As developers continue to build data centers and medical, educational, and industrial facilities, the strain on America’s already burdened power grid mounts.

That's why you're likely to hear more about on-site energy and the process of producing and storing localized clean power sources on or near heavily power-dependent sites.

Many utilities simply don't or soon won’t have the capacity to supply the volume of power on the timelines required by these clients. Some messages from energy providers to developers have been blunt: Don't build it unless you can power some, if not all, of it yourself.

That's where Olsson’s team of experts in district energy and other forms of on-site energy are ready to step in. Olsson has along history of helping data centers, higher education campuses, and corporations solve power supply issues.

And with innovative leaders like Scott Koehler and Michelle Boles on its staff, Olsson has the added luxury of understanding and solving power supply challenges from a client’s point of view.

Scott has a wealth of power delivery, project management, and customer engagement experience. He specializes in thermal and renewable energy forms, oil and gas, substations, and power storage. His expertise in microgrid setup and system stability comes from years of working with data centers and other large consumers of energy.

Michelle is a savvy and respected analyst, strategist, and team leader with executive level experience in developing relationships and negotiating innovative solutions that appeal to clients and utility providers. Her proficiencies in stakeholder alignment, business development and market expansion extend well beyond the parameters of most energy sector professionals.

Both worked for energy providers before joining Olsson, giving them a unique perspective that’s important because on-site energy takes many forms and means something different to each client.

District energy, which uses a network of underground insulated pipes to pump steam and/or hot and chilled water to multiple buildings from one or more centralized plants isa well-established form of on-site energy. Heating or cooling buildings via district energy is a constantly evolving technology that uses innovative techniques, fuel sources, and infrastructure to provide more efficient, resilient, and environmentally friendly energy.

Distributed energy, which is electricity harnessed from multiple small-scale devices, is another proven and rapidly evolving form of on-site energy.

Depending on a customer’s needs, location, and means, Olsson’s on-site energy experts can deploy any combination of energy solutions including battery storage, combined heat and power systems, fuel cells, geothermal, industrial heat pumps, renewable fuels, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, thermal storage, wind power, and heat harnessed from waste.

That's why developers and clients tap Olsson’s expertise, which ranges from facilitator – connecting and cultivating healthy client-provider partnerships – to planner and designer of self-sustaining systems.

Whether a client wants to build and manage its own power supply system, add a supplemental source, or find the right partner to help solve supply and distribution issues, Olsson can help.

And that kind of innovative thinking will become more valuable as strain on the U.S. power grid and energy providers multiplies in coming years.

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John Henning is Olsson’s Energy market leader. He has supported solar, wind, battery storage, and low-carbon projects, as well as more traditional forms of energy, throughout the continental U.S.

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