Build, Repeat. (A Paces Podcast)

Wonderful to speak to Lena and Kevin, the first two software engineers at Paces! We discussed:

• Their path to joining Paces
• What drove you towards climate change as an issue?
• How much of your company culture is a function of company size?
• Defining engineering culture
• The importance of engineers having a direct relationship with customers.

We even iterated on how engineering at Paces can be improved on the call!

Paces helps developers find and evaluate the sites most suitable for renewable development. Interested in a call with James, CEO @ Paces?

In this episode, James sits down with Paces colleagues Kyle Baranko and Tony Wagler to discuss their new white paper, “Pre-Development at Scale: Modeling Risk in Early-Stage Solar Development”. They dive into how AI, probabilistic methods, and standardized development workflows can dramatically reduce soft costs and increase project success rates.

Kyle shares how Monte Carlo simulations were used to model development risks and timelines, while Tony outlines the four key archetypes—environmental, permitting, design, and interconnection—that shape project outcomes. They explain how early de-risking leads to faster decisions, improved IRRs, and better positioning in incentive programs.

Other topics include:

• Why 70–90% of post-site control projects fail
• The power of failing fast and cutting development timelines by up to 50%
• How automation preserves data integrity while saving time
• Real-world feedback from developers and IPPs
• A new interactive tool to explore portfolio-level risks

Whether you’re a solar developer, investor, or curious about energy infrastructure, this conversation offers practical insights into the future of clean energy project planning.

Paces helps developers find and evaluate the sites most suitable for renewable development. Interested in a call with James, CEO @ Paces?

In this episode, James McWalter interviews Kyle Baranko, a data scientist at Paces, about the intersection of energy and data. They discuss:

• How renewable energy companies are using data to optimize projects and the challenges of working with legacy energy systems.
• The types of data that renewable energy project developers care about, including interconnection, geophysical and environmental constraints, permeability, and financial incentives.
• The challenges of data collection, data maturity, and modeling maturity in the energy industry.

Paces helps developers find and evaluate the sites most suitable for renewable development. Interested in a call with James, CEO @ Paces?

We speak with Ryan Kelliher, VP of Renewable Solutions at Tradition Energy and Executive Director of the American Solar Grazing Association (ASGA). We discuss why:

• Solar grazing is beneficial for farmers and rural communities
• Sheep grazing is helpful for the permitting of solar projects, as it aligns incentives for the developer and the farmer and reduces community opposition.
• The lack of sheep in the US is a challenge for solar grazing, but the potential opportunity for farmers is significant.
• it is important of building emotional relationships with the local community to reduce community opposition to solar projects.
• And much more!

Go to this link to find out more about ASGA or to become a member!

Paces helps developers find and evaluate the sites most suitable for renewable development. Interested in a call with James, CEO @ Paces?

We sit down for an insightful conversation with Corey Hindin, Director of Business Development at AC Power, to talk about transforming brownfields into productive solar farms. We delve into:

• How business development is structured at AC Power, which entails various steps ranging from market exploration to closing agreements with landowners for project due diligence.
• The unique characteristics of brownfield development, such as the need for intricate planning and careful navigation of regulatory restrictions, compared to more straightforward greenfield development.
• The increase in competition and interest in brownfield solar development due to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the importance of standing out through expertise and a responsible approach.
• The stringent environmental regulations in place for transitioning brownfields into solar projects and how AC Power manages these complexities to create investor-friendly ventures.
• AC Power's ambitious goal to generate 1.21 gigawatts of energy and become the industry leader in brownfield solar development.

And a lot more!

Paces helps developers find and evaluate the sites most suitable for renewable development. Interested in a call with James, CEO @ Paces?