Engineering Inc. - September/October 2019 - 20

ZORLU ENERJI

Kizildere-2 is one of the
largest geothermal plants
in Turkey, a country that
recently installed more
than 1 GW of geothermal
capacity. POWER Engineers
worked on both Kizildere-2
and Kizildere-3, part of a
long history of international
geothermal design.

Bernier is not the only
one to take notice of a rapid
shift toward renewables.
Energy consulting firm
Wood Mackenzie noted in
2017: Wind and solar are
poised to radically reshape
energy markets with annual
growth rates of 6 percent
for wind and 11 percent for
solar over the next 20 years.
The real world evidence of
this changing energy landscape is also apparent. Every
state in the U.S. now has wind farms under construction or in
operation and capacity has reached record levels. Offshore wind is
also emerging as a viable energy source. Meanwhile, solar, hydroelectric, biofuels and other renewable sources continue to advance.
For ACEC members, all of this represents an enormous
opportunity. Wood Mackenzie predicts that solar and wind
power combined will make up 23 percent of the global power
market by 2035. Yet, it is not only new windfarms and solar
power facilities that beckon. New types of energy facilities,
including microgrids, will unleash additional changes in the

marketplace. Battery-storage technology promises to make
renewables more attractive, including in areas where wind or sun
are not consistently available.
"We have reached an inflection point with renewable energy
sources," says Barry Worthington, executive director of the
United States Energy Association (USEA).
WINDS OF CHANGE

The appeal of renewable energy is not difficult to understand.
In an era of growing concerns about climate change and carbon
emissions, it represents a cleaner and more sustainable approach
to energy. The problem with alternative sources of energy-
wind, solar, geothermal, biofuel, hydroelectric and others-is
that, in the past, they have not been economically viable on
their own accord. In the U.S., federal and state governments
have found it necessary to provide subsidies and tax credits to
promote development and adoption of the technology.
Many of these incentives are ending, at least at the federal
level. But far more efficient turbines and solar cells have flipped
the economics. According to Wood Mackenzie, returns on
renewables have reached a respectable 7 percent to 10 percent
annual rate.
"Technological advances have come much faster than
anticipated," Bernier says. Consequently, states are embracing
renewables and some, such
as California, are promoting
"We are now at the point where renewable
widespread adoption through
new laws and regulations.
energy is sometimes a better investment
Beginning in 2020 for
example, all new homes in
than conventional energy."
California must be equipped
DAVID BERNIER
with solar panels. In fact, the
VICE PRESIDENT, POWER DIVISION
nation's most populated state
STANTEC
has set a goal of adopting

ENGINEERING INC.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019

DEWBERRY

CO2 emissions
are down 28
percent from
their peak in
the U.S., partly
due to increased
adoption of
renewables

Engineering Inc. - September/October 2019

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