The United States had 73.5 GW of utility scale solar capacity as of January 2023, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). If everything continues as planned, it will be the first year that more than half of the U.S. generating capacity additions are solar. With so much growth in utility scale solar, we love to celebrate companies that are doing the work and doing it right. Say hello to Arevon!
Arevon is a leading renewable energy company, with a portfolio of 160 solar, wind, energy storage and hybrid solar + storage projects across 20 states. Their renewable projects provide electricity to utilities, Fortune 100 companies, and major educational institutions, and generate enough clean energy to power over a million American homes. We met with Chris Matthew, the Director of Development at Arevon who’s been in the industry for nearly a decade, to learn more about the company and how they invest in their people to ensure long term success.
When it comes to how Arevon can help their people grow, training is the one of the most important things. When Chris was getting started, a mentor told him, “you should always invest in people. The fear shouldn’t be – what if we invest and they leave? The fear should be – what if we don’t and they stay?”
Chris highlights the importance of a long-term approach, not only in terms of solar project development, but also staff development and their career growth. Having a long term view is the nature of renewable energy development. The quality of work and the decisions staff makes today will have lasting impacts a year or more down the road. Allowing any staff person to flounder and miss out on critical resources to do their job will only cause headaches and more challenges well into the future. That’s why Arevon is always working to provide their people with as many tools and as much support as they possibly can.
“If we’re not providing people with the tools and training to help them grow into future roles and take the next step in their career, then we’re not setting ourselves up for success down the road.”
Arevon truly walks the talk by sending over 20 students to Andy Nyce’s Utility Scale Solar Construction & Project Management course. They are using the course not only for new folks just coming into solar from college or other industries, but also for people who have been in the industry for a while to ensure that they understand the foundation and fundamentals of what they’re doing on a daily basis.
Having standardized training helps Arevon to streamline onboarding and provide foundational information while saving time for their experienced engineers and construction subject matter experts. It allows their team to scale up without overloading already busy knowledge holders within the company. As Chris puts it, “It’s not just a single person’s time in training, it’s multiple people. That makes the course itself worth the value.”
In an industry that feels like it’s bursting at the seams, it’s great to watch companies approach the growth with a sustainable and holistic perspective. By investing in their people through standardized training and providing them with the necessary tools to grow, Arevon is setting themselves up for long-term success. Their dedication to both renewable energy and staff development is a shining example of how to achieve success while staying true to the values of the industry.
