Ali Stano Discusses Community Outreach in Renewable Energy Development

Ali Stano, a project manager for EDP Renewables, joined our Sustainable Energy Student Community to talk about the landscape of renewable energy development and her experience in the field.

Ali discussed her training and academic career and set a good example of how this vital industry needs people from all backgrounds to fight climate change. Ali discussed her time at Michigan State studying Comparative Cultures and Politics with a focus on international development, gender studies, and Spanish. She talked about how her various areas of study have given her different perspectives to pull from to solve challenges.

In her current position, students wanted to know more about how EDP Renewables approaches communities who have been resistant to accepting renewable energy projects. Ali talked about the way she and her team connect with community members and work to earn trust. Community members are gathered for dinner events and networking opportunities to allow everyone to be comfortable. This makes conversations more productive, especially when communities want to discuss their concerns over projects being built in their area. This work allows liaisons from EDP Renewables to tailor their project to the communities they want to build in while also finding ways to create positive impact for those communities.

One example noted was a community that needed funding for trash pickup. This problem was growing in their community and was not being solved by local officials. As part of their partnership with the community, EDP Renewables was able to secure funding for trash pickup and help create positive value as part of their project. Turning these projects into a collaboration with the community allows for more public trust and return on investment.

Ali Stano led this conversation around community engagement and helped our students better understand different ways that energy development companies are approaching a fraught political landscape. This is a great example for our students to be able to understand that developing the next technology isn’t enough. In order to effectively implement the technologies that are going to make an impact, people have to be taken into account.

Thank you to Ali Stano for joining us and to our students for continuing such an important conversation!