Celebrating Earth Day

The greatest lesson I have learned from the pandemic is the smallest of the actions can make a very big difference. Over this past year I have taken a little extra time with my kids, I have called old friends for a real catch up, I’ve cooked for my family, I sewed face coverings for my community and held small informal round tables with employees just to check in. I have exercised and meditated to keep my mental health in check. Just these small actions that have had great impact on me, this is the spirit I’m bringing to Earth Day today.

Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The first Earth day was back in 1970 and today includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG with over 1 billion people participating in nearly 200 countries.

After being in the energy business for the last 20+ years, there has never been a more interesting time for which policy, technology, and markets have been more aligned than now. There are two things that are clear: the future of renewables is brighter than ever, and in our industry, digitization will accelerate more than ever.

As countries look to restart their economies coming out of the pandemic, infrastructure is at the top of the list. Nearly 200 countries have adopted sustainability goals and governmental policies are at a tipping point to make the promise of decarbonization a reality. These small steps of enabling renewable energy generation through policy reform and mandates can change our world. Today 63% of the world’s power generation is from fossil fuels. Nearly every publication, energy study, industry group and research firm suggests we can be 100% renewables by 2050. I truly believe the next 10 years will be transformational.

Helping this transformation along is digital advances. We now have the ability to use data science to predict and prevent service interruption, extend the life of our assets and ensure grid stability. Small bits of data collected at a large scale helps inform and guide decisions on managing renewables assets. For me pushing data analytics to enable safety by reducing tower climbs on wind turbines for maintenance is critical. 

This science of using data for asset maintenance is called digital services and it will be a part of that renewable energy growth in all regions around the world. It will enable terrific career opportunities, job growth and bringing great talent to the industry, and all the while changing the world with more access to clean energy to power homes, schools, hospitals, and factories for economic growth. 

When small policy changes and bits of data add up to a 100% renewable Earth – that is something to be excited about.

On this Earth Day I want to thank the women and men of Renewable Energy Digital Services for their dedication and perseverance every day to provide affordable, reliable, and accessible renewable energy around the world.