Operations Manager, EDP Renewables
When Dakota Carter talks about energy, it’s clear that his work is more than a career—it’s a long-term commitment to people, communities, and progress. Now an Operations Manager for the Rail Splitter Wind Farm with EDP Renewables, Dakota manages operations across a 100-megawatt wind facility and supports nearly 390 megawatts of solar generation spread across four different sites. “My furthest one’s about two hours away, the closest is about fifteen minutes,” he said, describing a role that keeps him constantly moving and problem-solving.
Dakota’s path into the energy industry was intentionally built step by step. After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on management, he realized that leadership alone wasn’t enough. “A manager earns respect when they can do all the jobs under them,” he explained. That belief led him back to school at Heartland Community College to gain hands-on technical training and enter the wind industry as a technician. He joined EDP Renewables as an intern in 2017 and worked his way into management by learning the equipment inside and out.
One of Dakota’s proudest accomplishments reflects that blend of technical skill and creative thinking. Faced with a looming $900,000 compliance project to install port blockers across company substations, Dakota saw another option. Using a modest $20,000 budget, 3D printers, and newly learned design skills, he created custom port blockers in-house. “It took about six months of the printers running non-stop,” he said, “but we tackled a project that would’ve cost just shy of a million dollars.” The result was massive cost savings and a clear demonstration of how innovation can drive efficiency in energy operations.
What Dakota values most, however, isn’t just technical success—it’s people. He credits his company for allowing managers to truly support work-life balance and take care of their teams. “That’s by far the biggest thing to me,” he said. “Having a position where I can pass that balance on to a whole group of people that work for me”.
Looking ahead, Dakota sees energy storage as the key to the future. With wind and solar generation often curtailed when demand is low, he believes batteries, compressed air, hydrogen, and other storage technologies will unlock renewables’ full potential. “All the ways of storing it are the next big step,” he noted, especially as data centers and AI continue to drive demand.
For students considering energy careers, Dakota is a strong advocate for community colleges and clear planning. He emphasizes understanding job availability, pay, and location before choosing a path. Renewable energy, he says, offers something rare—high-paying, meaningful jobs that allow people to stay close to home while contributing to a sustainable future. “These projects can bring a real future to rural areas,” he said, changing not just the grid, but entire communities.
