Urbandale, Iowa — At 12 years old, David Smith was rebuilding motorcycle engines. Growing up in rural Iowa, the Osage native spent countless hours in his father's garage, tinkering with dump trucks and learning that, with enough curiosity and persistence, anything is possible.  

"I've always been fascinated by how you can take something and make it work for you," said Smith, now a technical services leader in NextEra Energy Resources’ Power Generation Division. "Whether it's electric or mechanical, I love them both." 

That lifelong passion for problem-solving has led Smith, along with colleague Scott Dunsmoor, to create the solar simulator, a mechanical sun housed at NextEra Energy Resources’ Renewable Training Center in Iowa, where the company trains technicians to work across its fleet. The invention addresses the fundamental challenge of providing realistic solar training even when Mother Nature isn’t cooperating. 

"We needed a way to generate energy for our panels indoors, sheltered from the elements," Smith explained. Traditional LED lights fell short of providing enough energy to realistically simulate real-world conditions, especially during Iowa winters when outdoor training is difficult. 

Smith's solution involves 12 specialized lights arranged in a circular pattern, capable of generating power flow to solar panels indoors. The system allows trainees to conduct hands-on experiments with incident angles and shading effects in a fully climate-controlled environment. 

"It worked out better than we thought it would," Smith said. The innovation has been so successful that NextEra Energy Resources was awarded a Defensive Publication to prevent others from filing a patent on the invention. 

Since joining NextEra Energy as an intern in 2008, Smith has witnessed the company's evolution firsthand. He progressed from technician to site manager in positions across Iowa, Oklahoma and Illinois, even helping commission the company's first commercial-scale battery storage facility. But his move back to Iowa and onto the training team in 2015 proved to be his calling. 

"I absolutely love it," Smith said. "It's always something different. I get to meet new people and help them throughout their careers." 

The numbers speak to the program's impact. In 2025 alone, more than 1,100 course completions have been recorded at the Renewable Training Center in Iowa. Specific to the solar program, every technician on NextEra Energy's solar team passes through the program during their second week of employment. 

But Smith isn't stopping with solar. He also developed a battery energy storage training program, complete with a 3D-printed tool to demonstrate battery chemistry and a custom-built battery rack system programmed with Raspberry Pi computers. 

"Up until just a couple of years ago, there was less emphasis on batteries, but they are now one of our primary growth engines," Smith explained. "We are ramping up that curriculum." 

The innovation extends beyond work hours. At his five-acre ranch outside Alden, Iowa (population 200), Smith tends bees, raises chickens and is currently automating his chicken coop with his 15-year-old son – complete with a planned live chicken cam. 

For Smith, NextEra Energy Resources’ competitive edge lies in empowering employees to explore and learn. "By encouraging our employees to push the boundaries of what's possible, we tap into their creativity," he said. 

As renewable technology continues evolving, Smith remains focused on his mission of ensuring that when technicians leave Iowa, they're ready for whatever challenges await them in the field. In fact, NextEra Energy Resources is always recruiting problem solvers and creative thinkers to join the energy industry. 

"The last thing I want our teams to do is sit in a classroom and watch a PowerPoint," Smith said. "My favorite challenge is making the classes interactive." 

It's an approach that mirrors his childhood philosophy – take things apart, figure out how they work and make them better than before.