The Role of Project Management in Advancing Renewable Energy Development in the United States: Challenges and Opportunities
Keywords:
Renewable energy, project management, Agile methodology, stakeholder engagement, hybrid project management, risk management, clean energy transition and sustainable developmentAbstract
The transition to renewable energy (RE) in the United States is critical to achieving national climate objectives, such as having 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050. However, this has been hindered by persistent project management challenges such as permitting delays, cost overruns, and stakeholder opposition. Thus, this study investigated the role of project management in overcoming these challenges and optimizing the delivery of RE infrastructure across diverse regulatory and socio-economic contexts in the United State. Furthermore, this study was guided by four research objectives; it also assesses current project management practices, identifies barriers, evaluates the effectiveness of various methodologies, and explores the impact of stakeholder and risk management strategies. The baseline theories adopted for this study were the: Triple Constraint Theory (scope-time-cost optimization), Stakeholder Theory (inclusive decision-making), and Agile Project Management Theory (adaptive planning). Also, the study adopted mixed-methods design, combining quantitative analysis of 50 utility-scale RE projects from 2018 to 2023 with qualitative data from 20 project manager interviews and six comparative case studies. The statistical (SPSS) and thematic (NVivo) tools were employed to triangulate findings and uncover critical trends. The results show that hybrid Agile-Waterfall methodologies reduce delays by 18% in highly regulated environments, while inefficient permitting alone costs the RE sector an estimated $2.1 billion annually. Projects engaging early through Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) protocols experience significantly faster approvals—up to 65%—compared to those with delayed community engagement. Digital tools like BIM and AI enhance planning and scheduling efficiency but remain underutilized among smaller developers due to financial and training barriers. The study concludes with targeted policy, industry, and community-level recommendations—such as streamlined permitting, SME digital subsidies, FPIC institutionalization, and hybrid PM certification—to support the rapid, equitable, and resilient deployment of renewable energy systems in the U.S.
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