Welcome to this special episode of Hardware to Save a Planet. Joining us today is Troy Helming, Founder and CEO of EarthGrid, a company that uses patented plasma boring technology to dig tunnels that carry power cables from remote clean energy generation points to the grid and onto the end user.
Join us as we delve into the world of tunnel-boring machines and their role in combating climate change. Troy shares his passion for clean energy and discusses the innovative solutions his company is developing to revolutionize clean energy transmission. Discover the technology behind tunnel boring, the benefits of underground power lines, and the challenges faced in engineering and development.
The outdated grid infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges we face in the renewable energy industry. It’s holding back the growth of solar and wind projects. We need a solution that can increase grid capacity and allow for the transmission of clean energy on a large scale.
— Troy Helming, Founder and CEO of EarthGrid
About Troy
Troy Helming is a clean energy industrialist & pioneer, visionary entrepreneur, innovator, and author of The Clean Power Revolution. He has founded companies that have generated more than $35 billion in economic impact, including 2 Unicorns, and invented two technologies that have led to more than 172 clean energy patent claims.
Troy has founded two of the most successful renewable energy companies in the USA: Tradewind Energy, which was the largest wind developer in the USA in 2017, and Pristine Sun, a leading developer of community utility-scale solar farms in CA, WI, VT, MN, and NC. Troy also sits on the board of numerous solar and clean energy companies and has been an advisor, investor, executive, or director of over a dozen successful companies.
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Check out the key takeaways from this episode below. Better still, listen to the podcast!
Key takeaways
- 07:15 – The impact of an antiquated grid on the growth of renewable energy: Decades of painful experiences in renewable energy development highlight the biggest obstacle: an antiquated grid system. Approximately 80% of solar and wind projects face abandonment or cancellation due to lengthy grid connection processes and costly studies. Delays of 2-5 years and high interconnection expenses make projects economically unviable. This leads to renewable power companies downsizing their capacities in order to cut costs. EarthGrid was founded to address these challenges.
- 14:06 – The benefits of laying powerlines underground: Frequent disasters, from ice storms to wildfires, impact infrastructure, and supply reliability on an ongoing basis. Ohio’s recent ice storm left many without power for days, highlighting the grid’s vulnerability. Underground lines promise nine times more reliability with ten times fewer maintenance trips, thereby reducing electric bills for the end users. Whether it’s hurricanes, earthquakes, or even traffic accidents, the grid’s susceptibility to disruptions underscores the urgent need for underground infrastructure to enhance resilience and minimize downtime and costs.
- 33:57 – Impact of EarthGrid on the renewables industry: Troy explains that EarthGrid’s technology’s impact extends beyond tunneling and construction. It also touches the power, fiber, and water transportation industries. Success, as outlined in his book, involves unlocking cheap solar and wind power through 270 new transmission lines for a cleaner, more affordable grid. Despite limited progress, EarthGrid’s contracts and negotiations could facilitate nearly 100 gigawatts of renewable energy integration, accelerating the transition by years or even decades.
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