Meet the Team: Halley Darling | OWC Americas
At OWC, our teams are constantly expanding into more locations, in expertise, and in sectors of influence. Our people are at the heart of what we do, and we invite you to get to know our team members so you can meet the energy behind change.
For this week’s meet the team, we’re delighted to introduce Halley Darling, a Senior Consultant for Solar Energy!
Position: Senior Consultant, Solar Energy
Office: OWC Americas (Seattle, WA Remote)
Describe Your Work in Three Words: Solar Energy Analysis
Hobbies Outside Work: Reading, Crochet, Board Games
Can you tell us a little about your day-to-day responsibilities?
I perform solar energy yield assessments and assist the team in developing and optimising appropriate methods and tools for the North American market.
Largely this involves running PVsyst, using and modifying Excel tools, and coding in python.
Are there any exciting projects you’re working on at moment?
Several! I am participating in a number of operational solar assessments to better quantify future solar yield numbers and to identify areas for improved operations for specific PV plants. As well, I am working on tool development to evaluate components of solar energy modelling faster and more accurately. Both are really exciting for me!
What innovations or technologies do you think have the potential to reshape the solar sector in the coming years?
I am really interested to see the impact of tandem PV modules coming to market.
I think they have the possibility to provide unique benefits (and specific modelling considerations alongside that).
How does solar complement other renewable energy solutions, and what role do you see it playing in the broader energy transition?
Solar pairs well with many technologies, but storage (ESS) probably takes the top spot! Since solar produces the most energy in the middle of the day, you have two major options for efficient use: change your energy consumption to use when it’s produced, or store the energy until peak use hours.
We are already seeing lots of the latter with solar and BESS systems, but we may see more of the former with localized use, like data centres taking advantage of renewable energy that may be otherwise curtailed from the grid.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the solar energy field?
Attend conferences/talks/webinars if you can!
Learning more about the field from researchers, developers, IEs, financial institutions, manufacturers and more will give you perspective outside of just your position or company.
