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Primary Challenges Faced by Companies in the Development Space
Even though new technologies and new business models continue to rapidly change and emerge, one of the biggest challenges is the supply chain. Developing a new product design is one thing, but being able to get the right materials at the right time and at the right price continues to be a challenge. Having a global footprint and global supply chain is one of the strategies we have utilized at Valmont Solar to overcome that challenge and bring that needed flexibility and stability without sacrificing quality. We leverage our regional teams and diverse regional supply bases to supply locally in a region where it makes sense, which allows us to be more responsive in terms of overall project timing, which customers appreciate.
Key Breakthroughs or Innovations in Making Solar Power Accessible and Affordable
Three breakthroughs are very much underway but need to continue to gain momentum and scale. The first, and perhaps most apparent, is energy storage. As we continue the energy transition into electrification of nearly everything, like tractors, semis, of course, buildings, etc., we will face major issues with the grid. Distributed generation, along with energy storage, will play a pivotal role as we move away from point generation systems. However, our storage technologies are limited by issues with sustainability, so we need further breakthroughs with storage technologies and their deployment. The second is mixed-use and difficult land use. Let’s face it: we have finite space for renewable generation at scale, and the easy projects with flat land close to grid infrastructure are mostly done. The push now is to develop projects on more difficult topographies such as the sides of mountains, on water, brownfield sites, and, what I am excited about, in mixed-use cases such as agrivoltaics. The last breakthrough we need is to keep up the trajectory of steadily lowering costs while also increasing generation. That has been the success story of the solar industry over the last decade or so, where we now have payback periods of just a few years on some projects. There will continue to be a huge emphasis on energy density, especially considering what I mentioned earlier with site scarcity and as we move to a distributed model of energy generation. This balance of increasing generation while lowering costs is what made trackers a breakthrough in recent years. Tracker technology has existed since the 1980s, but the project economics finally penciled out as costs came down. Now, it’s hard to find large, ground-mount projects that don’t utilize single-axis trackers because that additional 20 percent generation makes the project economics that much better.
Using Technologies like Machine Learning and Deep Learning to Improve Solar Energy Forecasting Methods
There are certainly applications on the software and controls side of larger projects for artificial intelligence. For example, using weather data can help tell a tracker when to go into stow positions in real-time, or it can be used on the operations and maintenance side when it comes to servicing. However, I see the area with the biggest near-term impact of the AI revolution being solar project realization. Whether it’s layout automatization, project automatization, or ROI automatization – these areas can receive a big boost from artificial intelligence that will help us scale and realize the energy transition faster. In fact, we can see this already in the residential rooftop sector with tools that can quickly do layouts on a roof because these projects are relatively cookie-cutter. For larger and utility-scale projects, there’s more complexity and, thus, more engineering that goes into it. But just as artificial intelligence improves, there’s no reason to think that it won’t be able to overcome those complexities. That moment will be a great inflection point for our ability to scale in this industry because, right now, projects require a lot of engineering, which becomes a pinch point to project realization. That’s why I always tell my team, “We have to engineer the engineering out of our projects.” This may sound strange coming from one engineer to a group of engineers, but I’m talking about using our engineering skillsets alongside artificial intelligence to do more projects with the same amount of people.
"Never stop learning. You’re never too old to learn something new. Keep Improving"
Previous Experiences That Empowered You to Enhance Resource Conservation and Elevate Quality of Life
Before leading the engineering and product development team at Valmont Solar, I had a very similar role in Valmont for Valley Irrigation. This was the first experience where my passion for developing technology and solving hard problems met with doing something good for the planet and its people. Valmont’s tagline is “Conserving Resources. Improving Life.” It goes all the way back to the organization’s roots and speaks to my hunger to solve problems that make a positive impact. At its core, Valley Irrigation is about growing more food with less water. It was easy to get up in the morning and go to work applying advanced sensors and control algorithms, machine learning, and diagnostics to do more with less. My transition to Valmont Solar fits right in with that. We develop products and technology to increase the production of solar plants. While irrigation and solar are quite different, both are unique in that they benefit from a focus on simple, reliable design that will stand the test of time and that they can advance a more sustainable way of life for people and the planet.
Advice for Senior Leaders and Cxos Working in the Solar Power Industry
Never stop learning. You’re never too old to learn something new. Keep Improving.
