Climate Council recently did an executive interview with Mária Telkes Fellow, Tasha McCarter, the Vice President of Project Engineering at RWE Renewables. Climate Council is a leading executive network that brings the innovators of the next phase of the energy transition together with capital providers to accelerate investment into clean energy and ensure a sustainable future. Check out a snippet of the interview below, and read the full interview here.
Q. What does your job as Vice President of Solar Engineering at RWE entail?
My role as Vice President of Solar Engineering at RWE renewables entails leading a team of engineers to develop and support the construction of utility-scale solar plants. The development engineering team works with our project developers, GIS team, interconnection team, and Preconstruction team to determine the buildable area of a site. My team also works to optimize a layout and determine how much energy a site can produce. Once a project moves beyond the early development stage into the design and Construction phase, my team will work with the engineers of record to design the system and work with the builders to effectively construct a system. We aim to ensure that our projects are built with high quality, on time, and within budget. As of March 1st, my role has changed to Vice President of Project Engineering. My responsibilities are the same, except I am now responsible for technical delivery of Utility Scale Wind, Solar, Battery Storage, and Green Hydrogen power plants.
Q. You were a director at Black Women in Science and Engineering (BWISE), can you tell us more about that and why you think an organisation like that is important
Organizations like BWISE are important because it helps galvanize the voice of a community that historically has not had one. According to a 2022 World Economic Forum Report, women comprise 20% of the Global Engineering workforce. In the US, women comprise 27% of the Engineering workforce, with Black women representing a 4% share of the workforce. As a Black Woman, I can attest to the challenges we face in the industry and how easy it is for us to be isolated and ignored. BWISE is unique in that this organization gives a voice to mid and senior-career women who are likely to have persevered for years and likely can hire, coach, and train the next generation of young Black women in the field.
