Energy Unplugged by Aurora EP.230 Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO, EDPR North America
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Feb 11, 2025 In this discussion, Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP Renewables North America, shares her journey through investment banking to leading a major renewable energy company. She examines the robust growth of the U.S. renewable energy market, highlighting the demand dynamics and investment opportunities. Sandhya tackles the tricky challenges of interconnection queues and the potential for power shortages. She also touches on federal policies shaping the energy transition and the critical need for diverse energy sources to meet future demands.
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US Renewable Energy Market Growth
- The US renewable energy market has grown significantly, driven by Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), an aging thermal fleet, and a strong corporate PPA market.
- Demand growth is further fueled by increasing energy consumption from data centers and AI.
Capital Allocation Strategy
- EDPR, a major renewables company, prioritizes diversification across US states and ISOs.
- They look for areas with good transmission, resources, and permitting processes when allocating capital.
Interconnection Challenges
- Interconnection queues in the US are very long, exceeding total installed capacity in many ISOs, which poses a challenge to meeting growing demand.
- While there have been attempts to improve the process, faster solutions are needed using technologies like AI.