More than 40 years of renewable energy investment in the U.S. has led to the current installment of 550,000 acres of solar capacity and 67,000 individual wind turbines. As these numbers continue to grow, powered by a widespread commitment to clean power generation, so does the need to manage the industrial materials used in that process throughout their full lifecycle. Toward that end, Lewis Roca has formed its Renewable Energy End-of-Life Planning Group.
The team – co-led by partner Tom Dougherty, associate Dietrich Hoefner and of counsel James Voyles – will assist clients with navigating the regulatory challenges and opportunities around the renewable energy lifecycle, and real estate and land use issues related to renewable facilities. In addition to legislative and regulatory affairs, it will focus on protecting intellectual property for newly developed technologies and companies. The group will also assist with guidance around the storage, disposal and recycling of renewable energy facility materials and equipment as well as issues related to tribal governments, land and resources. Recycling and reuse of valuable equipment and commodities will be covered.
“We know of no other law firm that is focusing on this important set of issues: what happens when renewable energy projects reach the end of their lifecycle and how businesses can creatively optimize the resources beyond their initial use,” says Dougherty. “We’re poised to help clients navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by those questions at all stages, whether it’s identifying potential partnerships and executing contracts on the front end or managing the end of an asset’s lifecycle as it nears.”
“Renewable power developers have moved beyond the point where they can passively plan the decommissioning and repowering of new and legacy assets,” adds Voyles. “Proactively planning a renewable asset’s lifecycle will only become more important, and planning needs to happen sooner rather than later.”
