Across the Table: McCarthy's Nayan Bhakta on Building Solar and Batteries in Rural America

McCarthy Building Companies' renewable energy group has built more than 115 utility-scale solar and battery storage projects since 2010, contributing more than 18 gigawatts of energy and over 10 gigawatt-hours of battery storage. It more than quadrupled its solar and storage footprint in under two years and now has over 4,600 employees and craft workers.

In August, McCarthy named Nayan Bhakta president of its National Renewable Energy group. He succeeds Dhruv Patel, who became chief operating officer of parent company McCarthy Holdings. Bhakta joined McCarthy in December 2014 in preconstruction after years designing and building large petrochemical projects, and most recently served as the group's COO. We asked him by email how McCarthy picks where to build, where it finds 4,600 workers and why battery storage looks like solar did a decade ago.

LOCATION DECISION: You've been with McCarthy for nearly 12 years and helped build its renewable energy business into a national operation. What's changed most about the industry in that time?

NAYAN BHAKTA: Probably the most significant change is how solar is viewed. It's become a more desirable solution by a much broader segment of the population and is now seen as an ideal way to help address the nation's tremendous need for power and energy. These needs are a growing concern for virtually every community across the nation, which has made solar more popular with utilities and developers because of its reliability and how quickly it can be deployed. And it has become more acceptable in communities because the long-term economic impacts are being felt. Tax revenue is bolstering local municipalities that support first responders, schools, roads and other infrastructure.

From an industry perspective, what's changed most is the complexity of projects, advancements in technology and the size of solar facilities. These factors have created demand for EPCs (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contractors to provide more technical and design expertise to ensure maximum energy production is achieved, while maintaining the highest regard for safety and quality across the entire project lifecycle.

LD: McCarthy's renewable portfolio more than quadrupled in less than two years. What's driving that growth, and will the pace continue?

BHAKTA: Exponentially increasing energy demand has been the most substantial external factor for McCarthy's renewable energy portfolio growth, and all signs indicate that growth will continue. But that growth wouldn't be possible without having the right team and processes in place.

For us, it's about quality, not quantity. It's never been our goal to be the largest solar builder. Rather, we're focused on being the best solar builder and a great partner. That's why we've developed processes to evaluate sites, environmental impacts, design strategies and grid impact. Plus, our community outreach team starts meeting with residents early on, listening to their concerns and sharing details about the project. Those conversations often clear up misconceptions and help us adjust our plans to accommodate requests whenever we can.

LD: You've worked in both petrochemical construction and renewable energy. How has that shaped how you see America's energy needs?

BHAKTA: To me, it's undeniable that a robust and diverse energy portfolio with a variety of power generation solutions is necessary to address the nation's energy demands for the long term. That being said, after working in these different energy sectors, I greatly appreciate the speed-to-market and cost competitiveness that solar provides.

LD: When you're evaluating where to build a solar or battery project, what makes one location more attractive than another?

BHAKTA: When we're considering a new project, we start by evaluating local regulations, permitting requirements and generally get a sense of the community's appetite for having a solar project in their community. Also, since we hire and train many of our solar construction workers from the local community, we assess the local workforce.

Of course there's an evaluation of the site itself, but if we can find a path forward on the other considerations I've mentioned, we can often find creative solutions to address any physical site challenges, often by means of a collaborative design and construction process that involves the project owner as well as community members at all phases.

LD: What does that investment look like on the ground for local workers and businesses?

BHAKTA: This is one of my favorite parts of the job! In smaller rural communities, there aren't always a lot of career options, but large-scale solar projects typically need 100-250 workers. For years, McCarthy has made it a priority to hire people from within the local community and train them in solar construction. This allows them to help build the facility while learning a skilled trade that can turn into a long-term career in construction.

We also conduct extensive outreach to local businesses for a variety of services like fencing, security, catering, material supply, janitorial and equipment leasing. In addition, the local restaurants, hotels and grocery stores usually see an uptick in business.

LD: Where are you finding 4,600 workers, and what's hardest about recruiting and training them?

BHAKTA: The vast majority of our workers are recruited from the local community. It can be challenging to attract enough workers, but we've found that once the project gets started there's a lot of excitement. And once someone starts working with us, they often encourage their friends and family members to come on board. Since our training program accommodates all levels of experience, we've seen a lot of success once the word gets out.

LD: How is the market for battery energy storage evolving?

BHAKTA: BESS is experiencing a growth trajectory like utility-scale solar was 10 years ago and brings the potential for even broader applications. As battery technology advances, systems are becoming more efficient, storage durations are increasing, and costs continue to decline. BESS is quickly evolving from a supporting technology for renewables into a critical component of our nation's energy infrastructure.

With the rapid growth of AI-driven data centers, advanced manufacturing and increasing electricity demand, BESS will be playing an essential role in improving grid reliability, managing peak demand and providing greater energy flexibility and resiliency. Since BESS can either operate as a stand-alone facility or alongside generation and major load centers, it's uniquely positioned to support our country's evolving energy needs.

McCarthy builds the solar farms and battery sites. The factories that supply them are also picking locations. These solar and storage manufacturing projects announced in 2026 are in the Location Decision Tracker:

Together they add up to about $1.7 billion in announced investment and more than 2,400 jobs. The Tracker also profiles the state economic development agencies in these states, including the Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office, South Carolina Department of Commerce, Georgia Department of Economic Development, Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Virginia Economic Development Partnership and JobsOhio. Explore the Tracker.

LD: Renewable projects have become contentious in some communities. How do you handle concerns about land use and environmental impacts?

BHAKTA: We make it a top priority to engage with communities very early in the process. Our community outreach team works with the community by meeting with leaders and members to understand their concerns and address them to the best of our abilities, even adjusting our plans to accommodate requests whenever possible.

Additionally, McCarthy has a team of vegetation experts dedicated to creating a revegetation plan on our solar projects. Typically, a mix of local flora and grass seed mix is created and planted in the early stages of construction. Our revegetation strategy not only helps prevent dust, erosion and storm water runoff; it enhances the site's beauty by the time construction is complete.

LD: Between demand growth, grid constraints, federal policy and domestic manufacturing, which developments matter most to McCarthy's strategy?

BHAKTA: Federal policies and regulations have the greatest impact.

We're continually monitoring legislation, tariffs and other policies that can impact the solar and construction industries as well as our supply chain and workforce. Since we've had years of experience dealing with these types of challenges, we've developed relationships with a variety of supply chain partners, trade partners and clients that allow us to collaborate, innovate and adjust our plans so the impact can be managed in the most efficient way possible.

LD: Looking five years out, what will renewable energy construction look like, and what role do you want McCarthy to play?

BHAKTA: The industry is positioned to continue growing. Grid capacity alone is expected to increase by 50-60% by 2050, and the work to support that growth starts now. We want to continue being a great partner to our clients and the communities in which we build and do our part to ensure that America's energy future meets demand.

Nayan Bhakta is president of McCarthy Building Companies' National Renewable Energy group. He joined McCarthy in 2014 and holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona.

Across the Table is Location Decision's interview series and podcast with the people on both sides of location decisions. This Q&A was conducted by email and has been edited for length. Know someone we should sit down with? Email [email protected].