Saku Gopinath
Username
Saku Gopinath
Proposer First Name
Saku
Proposer Email
saku.gopinath@ugei.com
Proposer Last Name
Gopinath
Proposer Job Title
Marketing Associate
Proposer Additional Info
I am submitting this proposal on behalf of UGE's Managing Director USA, Mateo Chaskel.
Proposed Session Description
Community solar (CS), the fastest growing segment of the U.S. solar industry, is one of the most effective methods for creating an equitable distribution of clean energy benefits. In this session, Mateo will explain how the CS model supports renewable energy equity, how the addition of battery energy storage systems (BESS) further strengthens grid resilience in LMI communities, and how to approach such projects from a design, development, and financing perspective using a UGE project example.
Why is this session important?
Renewable energy has historically not been easily accessible to marginalized communities, who suffer the most from the impacts of climate change, and community solar helps to address that issue. Everyone deserves to benefit from clean energy.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Community solar is one of the best methods we have for ensuring the benefits of renewable energy are accessible to all, which is why the federal government and local state governments have recently invested heavily in building out community solar programs, frequently with specific incentives for developing projects within LMI communities.
Learning Objectives
Explain what CDG (community distributed generation) projects are and how they differ from other, more commonly understood kinds of solar project (utility and residential).
Describe how CDG projects help build energy equity, helping to bring the environmental and economic benefits of renewable energy to communities that have historically been excluded.
Understand the basics of how parts of the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) are helping to incentivize the development of renewable energy projects in underserved communities, and how solar developers can utilize IRA incentives to focus more of their development in these areas.
Has this session been presented before?
No
Additional Comments
This presentation has been submitted to and accepted by ASES.
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 2 - Some prior knowledge helpful.
NYC 2023 Areas of Focus
Session Format Details
This presentation will have two sections - the first, a discussion of community solar, how it works and its benefits - the second, a discussion of how one of UGE's community solar projects is delivering maximum benefits for LMI residents of a public housing authority in New York. There will be Q&A between the two sections, as well as at the end of the section.
Recommended Length
60-minute session
Strongest Content Connection - NYC 2023
Comments about your speaker roster
Mateo has spent over a decade in the renewable energy industry and has a breadth of expertise developing, structuring, building, and contracting deals that maximize community benefit and the use of local and national incentives. Originally from Colombia, Mateo holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University.
Reviewer 1
Engoren, Elizabeth
Proposal #
170
Committee Decision
Rejected