Eden Exchange Program: Tom's US adventure

It was a pleasure to be welcomed by the Eden Renewables team in upstate New York this summer as part of Eden’s international exchange programme. Having been visited by Jennifer earlier in the year and having heard some amazing stories from Jack’s time with Eden US, I knew I was going to have a wonderful time and a great opportunity to learn.

The trip started with a warm welcome from Sean at the Albany bus terminal, followed by an introduction to the city of Troy. Working with the US team was very insightful. The slight differences in the industry offered a great opportunity to dive into the later stages of the development process, tackling a range of activities from originating to project management. Exploring new emerging markets is fascinating. Mike and I took on the challenges of intrastate regulations and interconnection in an endeavor to find new projects.

The team and I weren’t just confined to the office. Eden’s education programme hosted a local junior high school providing insights into the role renewable energy developers play in powering their homes and the broad range of benefits that come with well-developed and managed solar farms, with a heavy focus on pollinator-friendly biodiversity work. With my ‘strange (English) accent’, the insights I could share about England made me quite popular with the swarming 7th graders.

It was also delightful to experience the vibrant city of Troy. Evenings were spent taking part in local activities under Sean and the team's guidance. We participated in pub quizzes at El Dorado, hit the batting cages, watched the Tri-City ValleyCats baseball team, and I continually lost to Sean at disc golf.

During the two weeks with the team, I was lucky enough to be shown more than just Troy. Mike and his friends took me exploring in the Adirondack mountains. The size of the ‘Dacks’ amazed me, two-thirds the size of Wales with staggering wilderness and beauty. We had the most fantastic day, despite the 4 am wake-up, culminating in a mad dash off the final peak just in time to avoid a lightning storm and the downpour that followed. After a long day, I am proud to say that I have covered 3 of the 46 high peaks. Only 43 to go…

I extended this into a wider trip spending some weeks traveling the States and Canada. Highlights included encounters with black bears in the Canadian Rockies, surfing on the coast of California, and meeting some cool people along the way.

My time across the pond was a great learning experience mixed with some truly unforgettable memories with the US team.