Adam Stratton, product development manager for Acciona
The Maysville Rotary Club welcomed Adam Stratton of Acciona to speak at Tuesday’s meeting.
Acciona is a global group that develops and manages sustainable infrastructure solutions. They are the largest owner and operator of renewable energy generation projects in the world that do not use fossil fuels.
The company originated in civil engineering and has constructed bridges, toll roads and hospitals before moving onto subways and other urban infrastructures according to Stratton.
Acciona has been operating in the United States their Chicago office for 18 years and has a portfolio that consists of 100 percent renewable energy. The company is based in Madrid and began 100 years ago and to this day is still 70 percent family owned. They are operational on every continent.
Acciona prefers to hire people local to their sites instead of subcontracting out.
Stratton explains that Acciona is developing five solar PV farms and two energy storage sites in Kentucky. These sites together represent more than a billion dollars in private capital invested in the Commonwealth.
According to Stratton, sunlight contains photons which are particles of energy. When sunlight hits the panels they convert the sun’s energy into direct current electricity which is then sent to an inverter. Direct current is then converted to alternating currents. Sometimes this is referred to as conditioning the power.
Next, the operators and maintenance buildings monitor the solar farm. The transformer then increases the electricity to high voltage electricity. Lastly, the solar farm connects to the power grid through existing high-voltage transmission lines.
To be approved for a solar farm, several steps have to be taken. First, an assessment must be made by identifying key markets for projects and doing a grid interconnection analysis.
A site must then be identified. Critical issues assessments are then conducted along with desktop engineering interconnection studies.
In early development, land rights must first be obtained. environmental and engineering field studies are conducted and a project layout is prepared. Contact with key community stakeholders is made and then the permitting process may begin.
In late development land and easement agreements are finalized as well as the project layout. Permits must be collected as well as titles, mineral rights surveys and other documents.
Finally, construction and operations begin. This is when one can see landowner coordination, permitting compliance and project financing.
According to the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition, otherwise known as the MAREC action, many of Kentucky’s biggest private-sector employers, such as Toyota, General Motors and Walmart to name a few, want to buy low-cost renewable energy which would in turn utilize Kentucky’s solar resources. This would create good jobs and draw in new employers.
Acciona invests a portion of its revenue back into its communities such as supporting food pantries and 4-H clubs. In Maysville specifically, Acciona has participated in the MCTC Annual Golf Scholarship Scramble, the Limestone Cycling Tour and the Maysville Chamber of Commerce.
