Increasing the resiliency of the energy grid is a core infrastructure challenge across the United States. Not only is there a need to withstand and rapidly recover from increasingly threatening extreme weather events, but resilience improvements also support the transition to a more sustainable system, fostering environmental sustainability and combating climate change.
DTE Energy, a leader in energy infrastructure transformation, is building a cleaner, more reliable, and affordable energy grid. The company has spent more than $5 billion on the electrical grid over the last five years – trimming trees, strengthening infrastructure, rebuilding significant portions of the grid, and replacing aging equipment. DTE is also rebuilding the way it generates energy, including investing billions of dollars in solar and wind energy.
A successful solar program starts with land. In 2023, Atwell’s Land Solutions Team supported DTE in reaching its solar acreage goals, which helped the company meet its solar energy goals.
A program management approach to solar program success
Reaching DTE’s progressive goals required a collaborative partner throughout the development process who shares a vision for efficient, clean energy sources. By harnessing the power across Atwell’s land solutions, development, survey, environmental, payments, documents, project management, and leadership teams, Atwell’s program management approach helped DTE to not only meet but exceed its solar acreage goals in one year. There were four key components that led to this success:
- Meeting acreage goals: 2023 proved to be an incredible year in the successes of both DTE and Atwell by hitting weekly solar acreage goals 50 out of 52 weeks and finishing the year at 128% of goal. Atwell and DTE share a commitment to expanding solar infrastructure and reducing carbon emissions.
- Using a program management approach for efficiency: By harnessing the power of coordinated teamwork within Atwell’s teams (development, survey, environmental, payments, documents, and project management), the Land Team met the extremely challenging task of reaching its solar acreage goals, contributing to DTE’s leadership position in the renewable energy sector.
- Staying within budget: Fiscal responsibility played a crucial role in the solar success story. By implementing strategic cost-saving measures, negotiating favorable contracts, and leveraging operational efficiencies, the land team at Atwell maximized the impact of their budget. This financial discipline ensures that every dollar invested by DTE contributes effectively to the success of its solar initiative.
- Embracing DTE’s vision: By actively participating in and contributing to DTE’s solar initiative, Atwell is not only supporting environmental sustainability but also advancing the collective effort to combat climate change. DTE’s vision is unlike any other in its aggressive approach, but it’s this passion for cleaner energy that motivates the team at Atwell to move just as quickly. This shared goal underscores the importance of collaboration between industry leaders to address the challenges of our changing climate.
DTE is leading the industry in creating lasting change that will benefit their clients of today and tomorrow. As a key partner, the Atwell team is looking forward to supporting DTE’s 2024 goals.
