continue to dominate solar, energy storage, and wind uptake, with 3.5 TWac forecast to be grid-connected between 2024 and 2033, notes WoodMac’s analysis.

“Solar PV leads the deployment race, accounting for 59% of global capacity due to come online between 2024 and 2033. Energy storage will have the most balanced geographic footprint over the outlook due in part to its important role in helping to make renewable power available,” Lewandowski added.

Solar: Cumulative installed global solar PV capacity to nearly quadruple from 2024 to 2033

“Ultra-low module prices intensified the rate of solar deployments last year in Europe and China and will continue to do so in the near-term. But grid constraints and a return to lower power prices and subsequently lower capture rates will impact markets and other regions,” said Juan Monge, the principal analyst of distributed solar PV at Wood Mackenzie.

Wood Mackenzie’s global solar PV forecast projects 4.7 terawatts direct current (TWdc) will be built between 2024 and 2033, with China accounting for 50% of that capacity growth.

Monge added: “Ultimately, maximizing solar PV capacity, and wind power capacity for that matter, in the next 10 years will depend on additional technology developments: from expanding grid infrastructure to incentivizing flexibility solutions, transportation, and heating electrification.”

In 2023, drastic drops in Chinese module prices and tight deadlines to interconnect tendered projects triggered 150% annual growth for installations across all solar PV segments, the analysis explains. Year-on-year increases in annual installed capacity will continue until 2026, when Wood Mackenzie forecasts a two-year slowdown due to an expected pause in development activity before the next round of planned procurement drives higher deployment.

For installations in the first quarter, developers in the US installed more solar in the first quarter of 2024 than in all of 2019, installations in China were up 36% year-on-year, and new capacity in India through Q1 amounted to 85% total capacity installed in 2023. However, Europe’s distributed PV boom has started to weaken, with first quarter residential installations contracting more than 30% in Germany and over 50% in the Netherlands as retail rates come down.

Energy storage: Global cumulative capacity will increase sixfold by the end of 2033, passing 1 TW/3 TWh

“Global energy storage deployment in 2023 achieved record-breaking growth of 162% compared to 2022, installing 45 GW/100 GWh. While impressive, the growth represents just the start for a multi-TW market as policy support in terms of tax exemption and capacity and hybrid auctions accelerate storage buildout across all regions,” said Anna Darmani, principal analyst of energy storage at Wood Mackenzie.

The global energy storage market is on track to reach 159 GW/358 GWh by the end of 2024, according to Wood Mackenzie’s Q2 global energy storage market outlook update. Looking ahead, 926 GW/2789 GWh will be added between 2024 and 2033, marking a 636% increase.

China remains the global leader in energy storage due to its booming solar market, with an average of 42 GW/120 GWh annual capacity additions forecasted in the next 10 years.

In Europe, grid-scale projects are booming as developers aim to seize opportunities from emerging contracted revenues. Demand from the distributed segment has decreased by 23% in 2024 as retail rates stabilize. With lower system costs and regulatory changes, however, distributed market growth is expected to resume from 2026.

Wind: Global wind power industry to add more than 1.7 TW over the next 10 years

According to Wood Mackenzie’s Q2 global wind market outlook update, policy support from China’s central government drives the world’s largest wind market, with China forecasted to install 91.5 GW on average annually.

“China’s central government announced a plan in May to promote the energy transition and ensure the country meets carbon-neutral targets,” explained Lucas Stavole, senior research analyst at Wood Mackenzie. “Project development has been accelerated in the short-term and renewable energy investment will be a long-term economic driver.” 

Challenges with permitting, grid access, financing, and supply chain availability impact the 2024 to 2026 outlook, pushing capacity into 2027 to 2033 and beyond the 10-year horizon. These dynamics impacted countries primarily in North America, Western Europe, and Asia.

Outside of China, wind additions globally will average 85 GW per year, a robust increase compared to the prior 10-year average of 37 GW. Additions in the Americas region will total 230 GW through 2033, as the offshore wind sector gains a foothold in the region and government incentives continue to drive growth.

The offshore wind sector, after connecting 11 GW globally in 2023, will average 39 GW of connected capacity annually from 2024 to 2033, (386 GW total), culminating in 54 GW in 2033. More than 50% (199 GW) of the total offshore wind capacity installed over the outlook period will be installed in China.

Located across 1,900 acres, the Muskegon Solar Energy Center is expected to be completed in 2026. The project is a key part of Consumers Energy‘s plan to add 8 gigawatts of utility-scale solar power by 2040.

“Consumers Energy has some of the most ambitious clean energy goals in the nation and advancing projects like this put us on a clear path to achieving them,” said David Hicks, vice president of clean energy development for Consumers Energy. “Every project we bring online helps lower bills for our customers in the long term while also providing significant tax revenue for the community and better serving our planet. That’s a win for everyone, and we’re proud to be partnering with Burns & McDonnell to see this project come to fruition.”

“We are excited to work with local trades and union halls across Michigan to build out solar within the state,” said Drew Powers, construction project manager at Burns & McDonnell. “This project not only helps Consumers Energy advance in renewable energy but also supports the local economy.”

“We are excited to help build out solar and drive the low cost of energy and renewable penetration into the great state of Michigan,” added Scott Newland, senior vice president of infrastructure at Burns & McDonnell.

Burns & McDonnell is using an integrated engineer-procure-construct (EPC) approach on the project. The integrated EPC scope of the firm also includes site permitting, substation construction, and the interconnection generation tie. The Burns & McDonnell team consists of the firm’s union self-perform construction arm, AZCO, working closely with local and other Michigan-based union labor.

Some key components of the project include First Solar Series 7 modules, Array Technology trackers, Siemens Gamesa inverters, and Shoals Technologies Group and CAB Solar Cable Management tools.

Last year, Michigan passed a law limiting the ability of local governments to block solar and wind projects. Opponents under the name “Citizens for Local Choice” responded by launching a campaign to put a referendum on the ballot that would repeal the law, but last week they ran out of time to gather enough signatures. The organization said they will continue their campaign, working to secure placement on the 2026 ballot.

In the meantime, renewable energy projects are taking root across the Great Lakes state.

This week, DTE Energy announced it will convert a portion of its retired Trenton Channel coal power plant site to house a 220-MW battery energy storage center. When completed in 2026, the energy storage center is expected to be the largest standalone battery energy storage project in the Great Lakes region.

DTE Energy is currently seeking proposals for renewable energy projects totaling approximately 1,075 MW and 120 MW in battery energy storage projects to support DTE Electric’s CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), the company’s MIGreenPower program, and Michigan’s new renewable energy standard of 60% by 2030.

Originally published by Paul Gerke on Renewable Energy World.

The project for Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Co-op (SSVEC), an AEPCO member co-op, includes a 40-MWh energy storage system and an existing 20-MW photovoltaic (PV) system that will integrate Athena, Stem’s AI-driven clean energy software, to continuously operate and monitor the storage system. The SSVEC project is the first of three similarly sized deployments that Stem will collaborate on with Prometheus to provide Stem’s services for AEPCO’s other managing co-ops. All three projects are expected to come online by the end of the year.

“More than 900 electric co-ops across 48 states make up the largest electric utility network in the U.S. The segment is forecasted to be one of the fastest growing segments of the front-of-the-meter (FTM) market through the end of this decade and is projected to represent over 20% of all future storage deployments,” said John Carrington, Chief Executive Officer of Stem. “Stem’s unique combination of AI-driven software, hardware, and services is enabling enhanced value and project returns at scale for co-ops and their members. We are excited to bring our proven capabilities and market experience to AEPCO and their members.”

“As part of our Reliable Energy Plan, AEPCO is focused on strategic investments in renewable energy assets and battery energy storage systems (BESS) to help fundamentally improve, diversify, and strengthen the AEPCO portfolio,” said Patrick Ledger, AEPCO executive vice president and CEO. “With Stem’s proven solar and storage solutions and expertise, we can ensure economies of scale on larger projects so our member co-ops can benefit from the flexibility and reliability of new clean energy resources that will substantially reduce costs and provide more reliable clean energy for the communities we serve.”

“As the largest co-op in Arizona, SSVEC has worked diligently to diversify our energy portfolio from having over 80% coal-generated energy in 2016 to just 25% in 2023 with an estimated 18% generated from renewable sources. These efforts help ensure greater energy independence, reliability, and price stability for SSVEC members, with an overriding benefit of a cleaner environment,” said Jason Bowling, Chief Executive Officer of SSVEC. “Working with AEPCO and Stem to ensure the successful deployment and optimization of our renewable energy assets will help SSVEC continue to honor our commitments of delivering affordable, reliable energy to our 53,000 members.”

“We are honored to have played a pivotal role in the construction of this monumental facility for SSVEC,” said Rohit Garg, Prometheus manager. “With our developer expertise, we are confident that this project will set a new standard for co-ops implementing utility-scale renewable energy assets, driving forward the adoption of sustainable practices in the energy sector. We are looking forward to working with Stem on deploying future projects for AEPCO.”

These follow Stem’s recent co-op projects, including a 23 MW solar plus 60 MWh storage project for Mohave Electric Cooperative (MEC), an AEPCO distribution co-op, and a 313 MWh standalone energy storage project with Ameresco for a major co-op customer. Stem has booked more than $1 billion of contracts associated with the growing municipal and co-op utility market segment.

Originally published in Renewable Energy World.

Entergy and NextEra are bringing a new wave of solar and storage development to the Southern United States that will significantly bolster the portfolio of renewables in the region.

Entergy and NextEra Energy Resources LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Inc., today announced a joint development agreement of up to 4.5 GW of new solar generation and energy storage projects.

“We’re excited about this joint development agreement, which will enable Entergy to provide our customers with low-cost, renewable energy as demand grows across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas,” said Rod West, group president of utility operations for Entergy.

“We believe the power sector is at an inflection point, and growing electricity demand will be met by low-cost, renewable generation and storage,” added Rebecca Kujawa, president and chief executive officer of NextEra Energy Resources. “We’re pleased to reach this agreement because it further strengthens our long-standing collaboration and adds up to 4.5 GW on top of the more than 1.7 GW of renewable energy projects already underway with Entergy.”

Texas is a utility-scale solar powerhouse, ranking second nationally with more than 32 GW of installed capacity, but the other states in Entergy’s territory aren’t as far along. Louisiana has just 617 MW installed, and only 0.7% of its electricity comes from solar (in Texas it’s more than 6%, for comparison). Mississippi ranks 37th in the country with about 577 MW installed; Arkansas is 27th with 1.1 GW and about 2% of its energy mix comes from solar.

The landscape in the region is shifting, however.

Last month, the Louisiana Public Service Commission approved Entergy Louisiana’s proposal to add up to three gigawatts of economic solar power to its generation portfolio, marking what the utility calls the largest renewable power expansion in the state’s history.

EDP Renewables North America recently announced a 175-MW solar project in Mississippi County, Arkansas called Crooked Lake Solar Park that will directly support Arkansas’ electric grid. In Mississippi, the first of three solar plus storage projects from Origis Energy and Tennessee Valley Authority has reached commercial operation; the triumvirate is expected to be completed next year.

Originally published in Renewable Energy World.

The proposed projects are the first selected under the Department’s Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative, an effort to repurpose parts of DOE-owned lands, portions of which were previously used in the nation’s nuclear weapons program, into sites of clean-energy generation. The initiative supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government approach to leveraging federal properties to support the buildout of utility-scale clean energy projects.  

NorthRenew Energy Partners proposes installing photovoltaics and battery storage to produce more than 300 MW of carbon-free electricity on an approximately 2,000-acre chunk of land on the INL site. Spitfire, the other selected developer, similarly proposes solar plus storage to produce 100 MW on a roughly 500-acre patch of land.

The developers will now start negotiations with DOE to enter into leases for the development of the proposed photovoltaic projects. Before leases are issued, DOE and the applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time.     

“Tens of thousands of acres of DOE-owned land across the nation are being transformed into thriving centers of carbon-free power generation,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm. “Working closely with community leaders and private sector partners, we’re cleaning up land once used in our nuclear deterrence programs and deploying the clean energy solutions we need to help save the planet and strengthen our energy independence.”   

“President Biden directed the Federal Government to use its scale and procurement power, as the nation’s largest energy consumer and land manager, to support the growth of America’s clean energy industry and clean energy jobs, and do so in ways that are good for our taxpayers and our communities,” added Andrew Mayock, federal chief sustainability officer in the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “Through DOE’s Cleanup to Clean Energy Initiative, we will spur new clean electricity production, which is good for our climate, our economy, and our national security.”   

DOE announced the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative in July 2023 in response to the directive in Executive Order 14057  and the accompanying Federal Sustainability Plan for agencies to use their properties for the development of new clean electricity generation.      

DOE will continue to engage and partner with industry, Tribal nations, communities, stakeholders, regulators, and others to implement a process for further development of clean energy projects on DOE land. 

As part of the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative, DOE has also issued requests for qualifications (RFQs) to lease land at four additional sites, including the Hanford site in Washington; the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico; the Nevada National Security Site in Nevada; and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. DOE plans to announce additional selections this year.    

DOE also plans to open subsequent RFQs for the INL site to solicit additional generation-ready clean energy projects for the land that remains available at the site. More information on the Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative can be found here.

“Solar energy enhances Mississippi’s economic competitiveness, and Origis is removing limits to a cleaner, brighter future by building the region’s clean-energy infrastructure,” said Johan Vanhee, chief commercial and procurement officer for Origis. “Golden Triangle II is the first step in fostering a zero-carbon economy across the state that supports our nation’s economic and energy security goals.”

The other two Origis undertakings in Mississippi are Golden Triangle I, in Lowndes County, a 200 MWac project with 50 MW of battery storage; and Optimist, in Clay County, a 200 MWac project with 50 MW of battery storage. According to the company, this represents the largest battery storage portfolio under construction in the state. Once completed in 2025, Origis expects its Mississippi portfolio to have a total capacity of 550 MW plus 150 MW of battery storage.

“As a national clean energy leader, TVA is on the forefront to drive carbon reduction across all sectors of the economy and provide the clean power needed to fuel our region’s growth,” said Amy Tate, TVA Southeast region executive. “Together, with partners like Origis, TVA is developing carbon-free energy solutions that create jobs and investment in the communities we serve.” 

Origis Energy developed, constructed, and will operate the three projects for TVA. Each site will deliver clean energy at competitive rates under Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) executed between TVA and Origis. TVA says it will use the power to help meet the energy demand and sustainability goals of some of its large industrial customers, through its Green Invest program, including Meta. Golden Triangle II will support Meta’s operations in the TVA area as part of the more than 1,000 MWac capacity Meta has partnered with TVA on, per the companies.

“Partnering with TVA on the Green Invest program has made it possible for our operations in the Tennessee Valley to be supported by new solar energy constructed in the region,” said Urvi Parekh, head of renewable energy at Meta. “This solar farm is Meta’s first renewable energy project in Mississippi, and we’re excited to see it come online.”

“Origis Energy and TVA’s announcement of the commercial operation of Golden Triangle II represents a significant milestone in our commitment to advancing clean energy solutions,” stated Tom Cornell, president and CEO of Prevalon Energy. “We are honored to be part of this project, enabling more renewable generation in TVA’s service territory. By generating carbon-free electricity, this project not only supports Mississippi’s economic competitiveness but also contributes to a cleaner, brighter future for the region. We are excited to be part of this endeavor and look forward to continuing to support sustainable energy initiatives with Origis and TVA.”

The agreement is meant to contribute to Microsoft’s goal of having 100% of its electricity consumption matched by zero-carbon energy purchases by 2030, with the demand for cloud services growing. Having contracted almost one GW of renewable capacity to date outside of the agreement, the agreement builds on the existing collaboration, the companies said.

The agreement will not only focus on wind and solar but also “new or impactful carbon-free energy generation technologies,” which were not expanded upon by the companies.

According to the Financial Times, which first broke the news, the new capacity could cost an estimated $10 billion. Per BNEF tracked data and the Financial Times, the largest PPA signed between two separate independent parties is 1.3 GW, between mining company Rio Tinto and an Australian solar farm.

The companies say the agreement provides a pathway for Brookfield to deliver over 10.5 GW of new renewable energy capacity between 2026 and 2030 in the U.S. and Europe. The agreement includes the potential to increase its scope to deliver additional renewable energy capacity within the U.S. and Europe, and beyond to Asia-Pacific, India, and Latin America, and the companies say it provides an incentive for Brookfield to build a large portfolio of new renewable energy projects over the coming years.

“As the global trend of digitalization and the adoption of AI continues to drive growth in demand for electricity, we are thrilled to collaborate with Microsoft to support their customer demand with the build-out of over 10.5 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity,” said Connor Teskey, CEO of Brookfield Renewable and President of Brookfield Asset Management. “This first-of-its-kind agreement, which is almost eight times larger than the largest single corporate PPA ever signed, is a testament to our ability to reliably deliver clean power solutions at scale to our corporate partners and accelerate the energy transition.”

Originally published in Renewable Energy World.

The renewable energy market is booming – and rightfully so. But beneath the surface, there’s a silent technical problem that degrades the performance of projects. We call it “data risk,” the loss of data and data quality as project designing moves from one software platform to another.  

Most renewable developer executive teams have never heard of this problem, but they are beginning to feel its effects. Left unchanged, data risk could significantly curtail the success of the entire clean energy transition. 

I’ve been working in the renewable industry for more than a decade – including nearly a decade as a solar project engineer – and I’ve seen how easily data can get compromised. A typical renewable energy project involves a myriad of vendors, each performing a bespoke role. Those include market analysis, financing, site selection, design, yield estimation, construction monitoring, operation and maintenance, and asset management. 

Completing these steps can require 30 or more different companies, suppliers, and consultants, and all must be involved in the data foundation of a project. Each of these collects and provides data in a different way, using different software, units of measurement, and margins of error.

Here’s what that might look like in practice: Company A sends a spreadsheet of data to Companies B, C, and D to conduct their own analyses and complete their respective parts of the project. 

Each company then creates its own data analysis based on the spreadsheet. Company B rearranges the data to suit its needs. Company C sends its analysis back in a giant PDF. And Company D completes its work in a different unit of measurement. 

It’s then up to Company A to compile all the data – an incredibly time-consuming and labor-intensive process. Inevitably, pieces of data are lost, outdated, or altered – creating data risk. 

It’s like an old-fashioned game of “telephone” in which every repetition can change the meaning. But this happens repeatedly with thousands upon thousands of data points throughout the process. 

If just one data point is slightly off or defunct early in the development process, it can cause a cascade of errors. It doesn’t take much degradation or loss of data, particularly at the early design stages, to inadvertently build flaws into projects and how they’ll operate. 

That can cause a myriad of issues. For example, a developer might compile data for a solar project and determine that they can install a 100MW power plant. They secure funding based on that estimate. But then, when they get further along in the process, they discover they can only install 70MW. They then have to return to their investors and report that their calculations are 30 percent off, which may negate their initial business model. 

Additionally, right now, many renewable leaders are experiencing underperformance in their systems but can’t pinpoint the cause. Some are selling off assets due to that underperformance. 

The financial consequences are monumental. At an average solar project price of $1.5 million per MW and at least 300 GW of projects under development in EMEA and the Americas, according to BNEF, compounding data risk issues could jeopardize investments worth more than $450 billion. 

Data risk isn’t just harmful for project leaders in the short term. It also affects the entire renewable energy industry. When energy plants consistently underperform expectations, it’s difficult to get funding for future projects. It also reduces trust in the industry throughout the process: For project owners, power off-takers, host communities, and policymakers. 

Ultimately, that slows our progress in cutting carbon pollution – at a time when we need to be reducing emissions faster and at a bigger scale. 

Companies can’t simply hire more people to handle quality control. We’re already experiencing a dire shortage of skilled workers in the renewable energy market. It also wastes precious time and resources – and increases the chance of error – to use significant staff resources on such tasks. 

Technology will provide the needed support. While some software exists to compile data, it is nowhere near comprehensive and advanced enough to handle a renewable project from start to finish. That needs to change. We need a software solution that integrates all the steps of project development and design into a single platform. 

We haven’t seen the full repercussions of data risk quite yet. But as the renewable energy market continues to expand, these issues will become more and more apparent. 

On the flip side, if we can eliminate data risk, developers could complete projects faster, more accurately, and with fewer resources. And those projects could meet their promised performance goals. Ultimately, that would accelerate our transition to a net-zero economy. 

About the author

David Trainavicius is founder and CEO of PVcase, a leading SaaS firm with customers in 80 countries, whose software makes engineering and building renewable energy projects less labor-intensive, time-consuming, and complicated. He previously consulted for more than 100 companies and helped investors develop projects in Europe worth over €500M.