With peak energy demand expected to grow 60% by 2038, finding ways to generate more power is crucial. But having more capacity is useless without a way to deliver it. AZRE magazine sat down with SRP Economic Development Director Karla Moran to discuss how the development community can help utilities serve their customers more efficiently.
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The following responses have been edited for clarity and length.
AZRE: What should commercial real estate professionals keep in mind when working with SRP?
Karla Moran: A simple thing is for brokers and developers to make sure they’re asking their customers the right questions about their power requirements. When we have good information, we can provide good solutions.
AZRE: Can you give an example of what that information might be?
Karla Moran: Finding out what their true power requirements is crucial. A customer might say they need nine megawatts, which really limits their options for sites. But if they really only need two megawatts, they could go just about anywhere in the Valley. Having those conversations up front saves a lot of time.
AZRE: What else can the development community do to speed up the process?
Karla Moran: Expanding the grid means building a lot of infrastructure, so having the support of the private sector is very helpful. We want to bring more development to the Valley, so we should be working together. Residents often don’t want to see new transmission lines go up, but we need them to move power around. Having the business community be our allies through that process is huge.
