PSEG Renewables Development Manager Andrew Chad Watson, who goes by Chad, works at the nexus of green initiatives that have the potential to transform energy production and transmission for generations to come.
An engineer by training, Chad is responsible for evaluating the technical and commercial side of renewable energy opportunities that could help grow the company and protect the environment.
“We are focused on opportunities in the offshore wind space. PSEG’s position remains steadfast on the transmission infrastructure to enable gigawatt scale of offshore wind coming online over the next several years,” Chad said. “Given the offshore wind goals of the states, they are often looking to companies like PSEG to determine how to build a network of transmission that can bring huge amounts of offshore wind to shore.”
And don’t forget natural gas. Chad is excited by the possibility of decarbonizing a portion of our natural gas supply.
After much research, hydrogen is another promising source of clean energy. Chad is a key part of the PSEG team working on the Department of Energy’s Regional Hydrogen Hubs program, which will establish seven to 10 hubs across America designed to jumpstart a hydrogen economy connecting hydrogen producers with end users in the hopes of helping to decarbonize harder to abate sectors of the broader economy in support of the Biden administration’s climate goals.
PSEG is part of two hubs. The Northeast Hub, led by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen (MACH 2) Hub, a coalition of groups from South Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Both hubs submitted applications on April 7 and expect to hear by the end of the year if they have been chosen to move forward in the selection process.
Given Chad’s wide-ranging expertise in renewable energy, it’s no surprise that he has been named inaugural president of the company’s new GREEN Enterprise Employee Business Resource Group (EBRG). In addition, he’s on the executive board of the New Jersey State Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) and he heads up the group’s legislative issues and public policy team.
Chad is especially interested in focusing his efforts on environmental justice: “It’s important to make sure that New Jersey’s low-income communities and communities of color that have been potentially subjected to a disproportionate amount of environmental public health issues do see a just transition as we incorporate a cleaner, more climate focused future.”
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