By 2030, data centers' power demand will grow by 160%. Combining this with broader electrification trends, energy demand is accelerating at an unprecedented pace – one that traditional development timelines can't match. To stay competitive and ensure a carbon-free future, renewable energy projects must move at the speed and cost of fossil fuel development. 

But here’s the challenge: The traditional development workflows are broken, making projects vulnerable to losing time and money due to different risk factors. 

This is why Paces is introducing the Accelerated Development Framework (ADF) – a new standard for renewable energy and load deployment that accelerates project timelines by automating tasks and reducing risk earlier in the process. By embracing ADF, the industry can deploy renewable projects faster and meet the growing load demands with clean energy.

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The Cost of the Old Development Workflow

With the “old way” of development workflows, generation projects can take up to 4 years to reach deployment, which is far too slow to meet today’s surging energy demand. The current approach follows a sequential workflow, with each phase hiding potential project-killing risks. These risks, like interconnection or permitting, surface months or years into development and derail projects after significant investments have been made. 

• Developers spend millions in site acquisition and due diligence, only to discover fatal flaws in permitting or interconnection months or years later. 
• Disjointed data forces teams to rely on expensive consultants, further draining capital that could fuel growth and innovation.
• Teams spend valuable time on tasks that could be automated, slowing down development and increasing costs
• Load customers are left waiting for clean energy projects or forced to rely on fossil fuels, slowing electrification growth. 

All of these issues in a crowded market mean that developers risk falling behind. 

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The challenges are even more acute for data centers and other load customers. Data is disjointed, with critical insights on power, land, zoning, and permitting scattered across multiple sources, making site acquisition more difficult. Once you have opportunity sites, the problems persist, with traditional site vetting taking months and unforeseen risks causing projects to fail. 

These inefficiencies create a vicious cycle: 

• Data center developers lose opportunities to faster-moving competitors 
• Load customers miss sustainability targets and fossil fuels maintain their market position 
• Developers spend valuable time and resources vetting potential site options to discover later that sites are not feasible

In today's competitive landscape, this status quo is unsustainable. The question is no longer if we need to change the way projects are developed—it’s how fast we can transform the process.

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What is ADF? 

ADF fundamentally reshapes the renewable energy development framework by de-risking projects from Day 1. The Accelerated Development Framework (ADF) is a transformative approach designed to eliminate inefficiencies and redefine how renewable energy projects reach site control.

ADF reworks the development process by focusing on the following:

• Pre-vetted, high-potential sites to eliminate wasted time on non-viable locations
• Upfront risk identification to prevent costly setbacks later in development
• Streamlined workflows that cut down unnecessary steps and bottlenecks

By modernizing the development process, ADF helps developers cut timelines, lower costs, and expand market reach—allowing more renewable projects to reach deployment faster and with less risk.

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How Paces Delivers ADF and ROI

Paces is introducing ADF and leading the way in implementing it. While others still rely on outdated, risk-heavy workflows, Paces is proving that a faster, de-risked approach is possible. 

Here’s how we do it:

1. AI-Driven Feasibility at Scale: Our proprietary algorithms analyze permitting, environmental, and interconnection risks across the country. Advanced geo-intelligence and risk modeling deliver insights that enable developers to see further, plan smarter, and act faster while giving load customers the confidence to secure clean energy faster.
2. Pre-Vetted Sites: The top 100,000 sites are pre-vetted and ready for immediate action for any specific development strategy.
3. Integrated Workflows: We unify permitting, financing, and risk mitigation into one seamless platform.
4. Bridging Generation and Load Demand: We provide load-side customers with visibility into deployed and soon-to-be-deployed renewable projects and connect them to generation partners, enabling faster access to clean energy.
5. Industry Expertise: With our strong relationships with both power and load developers, we help connect the dots to unlock new opportunities, such as large-scale off-grid data centers and other innovative solutions.

With ADF powered by Paces, developers can unlock results that were previously out of reach, gaining clarity, speed, and a competitive edge from Day 1:

• Cut Development Time in Half: Accelerate timelines by removing bottlenecks, enabling faster progress from market selection to site control.
• Lower Costs by 50%: Avoid unnecessary expenses and time spent on non-viable sites, optimizing resources for maximum ROI.
• Expand Market Reach: With time and cost savings, developers can confidently explore new markets and diversify project pipelines.
• Boost Revenue Potential: Achieve a higher success rate with vetted sites, reducing the opportunity cost of wasted efforts on sites that fail later in the process.

This is the new standard: accelerated renewable deployment.

Leading the Energy Transition

The old way of development is over. With Paces and ADF, you’re not just keeping up—you’re leading the charge toward a future powered by clean energy. 

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