Interview with John Knight

Tell us about Balance Rock Power, based in Moab, UT. Why did you start the company and what societal needs are you hoping to fulfill?

Balanced Rock Power is a utility-scale solar and storage developer based in Moab, UT. We develop projects and ultimately sell them to long-term owners of power plants. Ultimately, we, as individuals, have a responsibility to care for the planet that we have been given. It is important for us to ensure we leave the world in a better place than we found it. With the advent of renewable energy technology, and its declining costs, renewable energy is now the most cost-effective source of electricity in the world.

You mention on the website that Balanced Rock Power "will always conduct business in a responsible and sustainable manner." What does the term sustainable mean in this context?

Sustainable includes creating an organization that can be sustained. This includes, in my mind, the concept of sustainable for people, planet, and profit. It is my belief that we can integrate a business into a vision of life-saving, earth-saving principles.

Do you feel the environmental impacts of mining for materials are offset by the environmental benefit of transitioning to solar?

Yes.

Do you see viable reused-material alternatives coming down the pipeline to the current practice of needing to mine for copper etc. in solar production?

I see a path toward this. However, the market for such a resource is not large enough for the technology to be commercially developed. It will come when we start decommissioning solar facilities at a large scale.

What's a new exciting project you want to share?

We just closed an additional round of funding for a $100 million commitment to continue to grow the business and the projects deployed. Honestly, what excites me the most is the ability to deploy capital efficiently to get as many projects built as quickly as possible. There is a significant time constraint to get projects built to support our planet.

Are there opportunities for students to get involved with your company? If so, please describe what those could be and what students need to do to connect with you/your company.

We can customize solutions for the students based upon their needs.

What is the most rewarding part of your work?

Developing future leaders in the energy space.