The Solar Maverick Podcast is the insiders guide to where the solar and energy markets meet entrepreneurship and trailblazing. Hosted by Benoy Thanjan - a serial entrepreneur and founder of Reneu Energy
Episodes
3 days ago
3 days ago
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy and his co-host Nate Jovanelly, CEO of Sunraise Capital, speak about how the renewable energy industry would be impacted by the US Presidential Election.
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also an advisor for several solar startup companies. He has extensive project origination, development, and financial experience in the renewable energy industry and in the environmental commodities market.
This includes initial site evaluation, permitting, financing, sourcing equipment, and negotiating the long-term energy and environmental commodities off-take agreements. He manages due diligence processes on land, permitting, and utility interconnection and is in charge of financing
and structuring through Note to Proceed (“NTP”) to Commercial Operation Date (“COD”). Benoy composes teams suitable for all project development and construction tasks. He is also involved in project planning and pipeline financial modeling. He has been part of all sides of the
transaction and this allows him to provide unique perspectives and value. Benoy has extensive experience in financial engineering to make solar projects profitable.
Before founding Reneu Energy, he was the SREC Trader in the Project Finance Group for SolarCity which merged with Tesla in 2016. He originated SREC trades with buyers and co-developed their SREC monetization and hedging strategy with the senior management of SolarCity to move into the east coast markets.
Benoy was the Vice President at Vanguard Energy Partners which is a national solar installer where he focused on project finance solutions for commercial scale solar projects. He also worked for Ridgewood Renewable Power, a private equity fund, where he analyzed potential investments in renewable energy projects and worked on maximizing the financial return of the projects in the portfolio. Benoy also worked on the sale of all of the renewable energy projects in Ridgewood’s portfolio.
He was in the Energy Structured Finance practice for Deloitte & Touche and in Financial Advisory Services practice at Ernst & Young. Benoy received his first experience in Finance as an intern at D.E. Shaw & Co., which is a global investment firm with 37 billion dollars in investment capital. He has a MBA in Finance from Rutgers University and a BS in Finance and Economics from the Stern School of Business at New York University. Benoy was an Alumni Scholar at the Stern School of Business.
Nathan Jovanelly
Nate is the CEO and Founder of SunRaise Capital’s mission is to provide affordable and accessible renewable energy options to homeowners, while reducing carbon footprints and creating a sustainable future for generations to come. They achieve their mission by partnering with industry leading solar installers to provide our customers with the best possible solar experience at competitive rates.
As the CEO of an innovative residential solar lease company, he spearheads strategic initiatives aimed at harmonizing the objectives of our funding partners, installation teams, and homeowners. With a relentless focus on alignment, he cultivates collaborative relationships to ensure mutual success and satisfaction across all stakeholders. Through innovative leadership and a commitment to transparency, he drives sustainable growth while delivering exceptional value to our investors, installers, and customers alike.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Nathan Jovanelly
SunRaise Capital Website: https://www.sunraisecapital.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natejov/
Nate’s other interviews on the Solar Maverick Podcast
SMP 166: Residential Solar Trends
https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-166-residential-solar-trends/
SMP 150: How SunRaise Capital is innovating residential solar financing?
https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-150-how-sunraise-capital-is-innovating-residential-solar-financing/
Solar Maverick Episode 147: RE+ Takeaways
https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-147-re-conference-takeaways/
Solar Maverick Episode 139: Opportunities and Challenges with the PJM Solar Market
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u14GHBkqcqo
Solar Maverick Episode 134: 2023 Solar Predictions
https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-134-2023-solar-predictations/
SMP 131: How Technology and Software are innovating the Solar Industry?
https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-131-how-technology-and-software-is-innovating-the-solar-industry/
SMP 100: US Residential Solar, Storage, and Electric Vehicle Trends
https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-100-us-residential-solar-storage-and-electric-vehicles-trends/
SMP 74: Impact on COVID-19 on Residential Solar
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/smp-74-impacts-of-covid-19-on-residential-solar/id1441876259?i=1000475840259
SMP 58: Residential Solar Financing and Other Interesting Topics
https://podcasts.apple.com/tc/podcast/smp-58-residential-solar-financing-other-interesting/id1441876259?i=1000459212910
SMP 20: The Solar Intrapreneur Story: How Nate helped IGS become one of the biggest solar asset owners in the US
We would like to thank Positive Deviancy for sponsoring this episode of the podcast.
Jade Garrett, founder of Positive Deviancy, is a Power Connector for the DOE’s American-Made Program. Since 2018, Positive Deviancy has helped over 400 teams access $14 million in innovation funding from the American-Made Challenges.
Email: jade@positivedeviancy.com
Website: www.PositiveDeviancy.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jadegarrett/
Contact Jade directly via email to get help to apply for these Energy Prizes:
Community Power Accelerator Round 3 Prize - Due December 17th, 2024
The Community Power Accelerator R3 Prize is designed to fast-track the efforts of new, emerging, and expanding solar developers and codevelopers to grow multiple successful community-benefiting distributed solar projects. 25 teams are each awarded up to $400k.
TCU Energy and Food Sovereignty Nexus Prize - Due December 4th, 2024
The Energy and Food Sovereignty Nexus Prize encourages Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) to develop student-led demonstration projects that increase their knowledge on clean energy and food sovereignty on TCU campuses. 30 TCUs can be awarded up to $250k for energy projects.
Join Reneu Energy, Positive Deviancy and the Solar Maverick Podcast for the Winter Solstice Fundraiser
Celebrate the holidays with us at the Winter Solstice Fundraiser, hosted by Reneu Energy, Positive Deviancy, and the Solar Maverick Podcast. This special evening will take place on Wednesday, December 4th, from 6 PM to 10 PM at Hudson Hall in Jersey City, NJ. We'll also be raising funds for the Let's Share the Sun Foundation, which aids impoverished communities in harnessing solar energy.
Event Highlights:
- Venue: Hudson Hall, a Czech biergarten and smokehouse co-owned by Benoy, CEO of Reneu Energy.
- Time: 6 PM to 10 PM, with an open bar from 6 PM to 8 PM and delicious food throughout the evening.
- Tickets: Early Bird Pricing of $65 per person. The pricing would be $75 starting on 11/27. You can RSVP using the link provided below.
Partnership with Grand Stand Sports & Memorabilia: We're excited to partner with Grand Stand Sports & Memorabilia, who will be offering sports memorabilia and experiences for sale. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Let's Share the Sun Foundation.
Sponsorship Opportunities: If you're interested in sponsoring this event and helping make a difference, please contact us at info@reneuenergy.com.
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/reneuenergy/1448299
Nate was referring to SolarWakeup which is daily email newsletter about the major events in the solar industry. The link is below.
https://www.solarwakeup.com/subscribe-2/
Wednesday Nov 13, 2024
Wednesday Nov 13, 2024
Welcome to our biweekly Renewable Energy Briefing called the League! Stay informed on the latest industry trends. Join us for a comprehensive analysis that combines expert commentary with up-to-the-minute news, offering you a strategic overview of the renewable energy market. Don't miss out on the crucial details that can impact your investment decisions. Tune in weekly for your essential dose of Renewable Energy insights!
Episode #14 Briefing Highlights:
- Impressions from the biggest ever RE+ including:
- The rise of stand-alone storage
- Grid connectivity challenges with aged infrastructure
- Growth vs Demand
- New England ISO delaying their implementation of FERC 2023
- Market feedback on the NYISO's new transitional cluster study application process
If you have any questions or comments, email us at info@reneuenergy.com.
Wednesday Nov 06, 2024
Wednesday Nov 06, 2024
Welcome to our weekly Renewable Energy Briefing! Stay informed on the latest industry trends. Join us for a comprehensive analysis that combines expert commentary with up-to-the-minute news, offering you a strategic overview of the renewable energy market. Don't miss out on the crucial details that can impact your investment decisions. Tune in weekly for your essential dose of Renewable Energy insights! Episode #13 Briefing Highlights:
- Loan guarantee issued by the DOE to QCells for their 3.3GW module facility to be constructed in Georgia
- LS Power closed on an oversubscribed 2.7 billion fund
- Sunpower has filed for bankruptcy due to depressed residential solar demand
- Grid Scale BESS given a spotlight article in The Economist.
- IEA forecasts that BESS will need to increase from 200GW to 1TW by the end of this decade
If you have any questions or comments, email us at info@reneuenergy.com.
Thursday Oct 31, 2024
Thursday Oct 31, 2024
Give Benoy Thanjan & David Magid 5 minutes, and we’ll give you the latest clean energy trends
⚡ The League -Weekly Energy Insights Episode #12 is LIVE! 💡 🏆
🌎Dive into this week’s segment on the worlds latest energy updates with my co-anchor Benoy Thanjan :
💰PJM Capacity Market Pricing has dramatically increased by 834% to 1,400%🔋
️⚡Grain Belt Express Wind Energy Project Phase 1 is being developed by Invenergy is moving forward due to an electricity delivery agreement with Missouri🔋
☀Community Solar Growth Projection is 14 GW DC Capacity by 2029. The US has currently 7,3GW of Community Solar.🔌
🔌Residential Customers are preferring Third Party Financing instead of owning solar due to this high interest rate environment 🌎
Don’t miss out – Watch the full clip here and stay ahead in the energy game! 😁
If you any have questions or comments, you can email us at info@reneuenergy.com.
Monday Oct 21, 2024
Monday Oct 21, 2024
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Matt Casey who is the Owner of RST North America CleanTech Solutions. RST CleanTech was established in 2013 and quickly became a global leader in automated solar panel cleaning. Since their inception, RST have installed 4,000+ projects worldwide ranging in size from residential arrays to large-scale utility projects. Matt speaks about their innovative technology, how panels could have 30% more production, and how he got into the renewables industry.
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also an advisor for several solar startup companies. He has extensive project origination, development, and financial experience in the renewable energy industry and in the environmental commodities market.
This includes initial site evaluation, permitting, financing, sourcing equipment, and negotiating the long-term energy and environmental commodities off-take agreements. He manages due diligence processes on land, permitting, and utility interconnection and is in charge of financing
and structuring through Note to Proceed (“NTP”) to Commercial Operation Date (“COD”). Benoy composes teams suitable for all project development and construction tasks. He is also involved in project planning and pipeline financial modeling. He has been part of all sides of the
transaction and this allows him to provide unique perspectives and value. Benoy has extensive experience in financial engineering to make solar projects profitable.
Before founding Reneu Energy, he was the SREC Trader in the Project Finance Group for SolarCity which merged with Tesla in 2016. He originated SREC trades with buyers and co-developed their SREC monetization and hedging strategy with the senior management of SolarCity to move into the east coast markets.
Benoy was the Vice President at Vanguard Energy Partners which is a national solar installer where he focused on project finance solutions for commercial scale solar projects. He also worked for Ridgewood Renewable Power, a private equity fund, where he analyzed potential investments in renewable energy projects and worked on maximizing the financial return of the projects in the portfolio. Benoy also worked on the sale of all of the renewable energy projects in Ridgewood’s portfolio.
He was in the Energy Structured Finance practice for Deloitte & Touche and in Financial Advisory Services practice at Ernst & Young. Benoy received his first experience in Finance as an intern at D.E. Shaw & Co., which is a global investment firm with 37 billion dollars in investment capital. He has a MBA in Finance from Rutgers University and a BS in Finance and Economics from the Stern School of Business at New York University. Benoy was an Alumni Scholar at the Stern School of Business.
Matt Casey
Matthew brings over 15 years of renewable energy experience to the RST Team. Matthew started in the wind industry where he was instrumental in developing over 100MW of wind projects and constructing over 1.5GW of wind projects in both New York, Texas, California, Chile, and Mexico and served on the board of the California Wind Energy Association. More recently, Matthew managed both sales and operations teams for over 70 commercial/industrial solar projects in California. Matthew has a Mechanical Engineering degree from Bradley University and a Masters of Sociology from the University of Chicago.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Matt Casey
Email: matthew@rst-cleantech.com
Website: https://www.rst-cleantech.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewcasey/
Thursday Oct 10, 2024
Thursday Oct 10, 2024
⚡ The League ⚡-Weekly Energy Insights Episode #11 is LIVE! 🔌 💡
Dive into this week’s 300-second segment on the worlds latest energy updates with David Magid and Benoy Thanjan 😁:
🚀 NYSEG's game-changing report on their flexible dynamic interconnection project – what it means for the future of grid flexibility.
💡Solar Energy Production is set to skyrocket by 25% in 2024, with the utility solar sector leading the charge. Discover the factors driving this massive growth.
💸 Bitcoin 2024 Conference in Nashville –Could Bitcoin mining be the key to stabilizing intermittent renewable energy sources? We explore how this technology might revolutionize energy storage and support a more reliable renewable energy grid.
️ 🏛 Federal Bill S.4753 – If passed, this bill could expand our electrical grid and streamline permitting processes. What does this mean for energy infrastructure?
If you have any questions or comments, please call or email us at info@reneuenergy.com.
Thursday Oct 03, 2024
Thursday Oct 03, 2024
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy and his co-host Nate Jovanelly, CEO of Sunraise Capital, speak about their takeaways from REplus. REplus is the largest renewable conference and there were over 40K plus attendees. The conference was in Anaheim, California from September 9 to 12, 2024.
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also an advisor for several solar startup companies. He has extensive project origination, development, and financial experience in the renewable energy industry and in the environmental commodities market.
This includes initial site evaluation, permitting, financing, sourcing equipment, and negotiating the long-term energy and environmental commodities off-take agreements. He manages due diligence processes on land, permitting, and utility interconnection and is in charge of financing
and structuring through Note to Proceed (“NTP”) to Commercial Operation Date (“COD”). Benoy composes teams suitable for all project development and construction tasks. He is also involved in project planning and pipeline financial modeling. He has been part of all sides of the
transaction and this allows him to provide unique perspectives and value. Benoy has extensive experience in financial engineering to make solar projects profitable.
Before founding Reneu Energy, he was the SREC Trader in the Project Finance Group for SolarCity which merged with Tesla in 2016. He originated SREC trades with buyers and co-developed their SREC monetization and hedging strategy with the senior management of SolarCity to move into the east coast markets.
Benoy was the Vice President at Vanguard Energy Partners which is a national solar installer where he focused on project finance solutions for commercial scale solar projects. He also worked for Ridgewood Renewable Power, a private equity fund, where he analyzed potential investments in renewable energy projects and worked on maximizing the financial return of the projects in the portfolio. Benoy also worked on the sale of all of the renewable energy projects in Ridgewood’s portfolio.
He was in the Energy Structured Finance practice for Deloitte & Touche and in Financial Advisory Services practice at Ernst & Young. Benoy received his first experience in Finance as an intern at D.E. Shaw & Co., which is a global investment firm with 37 billion dollars in investment capital. He has a MBA in Finance from Rutgers University and a BS in Finance and Economics from the Stern School of Business at New York University. Benoy was an Alumni Scholar at the Stern School of Business.
Nathan Jovanelly
Nate is the CEO and Founder of SunRaise Capital’s mission is to provide affordable and accessible renewable energy options to homeowners, while reducing carbon footprints and creating a sustainable future for generations to come. They achieve their mission by partnering with industry leading solar installers to provide our customers with the best possible solar experience at competitive rates.
As the CEO of an innovative residential solar lease company, he spearheads strategic initiatives aimed at harmonizing the objectives of our funding partners, installation teams, and homeowners. With a relentless focus on alignment, he cultivates collaborative relationships to ensure mutual success and satisfaction across all stakeholders. Through innovative leadership and a commitment to transparency, he drives sustainable growth while delivering exceptional value to our investors, installers, and customers alike.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Nathan Jovanelly
SunRaise Capital Website: https://www.sunraisecapital.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natejov/
Nate’s other interviews on the Solar Maverick Podcast
SMP 150: How SunRaise Capital is innovating residential solar financing?
https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-150-how-sunraise-capital-is-innovating-residential-solar-financing/
Solar Maverick Episode 147: RE+ Takeaways
https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-147-re-conference-takeaways/
Solar Maverick Episode 139: Opportunities and Challenges with the PJM Solar Market
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u14GHBkqcqo
Solar Maverick Episode 134: 2023 Solar Predictions
https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-134-2023-solar-predictations/
SMP 131: How Technology and Software are innovating the Solar Industry?
https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-131-how-technology-and-software-is-innovating-the-solar-industry/
SMP 100: US Residential Solar, Storage, and Electric Vehicle Trends
https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-100-us-residential-solar-storage-and-electric-vehicles-trends/
SMP 74: Impact on COVID-19 on Residential Solar
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/smp-74-impacts-of-covid-19-on-residential-solar/id1441876259?i=1000475840259
SMP 58: Residential Solar Financing and Other Interesting Topics
https://podcasts.apple.com/tc/podcast/smp-58-residential-solar-financing-other-interesting/id1441876259?i=1000459212910
SMP 20: The Solar Intrapreneur Story: How Nate helped IGS become one of the biggest solar asset owners in the US
https://podcasts.apple.com/tc/podcast/smp-20-solar-intrapreneur-story-how-nate-helped-igs/id1441876259?i=1000432329129
Friday Sep 27, 2024
Friday Sep 27, 2024
Power Up with the Latest in Renewable Energy! 🌱
Exciting news! The League Newsbriefing is back with the newest episodes, delivering the latest insights on renewable energy. Hosted by David Magid and Benoy Thanjan, each episode is packed with key trends and updates in the clean energy sector. In just 5 minutes, you can stay ahead of the game.
🌟 Episode #10 Highlights:
- Department of Energy in the US greenlights solar development on nuclear sites
- Study by Clean Energy Associates predicts solar panel price increase due to tariffs
- Significant price drop for lithium-ion batteries
- Doral Renewables is set to launch a massive 1.3GW agriovoltaic solar project in Indiana
Don't miss out on these valuable insights! Tune in now for your 5-minute guide to Clean Energy Trends! ⚡
Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Episode Summary
The Benefits of Third Party Owned (TPO: Lease & PPA) Solar Systems
Join us for a lively conversation around TPO models -- the benefits, opportunities, risks and everything in between from SolarConnect.
Hosted By: Benoy Thanjan - Founder & CEO, Reneu Energy, and Host of The Solar Maverick Podcast
Panelists:
David Kenny - Co-Founder & COO, Omnidian
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennydavid/
Pat Bennet - Co-Founder, Enerflo
https://www.linkedin.com/in/impatbennett/
SolarConnect is a dynamic two-day virtual event bringing together thought leaders from across the solar industry to share and discuss the latest trends, insights, and innovations -- including solar finance, solar lead gen, compliance, design, storage/batteries and more organized by Enerflo.
Here is the link to Solar Connect.
https://lp.enerflo.com/solarconnect
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also an advisor for several solar startup companies. He has extensive project origination, development, and financial experience in the renewable energy industry and in the environmental commodities market.
This includes initial site evaluation, permitting, financing, sourcing equipment, and negotiating the long-term energy and environmental commodities off-take agreements. He manages due diligence processes on land, permitting, and utility interconnection and is in charge of financing
and structuring through Note to Proceed (“NTP”) to Commercial Operation Date (“COD”). Benoy composes teams suitable for all project development and construction tasks. He is also involved in project planning and pipeline financial modeling. He has been part of all sides of the
transaction and this allows him to provide unique perspectives and value. Benoy has extensive experience in financial engineering to make solar projects profitable.
Before founding Reneu Energy, he was the SREC Trader in the Project Finance Group for SolarCity which merged with Tesla in 2016. He originated SREC trades with buyers and co-developed their SREC monetization and hedging strategy with the senior management of SolarCity to move into the east coast markets.
Benoy was the Vice President at Vanguard Energy Partners which is a national solar installer where he focused on project finance solutions for commercial scale solar projects. He also worked for Ridgewood Renewable Power, a private equity fund, where he analyzed potential investments in renewable energy projects and worked on maximizing the financial return of the projects in the portfolio. Benoy also worked on the sale of all of the renewable energy projects in Ridgewood’s portfolio.
He was in the Energy Structured Finance practice for Deloitte & Touche and in Financial Advisory Services practice at Ernst & Young. Benoy received his first experience in Finance as an intern at D.E. Shaw & Co., which is a global investment firm with 37 billion dollars in investment capital. He has a MBA in Finance from Rutgers University and a BS in Finance and Economics from the Stern School of Business at New York University. Benoy was an Alumni Scholar at the Stern School of Business.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Tuesday Sep 10, 2024
Tuesday Sep 10, 2024
Power Up with the Latest in Renewable Energy! 🌿
Exciting news! The League News Briefing is back with fresh episodes hosted by David Magid and Benoy Thanjan, delivering key insights and trends in the world of renewable energy. Tune in for your quick 5-minute update on clean energy trends from #9:
🔹 Episode #9 Highlights:
- 2.5GW BESS solicitation in Michigan
- EOS Energy's $300 million investment in energy storage
- The Economist's feature on solar's exponential rise
- Challenges for small and mid-size developers
Stay updated on the latest clean energy trends with League News briefing! ⚡️
The link is below.
https://lnkd.in/efMnzNqR
If you have any questions or comments, email us at info@reneuenergy.com.