Green Development’s Morini — How Wind and Solar Will Drive RI's Ability to Combat Global Warming
Green Development’s Morini — How Wind and Solar Will Drive RI's Ability to Combat Global Warming
Morini is at the forefront of working to develop both wind and solar projects throughout the state. Her company's goal is to see renewables surpass fossil fuels as the primary energy sources in Rhode Island.
Morini joined GoLocal's CEO Josh Fenton on GoLocal LIVE's Business Monday to discuss the future of the green economy in Rhode Island.
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“We hope that if we're able to continue on the trajectory of building bigger projects with strong economies of scale then we'll continue to realize that goal of grid parity. You're very close to it and meeting our energy goals of continuing to grow the clean economy and battle climate change, which is incredibly important for my generation,” said Morini.
She said that Rhode Island is dedicated to building a green economy and that state government has made a commitment. “I would say that their policy and regulations coming out of the Office for Energy Resources and the Governor's office they understand that there needs to be some things that are streamlined,” said Morini.
As a homegrown Rhode Island company, which has grown to an in-house roster of more than 50, Green Development is expanding its staff. Morini said the company is seeking talent for a range of positions.
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Morini said the key to even greater efficiency is leveraging battery storage to take advantage of green energy production and to deliver the energy when the demand is highest on the grid, lowering prices and reducing dependency on natural gas. Today, 96 percent of Rhode Island’s electricity is dependent on burning natural gas.
“One of the biggest potentials that I can't wait to see play out is the potential for energy storage here in Rhode Island, so when a solar system produces electricity the grid has to be able to take it right away. We really use electricity most in Rhode Island at night when we go home and turn the lights on after work, so it would be it would smooth out that production curve if we had storage that could release the power onto the grid when it's needed,” said Morini.
Green Development is led by Mark DePasquale and the company is the largest producer of onshore renewable energy in Rhode Island.