Owens Corning – Supraja Sudharsan – 2014

Goals

Supraja Sudharsan, worked as an EDF Climate Corps fellow at Owens Corning and was entrusted with the task of identifying a pathway to secure 100 percent of its power purchases from renewable resources.

Solutions

Working together with Doug Pontsler, the Vice President of EHS and Operations Sustainability at Owens Corning, Sudharsan put together a high-level, strategic framework that addressed both Owens Corning’s long-term sustainability goals as well as its challenges in moving towards renewables. In addition, Sudharsan also created a model that deconstructed the complex policy environment in the United States and simplified the process of vetting renewable opportunities across Owens Corning’s more than 50 manufacturing facilities in 24 states. By identifying the most viable renewable technology, contractual structure and counter parties to work within the company’s highest energy consuming plants, Sudharsan proposed a pathway to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Owens Corning‘s primary energy consumption.

Potential Impact

Sudharsan’s work supports decision-making on the most viable interim targets to move forward in key markets. It could also reduce hours and resources spent in understanding complex policy factors and enable Owens Corning to focus on bringing its vision to fruition.