Emily Upton Email & Phone Number

San Francisco, California, Us

• Coordinates developmental engineering responsibilities for 30 solar/solar+storage/stand-alone storage projects (25-750 MW each) across the entire U.S. This includes, but is not limited to:(1) Screening sites for solar/BESS development potential with GIS resources;(2) Commissioning and quality-checking 30-year energy estimates with PVsyst using publicly available meteorology data and/or onsite SMS data run through MCP models;(3) Commissioning external topographic, geotechnical, hydrologic, etc. studies;(4) Commissioning and quality checking preliminary designs in AutoCAD• Leads the creation of a tool to more accurately size hybrid projects, then develops sales materials based on ISO/RTO market benefits of hybrid projects.• Campaigned for the inclusion of climate-informed hydrology data in our consultants’ hydrology reports. I made the introduction between our hydrology consultants and industry-leading climate data creators, then led design in deliverables and pricing that was beneficial for all three parties.• Researched for a year the impacts of a new geotechnical concern in the western U.S. on renewable development strategy, then wrote and presented my findings to the company.• Code (using VBA and Python) common processes conducted by my team to create ease and efficiencies.• Given Clearway’s status as one of the top renewable developers in the world, I have the opportunity to watch the exponential growth of this exciting industry on a massive scale. It is an exciting time to learn and to contribute to an evolving field.

Paonia, Co, Us

• While I continue to continue my technical development as an engineer at Clearway, I also work to assist Johnny Weiss in various solar development projects.• The most prominent project I work on is the Rural Community Support Organization (RUCOSUO), an organization assisting the electrical development of Maasai tribes in Tanzania through solar energy implementation and training.• I assist these projects by helping with solar design, creating solar education and safety postings, writing grant applications, and updating the website.

Chicago, Il, Us

• Coordinates developmental engineering responsibilities for 15 solar/solar+storage projects (70-800 MW each) across the western U.S. This includes, but is not limited to:(1) Screening sites for solar development potential with GIS resources;(2) Running 30-year energy estimates with PVsyst using publicly available meteorology data and/or onsite SMS data run through MCP models;(3) Commissioning external topographic, geotechnical, hydrologic, etc. studies;(4) Creating preliminary designs in AutoCAD with PVcase• Leads a team to create AutoCAD and PVcase training materials for new employees.• Analyzes the impact of soiling at our project sites in order to gain a better understanding and more accurately predict its impact.• Given Invenergy’s status as one of the top renewable developers in the world, I have the opportunity to watch the exponential growth of this exciting industry on a massive scale. It is an exciting time to learn and to contribute to an evolving field.• Serves as Recruitment and Membership Retention lead of Invenergy+ – the LGBTQIA+ affinity group at Invenergy.

Detroit, Michigan, Us

• Contributed to a team of only five employees researching and designing a low-income solar pilot project for ~200,000 DTE customers who qualify as low-income. This has culminated into two projects: (1) a low-income specific spin-off of the MI Green Power program, and (2) the creation of a community solar pilot that will install a 1 MW array in two communities and will provide financial, educational, etc benefits.• Analyzed the performance and energy production of the entire DTE fleet (including renewable energy, natural gas, and coal) to provide suggestions for maintenance/outages/improvements that saved our customer-base approximately five million dollars on their utility bills to-date.• Coordinated the vastly different jargon and goals between seven DTE coal-fired plants and the Mid-continent Independent System Operator (MISO) energy market that DTE joined in the mid-2000s. This coordination is required to meet both daily and yearly deadlines.• Led a project team to understand, organize, and document the process for disintegrating a coal plant from our MISO energy market processes.• Given DTE's carbon reduction goals (50% by 2030, 80% by 2040, and carbon neutral by 2050), I had the unique opportunity to understand and partake in the transformation of a major utility from coal-fired generation to renewable-powered generation.• As on of the founders of our floor’s first DEI committee, I led weekly diversity, equity, and inclusion discussions for a group of 50 employees, and I wrote a training document to help people leading interviews avoid implicit bias in their personal decision-making. This document was reviewed by our VP of Fossil Generation, and approved to be used across the company.

• While waiting for my job at DTE to begin, I worked on a solar installation team to expand my knowledge of the hands-on skills associated with the structural and electrical installation of solar energy.• Installed around 15 rooftop and ground mount solar systems ~5 - 10 kW for homeowners throughout Michigan.• Read and interpreted solar designs and electrical diagrams to understand how to implement them physically.• Completed 32 hours of company structural and electrical solar installation training.

Geneva, Ch

• As the first member of the Integrated Global Greenhouse Gas Information System (IG3IS) office, I spent my six-month contract laying the groundwork for and support the development of the new program IG3IS – which is now globally recognized by the 70th WMO Executive Council as the standard of methodologies aimed at decreasing uncertainty in greenhouse gas emissions estimations by measuring atmospheric emissions and inverse modelling them to point sources.• Coordinated with our more than 50 worldwide partners ranging from the subnational to national scale in both businesses and policymaking organizations.• Planned and implemented the first symposium and user summit for approximately 80 attendees which brought together members of our science and stakeholder communities from across the world to discuss key issues.

San Mateo, California, Us

• For my master's thesis, I organized a research project from start to finish which investigated the effects of long term sea level rise and storm surge in Charleston, South Carolina.• This was accomplished by categorizing past hurricanes from 2017 back to when hurricane characteristics were first recorded, then incorporating these characteristics into a forecast model which projected changes in these characteristics and sea level rise expected in the coming decades.• Communicated the findings in a scenario planning report to business leaders in Charleston so as to assist in infrastructure and transportation decisions on a 20 year time horizon.

• Co-wrote a paper which is under review for publication in February. The paper examined a unique partnership between the California Air Resources Board and the U.S. EPA. which strengthens fuel economy and vehicle emissions standards.• Researched and compiled briefs on the sovereign wealth funds of states and provinces throughout North America so as to better understand their use in protecting states from the boom and bust cycle of the oil and gas industry, and in helping these districts work towards a more sustainable future, once these natural resources are depleted.

Ann Arbor, Mi, Us

• Assisted in the development and instruction of an introductory class on climate change for non-science majors.• Clarified material live during lecture through the Active Learning Program, led weekly office hours, created homework problems, and answered questions for a class of about 300 students.

• Contacted partner companies all over the world to assist with annual conference coordination.• Maintained several company and partner websites.• Managed our various social media profiles.

Washington, District Of Columbia, Us

• Promoted the Peace Corps on campus by leading tabling events, posting to Facebook and Twitter, and facilitating information sessions, application workshops, and panels of returned Peace Corps volunteers.• Conducted an independent, 4-month analysis on the U of M Peace Corps’ events and outreach in order to determine which advertising methods were most successful. These results were utilized by the U of M PC recruiters the following school year.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, Us

• As a part of my senior year practicum, I conducted a historical analysis of nine climate change indices in western Michigan to understand how they had changed throughout the past, and until present.• This was then incorporated into a forecast model of how these climate indices are expected to change in the coming decades.• Results were translated into documents that provided the most prudent information to businesses and organizations for their future infrastructure and transportation decisions.• The organizations consulted included Perrigo, Spectrum, Barfly, and Grand Rapids Public Schools.

• Conducted interviews with NGO leaders, private company executives, and delegates from other countries for various video projects. • Wrote daily reports on the happenings of the conference for all 880 followers of U of M Climate and Space Department’s Facebook page.• Returned to the U.S. and presented the accomplishments of the conference at a symposium with about 70 student and citizen attendees.• Led the development of a new mock-UNFCCC negotiation event designed to teach local high school students about international climate change policy.

Findlay, Ohio, Us

• Analyzed weather, wind resource data, and turbine vibrations in order to ensure maximum efficiency and safety for ~20 turbines.• Assisted in procurement of all construction materials, and in the assembly of SCADA monitoring systems for six turbines.• Climbed 80 meter tall, five MW wind turbines to aid in electrical and mechanical construction and maintenance.• Created and led a pilot, environmental site testing project that proved successful and will be used for all future clients’ site analyses.

Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, In

• Conducted feasibility studies and customer interviews for solar projects in several villages of Uttar Pradesh.• Electrically and structurally installed solar module systems on schools, homes, and churches in Uttar Pradesh.• Led teams of 5 – 12 volunteers from the local universities to participate in feasibility studies and installations.• Created templates for company documentation, maintained company’s web presence, and presented to funders.

Master Of Engineering - Meng, Applied Climate Engineering

International And Developing World Applications Certificate

Bachelor'S Degree, Climate And Space Sciences Engineering

(1) Programming In Python - University Of Michigan (2) Global Diplomacy - University Of London