Client Overview: Dynamic Energy

Dynamic Energy is a full-service developer and EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) firm specializing in large commercial and community solar, energy storage, and EV charging projects across the U.S. Founded in 2007, the company has earned a reputation for its keen development expertise, finely honed insights and processes, and forward-thinking approach to innovation and technology.

The Challenge: Site Assessment Bottlenecks

Early-stage site assessments can be a resource-intensive process for clean energy developers. Each project requires thorough, often manual research through myriad online and offline sources – from local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) codes and site-specific setbacks and restrictions to environmental constraints, prior project history, and current local sentiment about similar projects.

For Dynamic’s growing pipeline, this process had the potential to create bottlenecks as internal teams took the steps to thoroughly evaluate each site. Before engaging Spark AI, Dynamic had a well-established workflow for researching and assessing new sites, a process they estimated could take between 4 to 10 hours per project, depending on the complexity of the site. Working with Spark AI, Dynamic could supplement its years of experience in project siting and permitting by streamlining this early-stage research.

Faster Queries, Speedier Assessment Workflows

As an early adopter of Spark AI, Dynamic sought a more efficient way to aggregate and summarize the materials so that they could evaluate new opportunities more efficiently. Using Spark AI’s software, the company was able to quickly query all available information about a site and aggregate it into a single report, shortening a process that may have taken several hours down to less than an hour.

According to Christian Inzunza, Dynamic’s Director of Permitting & Development Execution for the West, “this efficiency came from automating the most time-consuming aspects of site assessment, which is a great way to start our site diligence.”

Better Due Diligence

Another benefit cited by Inzunza is that the sources and scanned documents available in Spark are better than what would be discovered with a quick Google search. “Spark has aggregated a broad variety of documents that we would typically have to find through multiple and diverse types of searches, such as information about zoning ordinances, sentiment data, and the presence of moratoria. It enables us to quickly understand all the project risks before proceeding with further development & permitting,” says Inzunza.

After initially testing Spark AI in Q3 2024, Dynamic has run more than 1,000 queries and rolled out the software internally to its GIS, Policy, Business Development, and Development Execution teams.

Inzunza sees potential for Spark to become an industry standard for diligence in renewable energy development: “In my opinion, a project would be more attractive knowing the initial diligence was stamped and certified by a Spark report.”

Dynamic Energy’s improved operational efficiency demonstrates how targeted AI applications can address industry-specific challenges, offering immediate productivity and strategic benefits in a competitive market. Thank you, Dynamic Energy, for being an early partner to Spark!