Developers face a complex and evolving landscape of environmental, health, permitting, and operational challenges that can impact project timelines, budgets, and community acceptance. Gradient offers technical support to involved parties across a range of environmental and regulatory issues, including air quality assessments of generators and battery energy storage systems (BESSs), analyses of water resources, electric and magnetic field (EMF) evaluations, thermal modeling of high-voltage cables and cooling water discharges, and community impact assessments. Gradient’s data center practice draws on a multidisciplinary team of environmental scientists, engineers, toxicologists, hydrologists, air quality modelers, geospatial analysts, and sustainability specialists. We provide scientific and computational rigor to support permitting, and complement these analyses with cutting-edge tools to assess and support various stakeholders.
Our Services and Expertise:
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Representative Projects:
Air Dispersion Modeling and Potential Health Risks for Emissions. For a zoning board submission for a data center development project, Gradient modeled emissions from diesel generators and assessed potential health risks. We conducted air dispersion modeling with AERMOD to calculate maximum one-hour and annual ambient air concentrations of diesel particulate matter (DPM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
Thermal Analysis in Support of a Large-Scale Renewable Energy Transmission Project. Gradient analyzed the heat generated by transmission cables and developed 3D numerical models of critical locations along the cable route. We evaluated whether the heat generated by the cable would impact the cable’s own operations, and whether there would be any impacts to nearby infrastructure or the environment. Gradient provided technical analyses and written and verbal communications to project stakeholders to support key permissions.
Thermal Runway Modeling for a Battery Energy Storage System. Gradient performed air plume modeling of emissions from hypothetical thermal run-away and combustion conditions for a battery energy storage system (BESS) at a proposed facility. We estimated emissions for both flaming and non-flaming scenarios, and used an industry-preferred model to map hydrogen fluoride emissions in the vicinity of the facility.
Thermal Plume Modeling for Cooling Water Discharge. Gradient modeled the release and transport of excess heat as a result of cooling water discharged from a power plant to a tidal estuary. We used a numerical, near-field mixing model to predict the distribution of temperature and chemical concentrations in the estuary for a range of power plant operational conditions and varying environmental conditions. We used the modeled temperatures to evaluate potential risks to ecological receptors in the tidal estuary. Our work provided scientific support for the client’s discharge permit renewal application.
Magnetic Field Assessment for a Proposed Battery Energy Storage System. Gradient performed a pair of before-and-after magnetic field assessment simulations for a proposed BESS project. We utilized a state-of-the-art magnetic field model and Geographic Information System (GIS) software packages to compute and visualize the findings. We developed isopleth maps showing the spatial drop in the magnetic field levels – from the facility fenceline to the nearest residential area – generated before and after the addition of the new BESS. Our findings and assessment were filed with the facility siting board.
Environmental Justice and Community Relations for an Industrial Facility Siting. Gradient conducted an environmental justice (EJ) analysis of three potential sites for a client interested in locating in a new area. Our work provided a framework to help the client evaluate locations using metrics of interest that we identified through studying other proposed facilities, aiming to minimize potential negative impacts to nearby communities.
