C+S August 2020 Vol. 6 Issue 8 (web)

Compass is thrilled to begin constructing new centers with CarbonCure™-manufactured cement in 2020. It is an exciting new frontier and opportunity for the engineering and construction industry to deliver more environmentally responsible projects and meet goals for the future. NANCY NOVAK, Compass Datacenters’ Chief Innovation Officer, has over 25 years of construction experience and has overseen the delivery of over $3.5 billion in projects during that time. Prior to joining Compass, Nancy was the National Vice President of Operations for Balfour Beatty Construction which she joined after serving in a variety of executive positions for Hensel Phelps Construction Company. Ms. Novak is a member of the iMason’s advisory council and is actively involved in a number of organizations dedicated to the advancement of woman in business including Above the Glass Ceiling (AGC) who are working with Fortune 500 companies to aid in the advancement of women in STEM, Women in Government Relations (WGE), Women Construc- tion Owners and Executives (WCOE), The World Trade Center Initiative, For- tune Media’s Most Powerful Women and the National Women’s Party. Nancy is a frequent speaker on the topic and has participated in the White House Womens and Diversity in STEM forums. Nancy holds a degree in Construction Engineering and Management from San Diego State University.

Going Forward Compass Data Center customers are thrilled to start their projects from a more positive carbon position. As the company seeks to continue eliminating carbon in new builds, Compass is now investigating op- portunities to use aggregate with captured CO 2 in place of natural limestone mined from quarries. SE 2050 challenges structural engineers to take ownership and a more active role in reducing embodied carbon emissions in the built environment. Ultimately, the challenge is designed to prod engineers to eliminate carbon in new builds by 2050. Compass believes carbon capture in concrete is an important, if not the most important, way to achieve the goals set forth by SE 2050. To help the engineering and construction industries further reduce negative impacts on the environment, Thornton Tomasetti created an embodied carbon measurement tool, called Beacon. This free tool is a Revit plug-in. It helps engineers measure embodied carbon in projects and find ways to optimize and reduce carbon output.

NextEra Energy, based out of Florida, is responsible for the develop- ment of Conquest. The New York State Energy Research and Develop- ment Authority (NYSERDA) awarded the utility company 380 mega- watts of solar potential divided between two projects. The NYSERDA supported eligible renewable energy plans all across the state, worth a total of $1 billion in funds. Conquest Solar Farm Project New York state has set a goal to source 70 percent of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. However, the process of completing the Conquest solar farm may meet some resistance. In rural areas his- torically dominated by agricultural activity, local feedback has voiced concern that a farm of this magnitude uses valuable agricultural land. With the average American farmer being more than sixty years old and family operations across the country struggling to keep up, some resi- dents worry that solar may take necessary land from young beginners. However, the concerns over this project are not merely agricultural. There is definitive worry over the aesthetics of solar farms influencing the real estate market and hurting property values. Compared with current solar projects in New York state, the proposed solar farm is enormous. However, the rate at which organizations in- stall it remains unknown. According to NextEra Energy, the project in

Statewide renewable energy initiatives mandated by Governor An- drew Cuomo include an aggressive expansion of solar farms across New York. The number of farms has exploded in the last few months. Due to the influx of potential projects, Cuomo plans to establish a sepa- rate permitting office in the Department of Economic Development to handle the demand. While the largest solar farm currently active in the state is 32 mega- watts, many proposed projects in the development stage would gener- ate more than 200 megawatts. The scope of these new proposals is unprecedented. The Conquest project, named after the adjacent town, could provide enough electricity for 30,000 households. Located in Cayuga County, north of Ithaca and west of Syracuse, this 2,000-acre solar farm could power every home in the county. NextEra Energy Solar Building 2,000 Acre Solar Farm to Power 30,000 Homes By Emily Folk

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