Exciting Updates: SolarSpace 1.4 Release and ERGIS Conference in Houston!

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Two announcements! SolarSpace 1.4 release out now, and we'll be in Houston next week to talk about our ultra-LCOE-optimization methods! Meet with us next week in Houston on April 24th and 25th at Esri's Energy Resource GIS Conference (ERGIS). We will be joining other Esri users to learn about how GIS is making renewables more competitive.

In conjunction with ERGIS we are thrilled to announce the release of version 1.4 of our revolutionary SolarSpace® Toolbox solar site design & optimization software!

SolarSpace® leverages geospatial data analytics to optimize PV array civil and structural designs while maximizing energy production. With SolarSpace®, you can reduce grading volumes by up to 60-95% compared to conventional designs, resulting in significant project savings.

Highlights of version 1.4 include the ability to import surface data from USGS 3DEP, revamped slope exclusion tools, enhanced layout functionality, and more. This release sets the stage for version 2.0, coming in September, which will feature terrain following tracker and fixed rack grading design capabilities.

We're eager to connect with you in Houston! #EnvironmentalSystemsResearchInstitute #ESRICon #KiloNewton #SolarSpace #GeospatialTechnology #HoustonBound

KiloNewton is Hiring!

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KiloNewton is currently looking for an Assistant Engineering Office Manager to join us!

We are seeking an energetic tech-savvy professional who is experienced in handling a wide range of administrative and executive support related tasks and able to work independently with little or no supervision, is well organized, flexible and enjoy the administrative challenges of supporting an office of diverse people.

The successful candidate for Assistant Engineering Office Manager will be responsible for the organization and coordination of office administration and procedures to support organizational effectiveness and efficiency. The Office Manager is responsible for day-to-day accounting activities, streamlining administrative and project execution procedures, payroll, facilities and equipment, project tracking and invoicing. This position will wear many hats in supporting the general goals and operations of KiloNewton. The primary role for the Office Manager is to ensure the business is running smoothly from an administrative standpoint, both hitting key milestones and accomplishing daily tasks on-time.

If you’d like to join us, check out the full JOB POSTING HERE.

KiloNewton is Hiring!

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KiloNewton is currently looking for a Renewable Engineer to join our terrific team!

We are seeking candidates to fill the position of Renewable Civil/Structural Engineer III/IV.  If you are a self-motivated, crazy smart professional who is looking for a company that will allow you to be your best, while making the world a cleaner, better, happier place, then KiloNewton is for you! We are a small, growing firm, and so we are looking for someone to wear many hats.

KiloNewton is searching for an ambitious individual who is an experienced civil or structural engineering leader that enjoys working outside their comfort zone. The ideal candidate will leverage their professional skills, in analysis, design and leadership to prepare calculations, drawings, reports, etc. for project deliverables on renewable energy civil site layout and design, survey structural analysis, and other projects.

The candidate will be skilled in using computer analysis and drafting software, including AutoCAD and AutoDesk analysis packages, ArcGIS software, Flo3D and/or other G&D/hydrology software. The ideal candidate will also have experience with steel driven foundation design, interpreting geotechnical reports, and hold a current valid PE license for stamping submittals. Designs/models must be created and analyzed with accurate detail that incorporates permitting ordinances, design inputs, sketches, field/customer notes, and must be able to comprehend, interpret, and render verbal inputs from the engineering supervisor and others as required.

We seek someone who has a passion for what they do and being part of something special. Our ideal candidate will be innovative and flexible, yet extremely process oriented. We are looking for someone who is dedicated to hard work, driven by excellence, and motivated to win!

If you’d like to join us, check out the full JOB POSTING HERE.

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KiloNewton Wishes You a Happy Thanksgiving!

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KiloNewton hopes you have a safe and comfortable holiday at home, and is so THANKFUL for your continued support!

“For each new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of the night, for health and food, for love and friends, for everything that goodness sends. I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

KiloNewton, Agenda LLC, and RePower New Mexico Team Up for New White Paper on LCOE in the USA

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Commissioned by Agenda, LLC and RePower New Mexico, KiloNewton conducted a comparison of wind and solar energy costs to enable companies to make more informed location decisions based on renewable energy needs and specifically discuss New Mexico’s results.

While analyses of wind and solar capacities in the US have been around for decades, none have focused on directly comparing real levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for wind and solar on a state-by-state basis. KiloNewton analyzed the LCOE for favorable power plant sites located in each of the lower 48 contiguous states and derived generation portfolios to determine the lowest blended cost location for wind and solar electricity. Each state was evaluated using localized variables, including resource, land and construction labor costs, state income and sales taxes, and local environmental losses. The results presented in this report show that for a 50% solar/50% wind generation portfolio, New Mexico has the lowest cost of renewable electricity in the U.S. at the grid interconnection point, at 19.79% below the national average.

Read the entire white paper HERE!

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Do you know about HeroX?

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HeroX and American Made Solar Challenges provide competition based funding for new innovations and inventions.

“The Solar Prize encourages the rapid development of innovative solar energy solutions capable of addressing the tough challenges facing the solar industry. Solar Prize competitors participate in three contests—the Ready! Set! and Go! Contests to transform their ideas into concepts and then early-stage prototypes ready for industry testing. Competitors have the chance to win $3 million in cash prizes and other resources to help them advance in the competition and accelerate the development of their solution. Anyone with a big idea for solar can participate.”

Check out their latest round of competition, the American Made Solar Prize round 4!

https://americanmadechallenges.org/solarprize/index.html

Join KiloNewton for North America Smart Energy Week 2020

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Join KiloNewton for SPI North America Smart Energy Week events!

https://www.solarpowerinternational.com/

This year our team is taking part in the Technical Symposium AND Virtual Education Microconferences!

KiloNewton has also entered a poster in the POSTER GALLERY - “Optimizing Solar Sites for LCOE through Terrain Analysis”

For non-attendees, take a look at our poster HERE.

Check it all out and CONTACT US to schedule a virtual meet-up!

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Join KiloNewton on the Esri Network!

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ESRI supports the development of our solutions that, in turn, extend their products and technologies. We get access to software, resources, and services that help us develop, test, and market our projects.

Take a look and join us HERE.

“THE ESRI PARTNER NETWORK IS A RICH ECOSYSTEM OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK TOGETHER TO AMPLIFY THE SCIENCE OF WHERE. PARTNERS DELIVER SOLUTIONS, CONTENT, AND SERVICES USING THE ESRI GEOSPATIAL CLOUD…COMPLEMENTARY TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS OFFER SOLUTIONS CO…

“THE ESRI PARTNER NETWORK IS A RICH ECOSYSTEM OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK TOGETHER TO AMPLIFY THE SCIENCE OF WHERE. PARTNERS DELIVER SOLUTIONS, CONTENT, AND SERVICES USING THE ESRI GEOSPATIAL CLOUD…COMPLEMENTARY TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS OFFER SOLUTIONS COMPATIBLE WITH ARCGIS, AND HARDWARE PARTNERS OFFER PACKAGED SOLUTIONS, BUNDLED OFFERS, AND DEVICES FOR USE WITH ESRI TECHNOLOGY.”

HTTPS://WWW.ESRI.COM/EN-US/ABOUT/ESRI-PARTNER-NETWORK/PARTNER-ESRI/BECOME-PARTNER

Can Load-Sharing Data Centers Give Renewables an Advantage?

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IFL SCIENCE takes at look at long distance transmission of electricity.

Professor Sangwon Suh, of the University of California, suggests, “data processing be shifted around the world to take advantage of wherever there happens to be an abundance of cheap, clean power at the time.”

https://www.iflscience.com/technology/loadsharing-data-centers-could-give-renewable-energy-an-advantage-over-fossil-fuels/

WHEN ITS SUNNY IN CALIFORNIA, SHIFTING DATA PROCESSING FROM THE EAST COAST TO WHERE THE EVERGY IS CHEAP COULD SAVE LARGE AMOUNTS OF CARBON EMISSIONS AND CHANGE THE ECONOMICS OF ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION IN FAVOR OF CLEAN SOURCES. SIMONE HOGAN/SHUTTERST…

WHEN ITS SUNNY IN CALIFORNIA, SHIFTING DATA PROCESSING FROM THE EAST COAST TO WHERE THE EVERGY IS CHEAP COULD SAVE LARGE AMOUNTS OF CARBON EMISSIONS AND CHANGE THE ECONOMICS OF ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION IN FAVOR OF CLEAN SOURCES. SIMONE HOGAN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

https://www.iflscience.com/technology/loadsharing-data-centers-could-give-renewable-energy-an-advantage-over-fossil-fuels/


Can the US be 100% Powered by Renewable Energy?

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Our friends at pv magazine think the US can be 100% powered by renewable energy, and explore how.

“Long story short, it’s possible for the U.S. to run 100% on renewable energy. How we get there is the long story. “

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2020/08/11/the-u-s-can-be-powered-100-by-renewable-energy-how-do-we-get-there/

Image: U.S. Department of Energy

Image: U.S. Department of Energy

KiloNewton is Hiring!

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KiloNewton is looking for a qualified renewable energy engineer to join our terrific team!

If you are a self-motivated, crazy smart professional who is looking for a company that will allow you to be your best, while making the world a cleaner, better, happier place, then KiloNewton is for you!

We are searching for an ambitious individual who is an experienced renewable energy engineer, primarily focused on solar and wind projects. The ideal candidate will leverage their professional skills, in analysis, design, and leadership to prepare analysis, calculations, drawings, reports, etc. for project deliverables on renewable energy, structural analysis, and other projects. The candidate will be skilled in using computer analysis, optimization, and drafting software, including ArcGIS, AutoCAD, and AutoDesk analysis packages. Designs/models must be created and analyzed with accurate detail that incorporates topography, boundaries, permitting ordinances, environmental variables, design inputs, sketches, civil requirements, field/customer notes, etc. and must be able to comprehend, interpret, and render verbal inputs from the supervisor and others as required.

For full description, qualifications, and to apply, please check out our posting on Indeed.com.

https://www.indeed.com/job/renewables-engineer-66d24ad47a9bb1ff



Renewable Energy Investment Could be a "Powerful Recovery Mechanism"

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GlobalData Energy reports, “Investment in renewable energy transition could act as a powerful recovery mechanism from Covid-19…”

“As the global economies try to mitigate the Covid-19 impact, investment in renewable energy expansion becomes a critical cog in the wheel towards the economic recuperation journey.”

What "Planet of the Humans" Misses

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Yale Climate Connections explores how the documentary “Planet of the Humans” fails to explain the necessity of clean technologies to stop climate change.

“Contrary to the argument made in Jeff Gibbs' and Michael Moore's controversial film, curbing growth can slow climate change, but only clean technologies can stop it.”

https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/06/what-planet-of-the-humans-gets-wrong-about-renewable-energy/

This is a 17.5 MW wind project, consisting of 18 wind farm sites in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Karnataka. (Photo credit: Land Rover Our Planet / Flickr)

This is a 17.5 MW wind project, consisting of 18 wind farm sites in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Karnataka. (Photo credit: Land Rover Our Planet / Flickr)

Celebrate Juneteenth by Supporting Black Leaders and Engineers

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In honor of Juneteenth, KiloNewton invites you to join us in donating to one or all of the following organizations, to stand up for Black Lives and stand up to injustice.

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National Society of Black Engineers

“NSBE offers its members leadership training, professional development activities, mentoring, career placement services, community service opportunities and more.”

Donate

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New Mexico Black Leadership Council

“The New Mexico Black Leadership Council (NMBLC) is a 501C3 nonprofit organization that serves as a hub to create a viable and sustainable social profit sector designed to serve the black community in the state of New Mexico.”

Donate

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Equal Justice Initiative

“The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.”

Donate





Renewable Energy Surpasses Coal Use!

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Many, including our friends at pvmagazine, are reporting that, in the last year, renewable energy use has surpassed coal for the first time in 130 years!

“The coal era is officially over in the United States. Not since 1885, when coal replaced wood, have renewables taken the lead.”

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2020/05/29/renewable-energy-in-us-surpasses-coal-for-first-time-in-more-than-a-century-last-year/

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Will Renewable Energy Surpass Coal Use in U.S.?

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The New York Times is reporting, “Renewable Energy Is Poised to Eclipse Coal in U.S.”

“The coronavirus has pushed the coal industry to once-unthinkable lows, and the consequences for climate change are big.”

Read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/climate/coronavirus-coal-electricity-renewables.html

The Kintigh Generating Station in Somerset, N.Y., the state’s last coal-burning plant, just before it was shut down in March.Credit...Libby March for The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/climate/coronavirus-coal-electricity-renewable…

The Kintigh Generating Station in Somerset, N.Y., the state’s last coal-burning plant, just before it was shut down in March.Credit...Libby March for The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/climate/coronavirus-coal-electricity-renewables.html