From Mountains to Megawatts

Not many people can say they grew up in a world-famous national park, but Tyler Balding did. His paternal grandfather was the superintendent of Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada; his father was part of a group that helped formally incorporate the town of Jasper in 2001, and he taught skiing there for decades. “That the natural world has intrinsic value and should be treated with respect isn’t something we openly discussed; we just understood it at the core of our beings,” he remembers.

Tyler didn’t spend all his time in and around the town of Jasper, however. His parents separated when he was young, and he often went to stay with his mother, who is Québécoise but lived outside of Ottawa. “I was raised bilingual and am fluent in French, although using it in a business setting at EDF has required me to level-up a bit!” he says.

Unsure of what direction to take professionally, Tyler earned a bachelor’s degree in economics. He was living in Edmonton and working in consumer credit for GE when he landed a role with Conergy, a now-defunct German solar panel manufacturer that was selling installations to oil and gas operations in the Alberta tar sands, which needed power in remote locations. It was his first real exposure to the renewable energy sector—and it immediately clicked.

“From day 1, I loved it,” Tyler says of his six-year run with the company. After rising to Account Manager for Western Canada, he was dispatched to Toronto to help a colleague open an office there. “I was only 27 and really had no business taking on so much responsibility, but between the two of us, we got it done,” he recalls. “We did absolutely everything—more than many people do in an entire career—in just two years. It was quite the education!”

Tyler’s next move was to take a role as Director of Business Development at Canadian Solar where, among other things, he worked on the 140 MW Kingston Solar project, the largest solar farm in Canada at the time. During his two years there, he also completed a part-time MBA program he had started while working at Conergy. At the end of 2015, he and a former colleague decided to strike out on their own and launched Synergist, a renewable energy project development and consulting firm.

“Through the work I was doing at Synergist, I got to know the EDF team and was impressed by the company. It planted a seed—if I ever have the chance to work there, I’ll take it.”

During the 2010s, Ontario had robust programs to encourage solar development, and many renewable energy firms—including EDF—were active in the market. “Through the work I was doing at Synergist, I got to know the EDF team and was impressed by the company. I could tell we shared the same values,” Tyler recalls. “It planted a seed—if I ever have the chance to work there, I’ll take it.”

By 2017, Ontario’s solar incentives were winding down, but interest in energy storage was ramping up. Tyler joined Panasonic Eco Solutions Canada as General Manager of the Canadian energy storage business. “I was intrigued by the technology and learned a lot,” he remembers. “Panasonic ultimately decided to unwind the business, so I picked up where I’d left off at Synergist—but now focusing on developing energy storage.”

Tyler was now operating solo and wanted to secure outside investment, which led him to pitch opportunities to Skyline Clean Energy, a fund that invests in renewable energy assets. He got to know the team, one thing led to another, and he accepted a position as Director of Business Development.

“The fund purchased operating solar, storage, and biogas projects. It was my first time on the buy-side of transactions, which was really interesting,” Tyler says. “The greater focus on the financial aspects of deals was a learning experience, as was working on mergers and acquisitions.” As much as he enjoyed the role, though, a position opened at EDF in early 2023 that felt too good to pass up.

“I had just come on board when EDF was holding the annual meeting its Grid-Scale Power group in San Diego, so off I went. It was wonderful to reconnect with team members I knew and meet new colleagues from across the organization. I knew immediately I’d made the right decision.”

Since then, Tyler has been involved in almost every aspect of EDF’s projects in Canada and the northeastern US. “My title says I do business development, but that covers a wide range of activities!” He and his direct report function like a two-man SWAT team, jumping in wherever they’re needed.

In Canada, many large-scale renewable energy projects are developed in partnership with First Nations on land either currently owned or traditionally used by tribes. “Almost every EDF project in Canada is a partnership with one or more First Nations, and we genuinely strive to establish business structures that benefit all parties.”

“One of the things I love about our team is that we have a broad skill set and aren’t siloed in any way. We have the ability to get creative and explore strategic initiatives that make us more competitive.”

Another area of focus is New York State, a market with significant demand for clean energy, as well as a challenging development environment. “One of the things I love about our team is that we have a broad skill set and aren’t siloed in any way. We have the ability to get creative and explore strategic initiatives that make us more competitive.”

In addition to a demanding job and busy family life (he and his wife have two daughters), Tyler manages to find time to share his experience with students who are preparing for careers in the field, speaking as a guest lecturer at universities a few times a year. “I recently had the opportunity to present to a class at Harvard and it was great—I didn’t even get halfway through my slide deck because they had so many questions! It turned into a big group discussion and we covered a lot of ground.”

Now in his twentieth year in the clean energy industry, Tyler is as committed as ever to delivering sustainable solutions. He sees a direct connection between advancing EDF’s clean energy projects and protecting the landscapes and natural environment that shaped him growing up.

“In 2024, half the town of Jasper burned to the ground. The neighborhood I grew up in is completely gone—it was devastating and deeply affected me,” he reflects. “But fire also stimulates new growth. For me, the Jasper fire was an inflection point in my career, and I rededicated myself to fighting climate change. I can’t imagine doing anything other than what I’m doing today.”