Aspen Consulting Services, Inc.: Get Your Project Off to the Right Start

When working on renewable energy projects, Michael Noonan, president of Aspen Consulting Services, often draws on the values instilled during his upbringing on a Wyoming ranch. From a young age, Noonan learned the importance of respecting the land and understanding the perspectives of those who depend on it—principles that continue to shape his approach to energy project development today. These values are seamlessly integrated into Aspen’s front-end development services, which prioritize delivering projects to shovel-ready status.

By focusing on three critical components—securing necessary land rights, engaging with local communities and navigating the complexities of permitting—Noonan and his team ensure that each project meets regulatory requirements and respects the land and its stewards. This thoughtful approach ensures projects move forward with a balance of technical precision and respect for both the environment and the communities involved, contrasting with the more traditional, urban-centered energy initiatives that often overlook the nuances of rural life.

“Times have changed. Now, you can’t move forward without strong community support. For most of my clients, community engagement and clear messaging have become top priorities. We make it our mission to work hand in hand with leadership teams to craft clear, consistent messaging right from the start, ensuring it resonates with the community and the project’s overall goals,” says Noonan.

Renewable energy projects have significantly increased in scale and complexity. Rapid growth has led development teams to increasingly rely on a wider assembly of independent consultants, each specializing in areas such as environmental permitting, land use, land rights, and community engagement. This shift from utilizing internal staffing teams presents new challenges. Chief among them is the difficulty of ensuring effective coordination and communication between these independent experts and the broader project leadership.


Aspen’s strategic role as a central coordinator becomes even more critical in managing these independent specialists to ensure smooth project execution. Leveraging 30 years of experience, Aspen thrives in navigating the complexities of project lifecycles. It serves as the central hub, ensuring that each specialized component, from design and environmental permitting to community engagement, works in harmony. Like the wheel’s hub, Aspen connects and coordinates all the spokes—specialized experts—ensuring they align with the broader project goals.

“Clients value us for our ability to unify diverse project teams, ensuring timelines are met and obstacles are overcome with credibility and a rapid response,” says Noonan.

At a previous company, Noonan identified a critical issue affecting large utility-scale projects. Despite the technical excellence of the engineering, many projects failed to advance due to overlooked components, primarily land rights and permitting— essential elements at the front end of any project. As the national director for land rights and permitting, Noonan’s primary responsibility was to educate engineers about the importance of integrating landowner concerns, permitting schedules and public engagement into the project planning process and critical path schedule.

Noonan’s efforts ensured that technical teams recognized how these early-stage considerations were woven into the project lifecycle, bridging the gap between engineering precision and practical real-world challenges. By fostering this understanding, Noonan helped create a smoother process from design to project delivery, ensuring that obstacles were identified and addressed before they could delay the project.

This empathetic, collaborative approach is now at the heart of his work with Aspen. In the increasingly complex renewable energy landscape, Aspen balances technical precision with a deep understanding of landowner and community perceptions. Noonan’s experience in aligning diverse interests continues to help clients navigate these challenges, creating a smoother path to success and ensuring that projects meet their goals while respecting the communities they impact.