Powering the Future

Effectively Supporting Cleaner, More Reliable Energy Systems

In 2015, leaders from 196 countries came together to sign the United Nations’ Paris Agreement with the goal of creating a binding agreement to combat climate change and adapt to its effects. Since then, several local and national incentive programs have been introduced in the United States to better protect the environment through renewable energy generation and grid resiliency upgrades. To successfully work toward these goals, we must upgrade and expand our existing electric transmission and distribution systems and dramatically increase the amount of renewable energy-generating sources.

So, what does it mean to ‘protect the environment?’ Interestingly, large infrastructure projects in both the renewable energy generation and grid resiliency space involve similar issues related to protecting the environment, which is the need to protect natural resources such as wetlands, waters, and species habitat. However, these natural resources may also need to endure impacts to achieve larger, more long-term goals focused on combating global climate change.

Langan’s natural resources practice supports energy projects across the country, helping plan for new or upgraded overhead transmission lines, designing underground duct banks to carry offshore wind energy to on-shore substations, evaluating sites for solar arrays, and defining regulated features on battery energy storage system sites. The team collaborates with Langan’s digital solutions experts to create desktop assessments of regulated areas, included as part of feasibility assessments, that effectively use GIS-based solutions. Additionally, the natural resources team prepares field assessments to quickly provide additional data via delineating wetlands and waters and evaluates species habitat to help drive project planning decisions and avoid impacts where possible. During the design and permitting process, it is vital that environmental assessment documents and local, state, and federal permit applications are coordinated with site design plans to minimize impacts to the extent possible while still creating feasible, fundable projects.

This work helps provide immediate protection for the environment as the long-term transition to a more renewable society takes place. Regardless of the type of project, however, these developments help meet larger national and global commitments to combat climate change and curb its most lasting impacts.

Gregg Woodruff is an Associate Principal and Sustainability Leader with nearly 25 years of experience in land development consulting, land use planning, natural resources permitting, and sustainable design projects. Woodruff’s project management approach focuses on the multi-disciplinary nature of complex urban redevelopment projects that include environmental issues, stormwater management challenges, and urban design principles. He has managed Langan’s overall work on multiple award-winning and recognized smart growth and sustainable design projects.