By Christine Graf
\nSince opening its U.S. headquarters in downtown Saratoga Springs in 2009, Natural Power has been providing renewable energy consulting services to customers throughout the country.
\nThe Scotland-based company has worked on projects in 42 countries.
\nAccording to Jim Adams, president of North America operations, Natural Power works on large-scale utility generating systems and focuses primarily on wind and solar projects. They have engineers, atmospheric scientists, ecologists, and biologists on staff.
\nThe company specializes in risk assessment of renewable energy projects. Their client base includes large banks and private equity firms. For these clients, Natural Power functions as what Adams describes as independent engineers.
\n\u201cWe will certainly work on behalf of someone who is building a commercial generating facility, but the lion\u2019s share of our business is doing the independent engineering,\u201d he said. \u201cIn cases where the project is getting close to going into construction, we are providing an independent review of the viability of the project and the risk associated with the project on behalf of the folks that are investing in that project.\u201d
\nWhen contracted by a company that is building a facility, Natural Power acts as the \u201cowner\u2019s engineer.\u201d They provide assistance in all aspects of the project including design, layout, permitting, and environmental reviews.
\nThe company also works on projects related to energy storage which is used to store excess energy that is produced by facilities that produce electricity. According to Adams, there is a \u201cbig push\u201d in New York to promote energy storage. The state\u2019s Clean Energy Standard requires 50 percent of New York\u2019s electricity to be generated by renewable source by 2030. Millions of dollars of incentives have been made available for energy storage projects throughout the state.
\nDiscussing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic on business, Adams said, \u201cWe have had to get creative in how we deal with site visits, but it has largely been business as usual. We are a tech firm and are used to working remotely.\u201d
\nAlthough the pandemic has not impacted the company directly, it has led to construction delays of renewable energy projects. These delays have created some uncertainty within the industry.
\n\u201cIt was a little rocky earlier in the year,\u201d said Adams. \u201cWe were not sure how COVID would impact some of the projects that needed to be built by the end of the year to meet deadline for the production tax credit\u2014a federal incentive that has been in place for renewable energy for past 20 something years. People were concerned they wouldn\u2019t be able to get their projects finished on time, but the Treasury Department has relaxed the deadline. We now have an additional year of breathing room. That has given us a lot more confidence in the market in the near term, and long-term prospects look extremely strong.\u201d
\nThe renewable energy sector has also suffered from a lack of support from the Trump administration, he said. President Trump has been vocal in his opposition of wind energy.
\n\u201cWith any sort of technology, there\u2019s always going to be opposition,\u201d said Adams. \u201cIn my 20 years in the industry, I\u2019ve heard a lot of things. But this administration has been throwing some curveballs and new stuff out there that has really caught us off guard.\u201d
\nDespite these challenges, Adams predicts continued growth in the industry. In 2019, renewable energy sources accounted for about 11 percent of total U.S. energy consumption and about 17 percent of electricity generation.
\n\u201cSome of the largest procurers of renewable energy happen to be large corporations that are looking to do their part in the fight against climate change. That\u2019s really driving demand,\u201d he said. \u201cWind has really been gaining steam over the last couple of years. We are quite bullish about the opportunities with offshore wind energy as well as improved storage technology and solar technology.\u201d
\nThe International Energy Agency predicts that offshore wind generation will grow 15-fold over the course of the next 20 years and become a $1 trillion global industry. Solar energy production is also expected to experience exponential growth.
\nAdams predicted the company will double in size in the U.S. over the next two to three years. They have additional U.S. office in Seattle and Golden, Colo. Its Saratoga office has 15 employees and was chosen as the company\u2019s U.S. headquarters in part because of its proximity to New York City. Many of Natural Powers\u2019 clients including banks and large investment houses are located in the Big Apple.
\n\u201cI love this community and have lived in the area for most of my life. This is an ideal location to be close enough to clients and attractive to our staff in terms of having a very vibrant community and having access to all of the things we know and love in Saratoga,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Christine Graf Since opening its U.S. headquarters in downtown Saratoga Springs in 2009, Natural Power has been providing renewable energy consulting services to customers throughout the country. The Scotland-based company has worked on projects in 42 countries. According to Jim Adams, president of North America operations, Natural Power works on large-scale utility generating systems […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\r\n