BW Solar, a utility-scale solar developer with projects across MISO and SPP, uses Nira to surface upgrade cost risks early, accelerate project timelines, and avoid unnecessary capital exposure. With increasing queue costs, Nira has become a critical tool in helping their team move quickly and confidently through the interconnection process.

We spoke with Mike Malguarnera, Director of Market Analytics and Interconnection, to learn how Nira supports BW Solar’s site screening and project evaluation workflows. The results: faster timelines, significant cost savings, and the ability to catch major modeling errors before they impact project outcomes.

“We signed up for In-Queue and it allowed me to look into the results before MISO released data, and to find a large error in MISO modeling… A reduction of $20 million in costs by being ahead of it.”

Rather than relying on expensive consultants to deliver static interconnection studies— BW Solar uses Nira to independently evaluate upgrade risk and scenario outcomes on their timeline. This shift allows the team to move faster, iterate more frequently, and maintain control over assumptions.

“Instead of going to a consultant where it would be $20–30K a study, I can get an outline of what I think it’s going to be in a quick, reproducible method.”

BW Solar also has leveraged Nira’s map-based prospecting platform to find the best sites for completely new projects. For decision-makers who aren’t transmission planners, the ability to interpret results without building or running power flow models is a significant advantage.

“The interface is map-based and simple, and as a visual person, I can better understand what is going on. What Nira allows me to do is look at the results and not have to run the model.”

As interconnection timelines grow longer and financial risks increase, BW Solar uses Nira to bring transparency, speed, and technical rigor to their development workflow—helping teams like Mike’s make smarter, faster decisions and avoid costly surprises.