Planetary Solutions in Clean Energy Fellow Feature: Victoria Vilton

The Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY)'s Planetary Solutions in Clean Energy Fellowship matches 10 undergraduate and graduate students with non-profit, low-profit, and governmental organizations committed to energy equity and the deployment of clean energy into low- and middle-income communities. The program provides summer research and internship opportunities to students at Yale who are committed to advancing energy equity and pursuing a career in the clean energy field. Through this fellowship, Victoria, a rising senior at Yale College majoring in Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) and Environmental Engineering, interns at Okovate Sustainable Energy. Okovate is an agrivoltaics company working to promote the sustainable development of solar projects and agricultural production.

Tell us a little about yourself and what led you to intern at Okovate this summer? 

My focus in the environment started with an interest in Earth sciences because I was always really interested in earthquakes. My family's Haitian, and I've always had an awareness of earthquakes and their impact. But as I've gone through college, I've realized that I need to feel like I can apply what I’m learning. So over time my focus has shifted from identifying the problems to understanding how I can better equip communities. For example, after my first year of college, I studied abroad in Kenya. It was an incredible experience living in rural Kenya and interacting with people that were part of the Masai tribe, who are particularly affected by climate change and drought specifically. Seeing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on the Global South was a huge wake up call for me. I realized how much ignorance I was living in. When I came back to school, I decided to pursue environmental engineering on top of Earth and planetary science. The combination has been complementary— combining both applied solutions and highly technical knowledge.  

In terms of what led me to Okovate, I knew I wanted to do something this summer that was more geared towards direct sustainability work. I was particularly interested in seeing how agrivoltaics can help people with food security through improved soil moisture. It's been an amazing time. Before this experience, I had never really seen community solar scale solar projects. It’s also been really interesting hearing about how Okovate interacts with farmers, and how farmers are receptive to solar development.  

What exactly does Okovate do and what does your role look like within the organization? 

Okovate is the intermediary between a farmer who decides that they want solar panels and the actual solar project developer. These projects are elevated solar panels in fields, i.e. agrivoltaics. Okovate goes out to landowners and gauges their general interest in these types of projects. If the landowner is interested, we will help them deal with all the permitting and interconnection—a highly cumbersome and complicated process. We will also assist in the design of the system and in developing partnerships with the solar company that will actually own and operate the project. Essentially, Okovate assists up to the point that panel installation can begin. We play the role of an early-stage developer, but are also a smaller group and a startup, which makes us more accessible to the farmer.  

In terms of my role this summer, I have been doing a lot of research into partnership development specifically in Maryland and Virginia. There’s been a lot of interest from farmers throughout the country, so I’m also looking for companies that are available in different markets and determining overall utility compatibility. I’ve also done deep dives into relevant programs like Maryland’s Agricultural Preserve Land Program. 

What does your normal day-to-day look like in the fellowship? 

On a daily basis, I’ll have a set of assigned tasks. For example, one of my big tasks recently was to explore agricultural land-use rules in a particular county in Maryland. It requires a deep dive into outdated websites and mundane details. So usually, I’m peeling through PDFs that have varying information, pointing in different directions. Additionally, I’m emailing people in county offices trying to get more clarity. Finally, I’m also combing through deeds and property cards for properties that may be good candidates for project development. Honestly, I didn't realize how complicated the solar panel installation process was. 

What have you really enjoyed about the fellowship? 

I've really enjoyed that the team is small, and I genuinely feel valued by my supervisors. My work and input feel like it really matters; for example, the research that I did about a certain farm actually led to them deprioritizing the project because they realized it wasn't viable.  

I also really love that the two founders are black, and I feel like black founders in agrivoltaics and in the environmental space as a whole aren't the most common. They've also connected me to other folks like the Black Farmer Fund, honestly seeing diversity in the environmental space has been helpful.  

What do you hope to do in the future? 

I'm getting more interested in post grad studies, potentially a master's or a PhD. I'm still interested in geologic hazard mitigation and technology. I'd love to like work with a company that can build earthquake resistant buildings in Haiti.