As we mark the one-year milestone of the Inflation Reduction Act, resistance to the clean energy shift is arising, significantly propelled by a gas industry uninterested in us taking its market share.
Among the nine big barriers to the clean energy transition, many see permitting as a first among equals.
I saw this as an ideal moment to talk to a long-time ally and fellow traveler, Dahvi Wilson.
In over a decade at the helm at Apex Clean Energy, Dahvi established and led what many see as the industry’s most developed and well-resourced community engagement operation. She recently left Apex to start her consultancy focused on bringing in nonprofit and other stakeholders into community acceptance efforts broadly.
As we head into RE+ next week, I wanted to make Dahvi’s wealth of experience accessible to more people working in development.
Here are our B3Ps (Big 3 Points) from Dahvi:
12:15 - Communities neighboring those where opposition has surfaced may also embrace similar perspectives.
12:53 - Developers tend to focus on technical challenges, sometimes ignoring local community issues. Knowledge on how to engage with communities effectively can be pricey, but not compared to other expenses like equipment or studies.
19:12 - If your project is in a high-risk area where opposition is likely, you should allocate more budget, start planning earlier, and assign more people to work on it. You also need to make a good first impression.
Thank you, Dahvi, for your willingness to engage in this conversation.