“Wind, solar, and storage are really elegant to me,” said Brock

Taute

, Invenergy Project Engineer, of his

interest

in the renewable energy industry. “

Renewables can

have a huge impact on the world, solving challenges using such simple, clean technology. It really brings my nerd passion out when I talk about it.

”

A Nebraska native, Brock became interested in renewable energy systems as an undergraduate physics major. He was especially drawn to how wind and solar technology could help provide energy to the 1.2 billion people worldwide without electrical infrastructure. Brock co-founded an energy start-up focusing on microgrid optimization software and working on solar projects in far-flung corners of the world. He went on to receive his Master’s in the Atmosphere and Energy program at Stanford University

.

Recently,

Invenergy

, a 74-megawatt (MW) solar farm in Beaufort County, North Carolina, and Brock was instrumental in bringing this project to life. Throughout the development of the project, Brock provided oversight of the technical components and managed the engineering during design and construction. The Wilkinson Solar Energy Center not only provides economic development opportunities for the community, but also supports the sustainability goals of a major corporate energy buyer, reflecting the growing corporate commitment to renewables and Invenergy’s ability to design and build plants that provide it.

Each customer need is unique, and each project has unique technical challenges. Brock’s interest lies in designing tailored energy solutions that will

benefit

more than just the customer’s operations.

“Our infrastructure is seeing benefits of

clean

energy solutions

at the edge of the grid.

Communities, municipalities, and

b

usinesses are taking more control over the source of the energy they use. The solutions offered by

Invenergy

help to reduce system costs, integrate existing renewables, and reduce emissions

while supporting utilit

y operations

,” Brock says.

At Invenergy, Brock

engineers solar and energy storage projects

to reduce

cost and maximize technology benefit

.

Communities, utilities, and c

ompanies increasingly seek more

sustainable,

cost-effective, resilient, and customizable

solutions on the

grid, and

innovative approaches are

key.

Outside his time at Invenergy, Brock

volunteers with Engineers Without Borders

,

traveling

around the world

to work on projects

from

training local engineers

to installing new

renewable energy

systems.

During a trip to Nicaragua, he spent time installing solar home systems in a remote area

with no electricity access.

"We were in a

community deep in the mountains

that was c

ompletely off-grid and likely will be for a long time to come

,” shares Brock. “Our team

aided by working with module manufacturers to

identify the right-priced

equipment and then installing the modules

on a volunteer basis to bring down the costs

of the solar home systems as much as possible. Each system involved a solar panel on the roof, a battery and inverter inside the home to provide a steady power supply, and a lightbulb connected to the system. Some residents had home appliances they needed to power

. S

ome needed to power

lights that allowed their shops to stay open after dark.”

For Brock, r

enewable energy is not

only

about the technology, but also about

its

transformative

role in

energy access, sustainable development, and overall

socioeconomic

growth.

“I’m passionate about bringing power to communities that don’t have it,” he says. “As we continue to build out better and more robust systems in the US, we learn lessons that can translate over into parts of the world with less energy access.”