Get the Most Out of the IRA by Optimizing Your Clean Energy Assets

March 21, 2023

By Steven Koscelnik, Business Development Manager – Asset Optimization

Passed in August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) promises to unleash billions of dollars of investment in America’s transition to a clean energy economy. Targeted incentives in the legislation are driving investments in wind, solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS) technologies that will dramatically transform our nation’s energy sector over the next several years. As market participants of all types seek to bring portfolios ranging in size from megawatts to gigawatts online, many have the same question: how can I optimize my assets and achieve maximum return on my investment?

Many know EDF Renewables as one of the largest developer, owner and operator of renewable energy projects both domestically and globally, but we are also a trusted provider of third-party operations and maintenance (O&M) services to leading asset owners across North America. In fact, more than 50% of our portfolio of 13 gigawatts (GW) consists of third-party contracts.

What EDF Renewables O&M Services Provide to Asset Owners

In-House Experts
Our Asset Optimization team is comprised of more than 450 full-time technicians, managers, and support staff and offers a full range of services for all phases of renewable energy projects – operations, routine and emergency maintenance, management, procurement, retrofits and upgrades.

Optimize Returns
We work closely with clients to optimize our comprehensive suite of O&M services that will minimize downtime, reduce equipment failures, and protect asset value while managing the balance-of-plant and day-to-day operations of your wind or solar project. Examples of our basic O&M services include:

Onsite preventative and corrective maintenance
Balance of plant (BOP) management
Major component repair and replacement
Parts procurement
Blade maintenance program
End of warranty (EOW) inspections
Availability guarantees

24/7/365 Monitoring
Our Asset Optimization services can help ensure a facility is operating at its best by supervising, controlling, and optimizing performance in real time. This is achieved via our Operations Control Center, located at our North American headquarters in San Diego, covering the below on site:

24/7/365 remote monitoring and control
Fault reset / notification
Curtailment management
SCADA support
Monarch integration (SCADA overlay)

Specialty Services
While some asset owners may have significant O&M resources in-house, others may desire specialized or even turnkey-level services. We offer a range of specialty services that will help reduce costs while increasing production and profitability

NERC and GADS compliance support
Asset management / admin
Performance & reliability engineering
Blade services
Major corrective repairs
High-voltage services
Battery storage

Three Reasons Asset Owners Rely on EDF Renewables for Their O&M Needs

1. We are the most experienced provider of third-party renewable energy O&M services in North America, with a 35+ year track record of success. As an owner-operator, we approach our customers’ assets with the same attention to detail and focus on long-term value that we apply to maximize the clean energy production of our own projects. And because we’re not an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), our recommendations are transparent and data driven.

2. We have decades of experience in the development, construction, and operation of grid-scale projects, and we are recognized for our ability to deliver innovative, creative solutions that meet the unique needs of our project partners as well as utility and corporate customers.

3. We are a leader in energy storage, with over 2,500 MW in our pipeline, we draw on our experience in engineering, installing and commissioning BESS in a wide variety of applications and geographies to add value for our asset optimization customers. We work with clients prior to their renewable energy project achieving commercial operation, leveraging our operational experience during the design stage to ensure that the BESS is optimized to the unique needs of their project.

How Does This Tie in With IRA Incentives?

For clients planning to leverage IRA incentives to deploy large portfolios of renewable energy assets, our broad geographic footprint offers the advantage of creating synergies that can lead to significant economies of scale. And for customers with existing projects, our broad experience means we are knowledgeable about technology and equipment from virtually every manufacturer in operation today, including legacy models. It’s worth noting that the IRA offers incentives to replace and upgrade existing equipment – our development teams can help clients identify opportunities to capture these benefits.

In summary, our commitment to continuous improvement means that we are always innovating to find new ways to deliver value to our customers, and constantly evolving our offerings to be able to service any customer in any market, regardless of technology or scale.

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