Rolando Mattar, Power Electronics, Florida
Rolando Mattar, who has been in the industry for 4 years, is the Renewables Segment Manager at Dynapower and lives in Florida.
Why is clean energy important to you? Clean energy is important to me due to the advancement in our technology and the need for providing sustainable energy in the face of climate change and the challenges of National Security as it pertains to our Energy.
What’s your proudest accomplishment in clean energy? Working with "non lithium" battery technology OEMS, and furthering the implementation of these technologies in current projects in CAISO and ERCOT. Distancing ourselves from obstacles faced with the Geo-Politics of Lithium Batteries and bringing manufacturing back to the US.
What did you do before entering clean energy? I worked in the Power Generation Sector (mechanical side) since my departure from the US Army in 1999.
When were you first introduced to clean energy? At a conference in 2009 in the Caribbean I sat in on a presentation of how solar and wind production was becoming more bankable and feasible at the Utility Scale. Seeing that and the challenges the conventional production of energy was facing I saw that this was the next evolution and presented the same seismic shift we felt as we moved into the industrial age.
What should more people know about your role? That I am not limited to just the conversion of power from DC-AC. In my current position I work with all aspects of a renewable project from the batteries to the transformer at the interconnection with the Grid. Due to my expansive network on not just the supplier but the integrator/developer segments I can bring different parties involved together.
How does clean energy impact your community? In Florida we are able to tap into the vast supply of Sun and Wind and also protect natural ecosystems with such innovations as floating solar panels that are helping in preventing evaporation of bodies of water inland and the control of the water temperature to help local wildlife and fish. Clean Energy also improves our resilience in the face of Tropical Storms and Hurricanes as we improve our grid with Microgrids and VPP (Virtual Power Plants).
What does clean energy mean to you and your family? At my age, my job in renewables has reinvigorated me and renewed my mission to leave this world better than I received it, and to leave that legacy to my family.
Why should Congress invest in clean energy jobs, not fossil fuel jobs? Because Clean Energy is the future of our Energy production. It doesn't need to be perfect for us to move on it now. We must invest in Clean Energy or we will be left behind and playing "catch up" will be extremely more expensive.
