At a moment when the war in Ukraine is drawing heightened attention to solar and wind energy systems, the world’s largest independent renewable energy company is readying to move its U.S. corporate office into McGregor Square, the office/hotel/condo project south of Coors Field in Denver’s Lower Downtown.

RES in the Americas, a subsidiary of London-based Renewable Energy Systems Holdings Limited, plans to relocate from Broomfield’s Interlocken business campus into LoDo in early 2023, CEO John Rohde said.

RES, which has been involved in development of around 16 gigawatts of renewable capacity in the U.S. and Canada and another six gigawatts worldwide, had its biggest production year last year – but is looking to create around three times that capacity to meet new demand, Rohde said.

The company’s North American portfolio includes some 555 megawatts of renewable power in Colorado, including the 171-megawatt Mountain Breeze wind project near the Pawnee National Grassland in Weld County, recently completed for Dallas-based Leeward Renewable Energy.

One to two gigawatts is the size of a conventional, large-scale fossil-fuel power plant.

Rohde said RES is also a developer of energy distribution and transmission systems and of battery storage systems. Because output of solar and wind power systems is governed by the availability of sun and wind resources, storage is seen as a critical element in gaining the full utility of renewables, he added, noting that RES is planning potential Colorado storage projects near the sites of conventional power plants.

RES was founded in the United Kingdom in 1982 and has had a U.S. presence for 22 years.

“That was way before you started hearing about solar and wind turbines,” Rohde said.

Around 1,060 of its 2,000 worldwide employees are in North America, including 200 based in Colorado, to be part of the Denver relocation.

RES also maintains a stake in operating some renewable systems; however, Rohde noted that in North America, project development and construction is its primary focus.

The move downtown will occupy McGregor Square’s entire fourth floor and part of its third, totaling 43,000 square feet – marking the final lease-up of the project’s office/retail component, said Jordan Deifik, director of leasing for the project.

“During a time when the outlook for commercial space has been relatively uncertain due to challenges created by the pandemic the last few years, McGregor Square has been successful,” Deifik added.

McGregor Square’s office component totals 208,335 square feet, with other tenants spanning sectors including hospitality, technology, telecommunications, law, financial services and the nonprofit sector, Deifik said.

The project, completed last year, occupies the entire block south of 20th Street across from Coors Field between Wazee and Wynkoop streets. Its three towers include The Rally Hotel managed by Sage Hospitality Group, rising above a ground-level dining/retail component that offers Tom’s Watch Bar, Carmine’s, Tattered Cover, Starbucks and other providers, arrayed along a 28,000-square-foot pedestrian passageway that links Lower Downtown to the ballpark. The space, where passersby watch a jumbotron-type screen featuring Rockies games and other sports, is designed to host concerts, festivals and a winter ice rink.

Deifik said around 15% of McGregor’s residential condo offerings are still available, being offered by Kentwood City Properties.