52. What Does It Take to Develop Utility-Scale Solar Projects?

What Does It Take to Develop Utility-Scale Solar Projects? Constructing a utility-scale solar project requires more than simply buying PV panels and mounting them in a field. It can take years to find the right location, conduct feasibility studies, obtain permits, and align the proverbial stars. A couple of experts, who have managed multiple projects through the process, were guests on The POWER Podcast. Carl Jackson and Charles Silio, two of the three partners who founded Glidepath Ventures, a company focused on solar project development in PJM and other fast-growing solar markets in North America, provided a high-level overview of the development process and explained what drew them to the PJM market. “There’s an old saying in solar that every project that actually gets built dies a thousand deaths, and that’s probably accurate,” Jackson said. “A lot of that has to do with all the things that you deal with at the beginning stages of development.” Jackson earned his stripes by leading project origination and business development for Cypress Creek Renewables, where he worked on solar energy projects in a variety of states. Some of that experience helped inform the partners’ decision to focus on the PJM market, and Pennsylvania in particular. “One of the reasons we picked Pennsylvania was it’s very close to a lot of load in the competitive PJM market. There are multiple opportunities for corporate or municipal offtake, and a lot of companies, municipalities, and universities—even within the state of Pennsylvania—that have sustainability goals, who are actively looking for renewable power. In addition, it being PJM, you can sell via contract for differences to corporates or other buyers anywhere within PJM. And failing that, if you really want to run a plant merchant, there’s a fairly liquid market for power and for other ancillary services and capacity,” Silio said. Most people probably don’t think of Pennsylvania as a solar power hotbed, but in some ways that works to Glidepath Ventures’ advantage. There is les