Director, Grid Integration

Company: Bluewave Strategies LLC
Location: Boston
Posted on: November 15, 2024

Job Description:

BlueWave's mission is to protect our planet by transforming access to renewable energy. As a pioneering renewable energy company that develops and owns solar and battery storage projects, BlueWave has a long track record of success and is developing several gigawatts of solar and battery storage projects throughout the United States to ensure our grid is reliable and efficient in a clean energy future. BlueWave is proud to be a certified B Corp, recognized by B Labs as "Best in the World" in Governance. About the role: The Director of Grid Integration shall have overall responsibility to administer the firm's grid integration practice - for distribution and transmission-level interconnection requests. The role is effectively one of a player-coach - partly a specialist individual contributor and partly a team manager. The Director reports to the Vice President of Grid Integration and may oversee and support the senior engineers on the team. What you'll do:

• Identify optimum locations on the grid with potential for interregional transmission expansion or interconnecting large volume of generation resources in the MW & GW range.
• Develop strategies for site acquisition based on interconnection characteristics and specifics of markets. Support engineers in developing and maintaining market specific interconnection strategy.
• Collaborate with internal teams on interconnection aspects (costs, schedules, options). Assist, especially critical path and late breaking issues, in delivering portfolios of projects to COD. Continuously improve intra- and inter-team processes.
• Gain a deep understanding of various interconnection configurations and engineering parameters to reduce interconnection costs and turnaround.
• Support interconnection engineers on strategies and approaches to negotiating alternatives, lower costs and shorter timelines to BW's benefit with utilities/RTOs. Assist in difficult project issues.
• Assist in justification of financial case for interconnection payments.
• Actively follow various RTO stakeholder meetings and state industry advocacy groups to both stay abreast for policy changes that could impact company's development portfolio. Advocate for policy and regulatory change towards lower market level interconnection barriers.
• Research and analyze ratings and other grid service paths to identify optimum upgrades for potential projects.
• Oversee due diligence on potential projects to assess interconnection and commercial viability of projects.
• Oversee timeliness of interconnection applications and process.
• Oversee contractual arrangements with consultants and subcontractors necessary to support a broad range of grid analyses - Drive down costs.
• Negotiate complex transmission and/or generator interconnection agreements with various transmission service providers across the US and Canada.
• Support commercial analytics team in performing detailed nodal and zonal market analysis with power flow analyses.
• Have a commercial mindset and creativity with the willingness and flexibility to work in a fast-paced work environment with constantly shifting priorities.
• Maintain strong relationships with key players internally and externally.
• Manage interconnection team of 4-8 employees. Maintain employee engagement. Qualifications:

• Excellent communication (written and verbal) skills.
• Ability to work well on a team in a fast-paced environment and manage tight deadlines.
• Be detail oriented and possess interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Strong engineering, analytical and quantitative skills.
• At least 10 years of experience with relevant interconnection work.
• Bachelor's degree in electrical or power engineering required.
• Master's degree in electrical engineering, or relevant power-related field is preferred.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both written and verbal, with utility and ISO representatives, external engineering firms, and company personnel from varied technical backgrounds.
• Strong experience in ISO-NE/NYISO or Distributed Generation markets preferred.
• Self-starter and willing to persevere with solving thorny problems.
• Demonstrated knowledge of grid planning and/or electric market principles with experience utilizing at least one of the common grid analytics tools like PSS/E, PSLF, Powergem TARA, PROMOD, GRIDVIEW, UPLAN, PLEXOS, AURORA, etc.
• Planning level knowledge of substation configurations, transmission line design and ratings, and cost estimates.
• Understand solar and storage project single line diagrams and layouts, utility infrastructure and interconnection processes, technical aspects of utility interconnection materials, policy, incentives and tariff implications on interconnection applications. BlueWave provides employees with a robust benefits package, including unlimited paid time off, dedicated volunteer days, cell phone reimbursement, summer Fridays and 13 paid holidays. In addition, we offer a 401k and Roth 401K option with company match, subsidized health, dental and vision plans, as well as life insurance and long/short-term disability. Inclusion at BlueWave: As a mission-driven B Corp, as environmentalists, and as humans, we hold ourselves accountable to creating a workforce that celebrates diversity on our team and within our communities. Our inclusive culture and core values inspire us to develop more innovative, bolder solutions to support our customers and partners in the solar industry. When you join BlueWave, you join a collaborative team doing all that we can to be transparent, sustainable and inclusive as we fight for our shared vision of protecting the planet. BlueWave is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and will do so by actively seeking to hire and promote diverse individuals throughout the company. Providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment is critical to our identity and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, handicap (disability), sexual orientation, gender identity/ or expression, genetics, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, military status or obligation or other protected status, in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Compensation will be influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to internal pay equity, job-related knowledge, skills, education, licenses/certifications, essential job duties and the necessary experience relative to the job's minimum qualifications.
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Keywords: Bluewave Strategies LLC, Portland , Director, Grid Integration, Executive , Boston, Maine