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
Tuesday Dec 22, 2020
Tuesday Dec 22, 2020
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy talks with Joshua Hill who is a solar consultant and is recently the first person to drive across the United States with solar powered vehicle. Joshua took an electric box truck weighing in at over 8 tons fueling it with only solar power. He talks about his cross country journey, predictions regarding electric vehicles, and why solar panels will be more commonplace on vehicles in the future. His life goal is to help more than one million American homes and businesses go solar—on their terms, in the right way.
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities.
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. 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 also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.
Joshua Hill
Joshua is a solar power consultant for all commercial/residential projects with extensive background in marketing and sustainability. Joshua is the owner of Awaken Solar is here to be trusted, independent advisor in the solar energy world. Awaken serves to provide truth in energy to those who might invest in solar or becoming more energy efficient. Their goal is to educate customers with free content, and serve as a truly independent consultant in the solar and energy industries. Further, the company hopes to advance common-sense policies throughout America regarding energy. Joshua “Sunshine” Hill has built Project Griffin out of an old EV made by Smith Electric Vehicles. He added solar panels to it, enough so that ALL of the fuel needed to charge each day could be harvested from the sun and has traveled across the United States.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Joshua Hill
Website: https://awakensolar.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuashill/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPts62LN9TH6HXkgf2DQkRQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awakensolar/
Top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020
Thank you to Feedspot for having the Solar Maverick Podcast as one of the top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020. Below is the link with more information.
https://blog.feedspot.com/solar_energy_podcasts/
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes,Podbean, and youtube.
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
Tuesday Dec 08, 2020
Tuesday Dec 08, 2020
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy talks with Mike Casey who is the Founder and CEO at Tigercomm. Tigercomm is the leading U.S. cleantech PR, marketing communications and public affairs firm, counsels cleantech executives and investors and passionately designs, builds, and runs winning communications programs. Mike discusses how clean energy companies should market during COVID, how stronger brands can help solar move out from under commoditization, how to be a thought leader, and many other interesting topics.
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities.
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. 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 also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.
Mike Casey
For 30 years, Mike has focused on the design, staffing and strategies for winning communications programs. As Tigercomm’s founder, he counsels cleantech executives, investors and philanthropists on strategies for meeting their business objectives.
Mike is a top U.S. innovator and strategist on cleantech marketing and communications. He has presented at more than a dozen major conferences, and he writes frequently on clean economy topics at ScalingClean and Renewable Energy World.
Mike has trained more than 2,000 people on interview techniques, message development and public relations management. Before Tigercomm, he built winning communications programs for the National Environmental Trust and the Environmental Working Group, which he helped make “... dollar for dollar, demonstrably one of the most effective groups in Washington” (National Journal, 2/02). He is also a communications veteran of the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and two presidential campaigns.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Mike Casey
Website: https://www.tigercomm.us/home
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecaseytigercomm/
Clean Editors Roundtable Episode 2: https://www.tigercomm.us/insights/cleantech-editors-webinar-epsiode-2
The Great Solar Migration: How Stronger Brands Can Help Solar Move Out From Under Commoditization: https://www.tigercomm.us/insights/great-solar-migration
Mike’s Book Recommendation-The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber
Top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020
Thank you to Feedspot for having the Solar Maverick Podcast as one of the top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020. Below is the link with more information.
https://blog.feedspot.com/solar_energy_podcasts/
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes,Podbean, and youtube.
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
Tuesday Nov 24, 2020
Tuesday Nov 24, 2020
Episode Summary
In this episode of Solar Maverick, Benoy talks with Steve Raeder who is the Founder and CEO at Summit Ridge Energy and Brian Dunn who serves as dual role COO/CFO and co-founder at Summit Ridge Energy. Summit Ridge Energy is the nation’s leading owner-operator of community solar assets, providing energy savings to thousands of customers across the country.
They speak about how they grew Summit Ridge Energy from 5 employees with zero revenue in 2017 to 50 employees and several hundred million in top line revenue. Steve and Brian discuss trends in community solar, energy storage projects that they are developing, and the tax equity market.
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities.
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. 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 also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.
Steve Raeder
Steve Raeder is the Founder and the CEO of Summit Ridge energy, one of the nation’s largest owner/operators of community solar assets. In his role as CEO, Steve leads day to day corporate operations, as well as development and execution of the company’s revenue generation strategies. Prior to launching SREC in 2017, Steve served in multiple roles as SunEdison including Managing Director of Sales and General Manager of its East Coast C&I business unit where his team’s developed hundreds of MWs across multiple solar markets, including pioneering work with off-site “virtual” system that transformed the company’s business model. Steve holds a BA in History and Business Administration from Gettysburg College.
Brian Dunn
Brian Dunn is the co-founder of Summit Ridge Energy and serves as the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. A member of the company’s management committee, Brian is responsible for all of SRE’s financial functions including accounting, audit, treasury, corporate finance and project finance. Prior to Summit Ridge, Brian served as Vice President at Hunt Alternative Energy Investments, the energy investment subsidiary of Texas-based Hunt Companies. In this role, Brian managed the company’s investments in distributed solar and combined heat and power projects. Prior to joining Hunt in 2011, Brian developed and financed clean energy projects for a private equity manager and held associate and analyst positions at JPMorgan and American Express. Brian received his B.A. from Bowdoin College in Economics and Government & Legal Studies.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Steve Raeder
Website: https://srenergy.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-raeder-5283a0/
Brian Dunn
Website: https://srenergy.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-dunn-78010115/
Top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020
Thank you to Feedspot for having the Solar Maverick Podcast as one of the top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020. Below is the link with more information.
https://blog.feedspot.com/solar_energy_podcasts/
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes,Podbean, and youtube.
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
Tuesday Nov 10, 2020
Tuesday Nov 10, 2020
Episode Summary
In this episode of Solar Maverick, Benoy talks with William Szamosszegi who is the Founder and CEO at Sazmining which is a cryptocurrency mining, consulting, and management firm. William talks about cryptocurrency and the importance of cryptomining and how renewable energy can be incorporated into cryptomining. He also discusses how energy storage is a game changer for cryptomining and how they help energy companies turn their excess/stranded power into revenue through cryptomining.
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities.
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. 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 also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.
William Szamosszegi
He founded Sazmining in 2018 and currently as CEO & President and has scaled the team to handle multiple domestic and international joint venture mining projects. He has built a well-recognized brand within the industry, having been written up in Business Wire, Yahoo Finance, Marketwatch, Business Insider, and other platforms. He strategically positioned Sazmining to capitalize on future trends in the cryptocurrency mining and energy industries, enabling innovation that will support a truly dominant global brand.
Prior to his work in cryptocurrency and blockchain, William co-founded the technology company TurnUh LLC, where he managed domestic and international projects. William’s work focused on product development, marketing campaigns, and scaling teams to achieve rapid expansion of corporate capabilities. His experience includes work in algorithmic video promotion at IRIS.TV and business development at Bankers Healthcare Group. William was the recipient of Bucknell’s venture grant, a finalist in SXSW’s Digital Entrepreneurship Tournament, a Forbes Fellow, and a speaker on Cryptocurrency/Blockchain topics at conferences and Universities. Prior to his work as a tech CEO, he co-founded the Winter Tennis Special Olympics program at the Junior Tennis Champions Center at College Park, Maryland to provide winter training opportunities for tennis special Olympians. William is a graduate of Bucknell University.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
William Szamosszegi
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamszamosszegi/
Top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020
Thank you to Feedspot for having the Solar Maverick Podcast as one of the top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020. Below is the link with more information.
https://blog.feedspot.com/solar_energy_podcasts/
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes,Podbean, and youtube.
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
Tuesday Oct 27, 2020
Tuesday Oct 27, 2020
Episode Summary
In this episode of Solar Maverick, Benoy talks with Shounok Sinha who is an investment principal at Constellation Technology Ventures. Shounok discusses many interesting topics like the electrification of the transportation fleet, future of solar plus storage, and his predications on the electricity grid of the future.
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities.
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. 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 also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.
Shounok Sinha
Shounok joined the Constellation Technology Ventures in 2019 as an investment principal and is responsible for originating and structuring new investments as well as supporting the growth of the Constellation Technology Ventures (CTV) portfolio.
Prior to joining CTV, Shounok led the Investment Structuring team within Constellation Energy’s Distributed Energy business. Shounok has led new product development, financial structuring and asset acquisition efforts for competitive bidding and internal underwriting helping deploy over $1B of capital on Distributed Energy development; opportunities span multiple asset classes including Solar PV, Storage, Fuel Cells & Biomass. In addition, Shounok has had extensive experience in Project Financing and was involved in non-recourse debt offerings on utility scale renewable and gas generation assets totaling over $1.5B.
Shounok holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Instrumentation Engineering from BMS College of Engineering, India and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Maryland at College Park.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Shounok Sinha
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shounok/
Sponsor:
Thank you to our sponsor Solar Energy Systems LLC who sponsored this episode of the podcast. Solar Energy Systems, LLC (SES) is a solar energy photovoltaic design/build firm headquartered in Brooklyn, NY and serving the Northeast U.S. Founded in 1998, the company designs, builds, and maintains solar photovoltaic (PV) systems within the public and private domain. We interviewed David Buckner who is the Founder and CEO of SES on Episode 65: 20 Year Solar Veteran and Entrepreneur Provides Perspective on the Solar Market.
To learn more about Solar Energy Systems, check out their website which is www.solaresystems.com. Email SES at info@solaresystems.com or Call 718-389-1545.
Top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020
Thank you to Feedspot for having the Solar Maverick Podcast as one of the top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020. Below is the link with more information.
https://blog.feedspot.com/solar_energy_podcasts/
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes,Podbean, and youtube.
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
Tuesday Oct 13, 2020
Tuesday Oct 13, 2020
Episode Summary
In this episode of Solar Maverick, Benoy talks with Eric Pasi who is the Chief Development Officer at Innovative Power Systems(“IPS”) which is full-service clean energy development firm about the Midwest solar market and other solar markets that the company focuses on and the community solar segment. Also, Eric wrote a new book called the CleanWave: A Guide to Success in the Green Recovery. His book educates readers through the past, present, and future of cleantech post-pandemic and offers practical tips for those interested in career opportunities, or those curious to learn more.
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities.
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. 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 also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.
Eric Pasi
Since 2007, Eric has helped organizations create revenue and meet sustainability goals with IPS Solar. As a company they carved out a niche in Midwest commercial rooftop and community-based solar development, focusing on our clients’ best interests.
Over the last 13+ years he has helped to accelerate significant solar power development in Minnesota and the upper Midwest. Taking on the Chief Development Officer role in 2016, he has contributed to growing annual revenues by more than 1000%.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Eric Pasi
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericpasi/
Twitter: @ericpasi
https://www.amazon.com/CleanWave-Guide-Success-Green-Recovery-ebook/dp/B08D39RPCW
https://www.instagram.com/cleanwavebook/
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes,Podbean, and youtube.
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
SMP 83: NJ Solar Market Overview
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan, the host of the podcast, discusses the NJ Solar Market which has been top ten state for solar deployment in the United States and has an ambitious goal of 100% clean energy by 2050. He discusses a lot of the new developments in the NJ Solar market for example new solar state level incentive and the community solar pilot.
Our Host
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities.
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. 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 also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: @bthanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
NJ Community Solar Pilot
https://www.njcleanenergy.com/renewable-energy/programs/community-solar
NJ Solar Transition Stakeholder Process
Book Recommendation from the Podcast:
FEARVANA: The Revolutionary Science of How to Turn Fear into Health, Wealth and Happiness by Akshay Nanavati
https://www.amazon.com/FEARVANA-Revolutionary-Science-Health-Happiness/dp/1630476056
Top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020
Thank you to Feedspot for having the Solar Maverick Podcast as one of the top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020. Below is the link with more information.
https://blog.feedspot.com/solar_energy_podcasts/
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes,Podbean, and YouTube.
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
Tuesday Sep 15, 2020
Tuesday Sep 15, 2020
SMP 82: Startup Focuses on Technology Innovations for Solar Panels
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Bill Nussey and Dr. Ben Damiani discuss their startup Solar Inventions and how they are improving solar technology and scaling up and commercializing their inventions. They also speak about being the first winner of the American-Made Solar Prize Competition and how it has helped their company. Ben and Bill also discuss their predictions for the clean energy industry and their experiences as entrepreneurs.
Solar Inventions was created with a mission to accelerate the pace of innovation in solar and other clean energy solutions. Their first wave of products is based on the work of Dr. Ben Damiani. The benefits of the technology include increased power, improved shading tolerance, and reduced hotspot risk. Their product compliment existing technologies and do not require new equipment or manufacturing techniques.
Our Host
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities.
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. 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 also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.
Our Guests
Bill Nussey, Partner and CEO
Prior to Solar Inventions, Bill spent most of his career as a tech CEO. He co-founded his first company in high school which provided graphics software for early, text-based personal computers. His second company was started out of his college dorm room and ultimately sold business software across 45 countries. After several years as a venture capitalist with Greylock, he left the firm to run a portfolio company which he took public and grew to almost $500 million in revenue.
His company prior to Solar Inventions, Silverpop, was sold to IBM where he later served as IBM’s VP Corporate Strategy out of their world headquarters in New York. Bill’s companies have created thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in value.
Bill received a degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He holds several patents and has published two books with another book in development called Freeing Energy.
Dr. Ben Damiani, Partner and Chief Scientist
Ben has spent his career in solar. His innovations have enjoyed global reach through his work at early solar pioneers, Suniva and SolarWorld. He has worked across the world commercializing new solar technologies and building solar manufacturing facilities.
Ben received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech and did part of his grad work at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. After graduating he joined Intel’s Process Technology Development (PTD) group and lead the medium current ion implant group. Bridging the technology from the integrated electronics industry into the solar industry, Ben was responsible for the first-ever implementation of Ion Implanted Solar Cells in high volume production for Suniva, Inc. Ben successfully realized this USA born technology from concept and feasibility to 180 MW’s production capacity in less than 28 months, a process that normally takes 6 years.
As the Director of Industrial Technology Development for Semco Engineering in France, he developed new processes for plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, low pressure diffusion and oxidation, bifacial solar modules, and n-type PhosTop solar modules. He holds several patents and has authored more than 30 papers.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: @bthanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Bill Nussey
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billnussey/
Website: https://www.solarinventions.com
Dr. Ben Damiani
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-damiani-3560491b/
Website: https://www.solarinventions.com
Solar Inventions White Paper
https://www.solarinventions.com/whitepaper
Sponsor:
Thank you to our sponsor Solar Energy Systems LLC who sponsored this episode of the podcast. Solar Energy Systems, LLC (SES) is a solar energy photovoltaic design/build firm headquartered in Brooklyn, NY and serving the Northeast U.S. Founded in 1998, the company designs, builds, and maintains solar photovoltaic (PV) systems within the public and private domain. We interviewed David Buckner who is the Founder and CEO of SES on Episode 65: 20 Year Solar Veteran and Entrepreneur Provides Perspective on the Solar Market.
To learn more about Solar Energy Systems, check out their website which is www.solaresystems.com. Email SES at info@solaresystems.com or Call 718-389-1545.
Top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020
Thank you to Feedspot for having the Solar Maverick Podcast as one of the top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020. Below is the link with more information.
https://blog.feedspot.com/solar_energy_podcasts/
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes,Podbean, and YouTube.
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Episode Summary
In this episode of Solar Maverick, John Lee Dumas("JLD"), founder and host of the Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast, talks about his experiences with solar power in Puerto Rico, shares the three things that make entrepreneurs successful, and where is the future of the podcast industry. With over 2,500 episodes, 1 million + listens a month, and seven-figures of annual revenue, JLD is just getting started!
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodity transactions.
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. 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 also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.
John Lee Dumas
JLD was born and raised in Maine where he went to Massabesic High School and then to Providence College on an ROTC scholarship to get his Bachelor of Arts degree in 2002. After graduating, he was commissioned in the US Army as an officer. During his four years of active duty, he served eighteen months in Iraq and at the age of 23, JLD became the Armor Platoon leader responsible for men and tanks. After that, he served four years in the Army Reserves before becoming a civilian.
After serving in the army, JLD struggled to find his next goal. He tried his hand at law school and dropped out in the first semester. Later he joined the John Hancock Life Insurance company in Boston but after working for two years with the organization, he decided to quit and took a commercial real estate job, which didn’t last more than a year.
After spending a lot of time in his car, commuting during the jobs and having no interest in radio, JLD started listening to podcast interviews and instantly fell in love with their free and inspiring content and decided to start his own podcast. The distinguishing feature of his podcast was that it was a 7-day-per-week podcast where he interviewed several successful entrepreneurs. Despite not generating any revenue for the first nine months, he still remained confident and loyal to his listeners and his work. Since then, the podcast has grown and generated over $16 million in revenue with more than one million monthly listeners. After the success of his podcast, Dumas has started a free Podcaster Course which teaches everything a person needs to know to start their own podcast.
JLD has also written several books on podcasting and productivity.
- The Common Path to Uncommon Success - available March 23, 2021
Insights from this episode:
- Reasons why JLD is incorporating solar and other sustainable features into his lifestyle.
- Details on Puerto Rico’s energy situation and how solar power and the increase in the future in available electric vehicles can help.
- How to be a successful entrepreneur by being productive, disciplined, and focused.
- Details on trends in podcasting, what JLD is working on now, and what his future holds.
Quotes from the show:
- On why JLD installed solar in his home: “I’ve really wanted to continue to move a little more self-sufficient, a little more or the grid in different areas of my life to include energy.” – John Lee Dumas, Episode #81
- “Successful entrepreneurs [are] productive, disciplined, and focused human beings.” – John Lee Dumas, Episode #81
- “The future of podcasting is niche. Niche is going to win.” – John Lee Dumas, Episode #81
- “I think you always mention, be your authentic true self as well and that really resonates.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #81
- “What I recognized is, the path to this uncommon success is not complicated. It’s not super difficult. It’s a common path.” – John Lee Dumas, Episode #81
- “The problem is people get off the pathway too early. They may start on the right path but they just don’t know how to continue in the right direction and continue with the right focus.” – John Lee Dumas, Episode #81
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
John Lee Dumas
Website: eofire.com
Podcast: Entrepreneurs on Fire
Twitter: @johnleedumas
Facebook: John Lee Dumas
Top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020
Thank you to Feedspot for having the Solar Maverick Podcast as one of the top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020. Below is the link with more information.
https://blog.feedspot.com/solar_energy_podcasts/
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Podbean, and youtube.
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
Tuesday Aug 18, 2020
Tuesday Aug 18, 2020
Episode Summary
In this episode of Solar Maverick, Benoy talks with Andy Klump of Clean Energy Associates about how the rising demand for solar power has also created a rising need for greater quality assurance within the solar industry. Andy discusses what quality assurance in solar means, what sets CEA apart from their competitors, and what he sees as key trends in the solar and energy storage supply chain. As an American company based in China, Andy shares how COVID-19 specifically affected their operations and how it disrupted business overall.
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodity transactions.
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. 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 also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.
Andy Klump
Andy is the founder and CEO of Clean Energy Associates. Clean Energy Associates works with developers, independent power producers (IPPs), and engineering procurement construction (EPC) customers in 55+ countries. Founded in 2008, Clean Energy Associates provides technical advisory services in the areas of quality assurance, supply chain management, and engineering services. Their 125-plus member team comprised of over 85 in-house engineers serving the needs of project developers, IPPs, EPCs, financial institutions, and other downstream partners that value supply chain transparency and quality solutions in the global storage and solar energy fields.
Andy’s area of expertise is storage and solar energy, with a track record of 14 years of leadership experience in the field of storage and solar energy along with 17 years of experience working within Asia. Prior to CEA, Andy served as the Vice President of Business Development for Trina Solar, where he headed the company’s international expansion plans covering supply chain, international business development, capital raising, and corporate development. During the period from 2006 to 2008, the management team successfully raised nearly $500 million in capital during Trina’s IPO, follow-on, and convertible bond offerings on the New York Stock Exchange. Additionally, Andy also served as an active Board Member of the U.S. Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
Being proactive towards society and entrepreneurial in nature, Andy also co-founded KIDSIQProject.org in 2015, a non-profit organization advancing drug development for reversible Intellectual disability disorders with an initial focus on Kleefstra Syndrome. Andy is also an active member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization in Shanghai.
Insights from this episode:
- Details on starting Clean Energy Associates and the services they provide, what quality assurance is, and how they enhance the solar supply chain.
- Benefits of overseeing the whole solar process including being able to better identify trends in solar power and storage.
- Difficulties of incorporating different technologies and software into energy storage.
- How to help clients incorporate software capability when acting as a technical advisor of solar assets.
- Strategies China is employing to push its solar and storage agenda forward and how the automotive industry is helping that agenda.
- Details on what key trends are happening in the solar market including cost reduction and higher output modules.
- Difficulties Clean Energy Associates faced in China in the early days of COVID-19, how they are still being impacted, and how it caused them to evolve as a company.
- Suggestions Andy has for solar entrepreneurs to create a successful company with a great culture.
Quotes from the show:
- On what CEA provides: “We created this comprehensive, on-site quality assurance program that really starts with a factory audit, with a rigorous team and a rigorous methodology and a thousand-point checklist.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
- “Our core customer is the end-owner of solar and storage assets who cares about consistent, reliable, and optimized performance and having a ‘Wow’ customer experience.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
- “Everyone is talking about energy storage and the cost of energy storage, the duration of the batteries, and then coupling it with solar.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #80
- “The reality is that the overall Asian supply chain, particularly in China, has a dominant path to cost reduction and that’s where we’ve seen these dramatic cost reductions and that is what is going to allow the industry to grow.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
- “Once you combine storage with solar to balance a system you’re really adding a lot of value to your clients, your asset owners.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #80
- “We’re going to see more and more large-scale deployment of energy storage in the future but, still, I think the primary focus has been on the manufacturing side and that’s where China has significant scale advantages.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
- “If I had to make one bold prediction, it’s on the technology-adoption side, and I see module power classes continue to make leapfrog steps forward.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
- “Everything keeps getting re-engineered because the technology changes so if you’re able to know what’s going to happen in the future, you’re able to design for it in the beginning, and I think that’s a huge advantage to the asset owner.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #80
- “We believe that by helping our clients and stakeholders deploy solar and storage solutions worldwide, we are creating a better future.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
- CEA’s vision statement: “By 2025 we want to become the leading global solar and storage engineering services firm that creates tangible impact with every customer.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Andy Klump
LinkedIn: Andy Klump
Website: www.cea3.com
Sponsor:
We would like to thank Solar Energy Systems for sponsoring this episode of the podcast. Solar Energy Systems, LLC (SES) is a solar energy photovoltaic design/build firm headquartered in Brooklyn, NY and serving the Northeast U.S. Founded in 1998, the company designs, builds, and maintains solar photovoltaic (PV) systems within the public and private domain. I interviewed David Buckner who is the Founder and CEO of SES on Episode 65: 20 Year Solar Veteran and Entrepreneur Provides Perspective on the Solar Market.
To learn more about Solar Energy Systems, check out their website which is www.solaresystems.com. Email SES at info@solaresystems.com or Call 718-389-1545.
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