Three EHS And Sustainability Insights For The Renewables Sector: Key Takeaways From Verdantix Events

Three EHS And Sustainability Insights For The Renewables Sector: Key Takeaways From Verdantix Events

Renewable energy sources, ranging from wind to solar PV, hydropower and bioenergy, currently generate around one third of the world’s electricity. Across 2024, Verdantix played host to EHS and sustainability leaders from organizations at the forefront of the clean energy transition – such as transmission system operators National Grid and TenneT, and generators Vattenfall, Ocean Winds and Low Carbon – to discuss their priorities, experiences and challenges. At the Sustainability & EHS Summit Europe, EHS Summit North America and Sustainable Supply Chain Summit Europe, analysts, practitioners and event speakers came together to share their insights, resulting in the following key takeaways:

• Attracting investment requires enhanced reporting.
  The global transition to renewable energy requires substantial investment, with an estimated $9 trillion annually needed by 2030 to align with the temperature goals set in the 2015 Paris Agreement. At the Sustainability & EHS Summit, Aamer Shamim, the Senior Director of Global EHS&S at AES Corporation, outlined how EHS professionals can contribute to attracting that much-needed finance. Shamim, whose firm has 5.5GW of renewable generation under construction or in signed PPAs, noted the importance of supplying high quality EHS metrics and KPIs to better inform ESG ratings. EHS functions can also work with finance teams to showcase environmentally friendly projects, which may attract better levels of investment – especially from large financial institutions with an impact investment outlook.
  
  
• Digital tools are vital to protect workers from heat-related stress.
  EHS practitioners in green energy jobs are increasingly concerned with managing temperature rises – especially given specific OSHA concerns in this area. During a panel about AI at the Verdantix EHS Summit North America Sheri Hanson, VP of Safety for Sunrun – a PV and battery energy storage provider – elaborated on how Sunrun workers are using wearable monitoring devices to monitor hydration. These devices alert workers to when they need to take a hydration break, increasing the efficiency of safety processes to mitigate heat illness. Sunrun’s case study is an excellent example of using digital tools to protect workers from heat-related stress; an area that Verdantix is following closely, as the range of wearable devices, mobile applications, analytical tools and training platforms available to manage this issue continues to evolve.
  
  
• EHS and sustainability performance is a cross-functional objective.
  At both the Sustainability and EHS and Sustainable Supply Chain Summits, Özer Ergül outlined how the procurement function he heads up at Aquila Group can influence EHS and sustainability performance. At Aquila Group, the procurement function determines what purchases are made, balancing EHS and sustainability operational requirements with price, quality, delivery and innovation concerns. Özer also discussed how procurement teams can create actionable insights into the EHS and sustainability impacts of its purchasing by ensuring traceability throughout the supply chain. Various platforms can enhance traceability – to find out more, read Smart Innovators: Sustainable Product And Materials Traceability Software.