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 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.
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 04, 2020
Tuesday Aug 04, 2020
SMP 79: Building the Solar Future Through Solar Forecasting
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Dr. Nick Engerer who is the CTO and co-founder of Solcast speaks about how new advancements in cloud computing and satellites has allowed Solcast to create comprehensive models for solar forecasting. He also speaks about how solar forecasting is extremely important regarding profitability of solar projects and its importance when you combine storage with a solar project.
Solcast is dedicated to developing the data and tools through solar modeling and forecasting needed to plan, construct, operate and manage solar power systems across the world helping boost solar profits for projects across the world.
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 Guest
Dr. Nick Engerer
Nick is an expert in the field of solar radiation and distributed solar PV modelling, and has co-founded Solcast in 2016 out of a sincere desire to enable others to build the solar-powered future. Nick displays an unusual level of passion for developing applied research projects and collaborating with industry to make BIG ideas a reality.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: @bthanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Dr. Nick Engerer
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-nick-engerer/
Website: www.solcast.com
Nick’s Biohacking Longevity Blog
Nick’s Longevity Book Recommendations
Lifespan by Dr. David Sinclair
Amazon Link
https://www.amazon.com/Lifespan-Why-Age_and-Dont-Have/dp/1501191977/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=lifespan&qid=1596301737&sr=8-2
Why we sleep? by Dr. Matthew Walker
Amazon Link
https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Matthew-Walker-audiobook/dp/B0752XRB5F/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Why+we+sleep%3F&qid=1596301816&sr=8-3
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. 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.
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 Jul 21, 2020
Tuesday Jul 21, 2020
SMP 78: Solar Dynamic Selling System for Solar Enrgy
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Rylee Meek is the CEO and Founder of the Social Dynamic Selling System talks extensively on how his one to many sales system through dinner seminars is a game changer for solar companies. He also speaks about his entrepreneurial journey and how he adapted his business during COVID19.
Rylee went to produce over $100 million in sales over the past 9 years using the Social Dynamic Selling System. Rylee took a Solar Company from $0 to $2 Million in under six months and proceeded to generate over 8 figures of sales in the next 12 months after that.
Free Book Offer
Rylee Meek is offering exclusively to Solar Maverick Podcast Listeners the pdf version of his book for free which on Amazon charges $14.99 for the paperback. The book is called Food for Thought: How to Use Dinner Seminar Marketing to Grow Your Business in Ways You Never Thought Possible. The link is below to receive the free book.
http://socialdynamicselling.com/mavericks
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 Guest
Rylee Meek is the founder and CEO of the Social Dynamic Selling System, which turns dinner seminar marketing into a science. Social Dynamic Selling is a value-based approach to lead generation and client acquisition. The Social Dynamic Selling System provides a Predictable, Sustainable, and Scalable system for entrepreneurs and business owners looking to drive more business and increase revenue through new customer acquisition. He also has a podcast called "The Sales Conversion Podcast.” The podcast introduces listeners to the creator of the Social Dynamic Selling System, and how to turn cold calls into hot leads. On the show, Rylee and his industry expert guests share their own expertise as business building guru’s to expand your business, grow your income, and improve your overall life.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: @bthanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Rylee Meek
Text Rylee: (727) 472-3860
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rylee-meek-1556a919/
Website: http://socialdynamicselling.com
The Sales Conversion Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sales-conversion-podcast/id1508586091
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on itunes, Podbean, youtube, and most other podcasting platforms.
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
SMP 77: Expert Insights: Driving Growth in the Energy Storage Industry
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Kelly Speakes-Backman who is the first CEO of the U.S. Energy Storage Association (“ESA”) discusses about the many benefits of energy storage. She also talks about how the cost is decreasing exponentially and the storage capacity keeps increasing significantly, how it is a game changer for intermittent power sources, and many other interesting topics.
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 Guest
Kelly Speakes-Backman is the first Chief Executive Officer of The U.S. Energy Storage Association (ESA), the national trade organization for the energy storage industry. Serving as CEO since 2017, Kelly leads the association’s efforts to represent the interests of energy storage in the United States, including policy, external relations and industry leadership.
Kelly has spent over 20 years working in energy and environmental issues in the public, NGO and private sectors, including United Technologies, SunEdison and Alliance to Save Energy. She is a former Commissioner of the Maryland Public Service Commission.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: @bthanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Kelly Speakes-Backman
ESA Phone Number: +1 202 293-0537
Email: k.speakes-backman@energystorage.org
Twitter: @KSpeakesBackman
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyspeakesbackman/
Energy Storage Association Website: https://energystorage.org/
Sponsor:
Thank you to Silverline Communications for sponsoring this episode of the podcast.
Sillverline Communications, an integrated marketing and PR agency focused on clean and emerging tech, is headquartered in DC with satellite offices in Chicago and Salt Lake City.
To learn more about Silverline, go to teamsilverline.com. You can reach Silverline at 703-286-5500 or info@teamsilverline.com.
We interviewed Laura Taylor who is the CEO and Founder of Silverline Communications on Episode 59: Lessons Learned from Clean Energy Entrepreneur.
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on itunes, Podbean, youtube, and most other podcasting platforms.
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
Tuesday Jun 23, 2020
Tuesday Jun 23, 2020
SMP 76: How CS Energy has grown rapidly and differentiated itself from other solar installers?
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Kevin Magayah and Matt Tripoli from CS Energy discuss the company's competitive advantages in solar construction and energy technologies that the company is looking to construct. Also, they speak about what precautions that the company took due to COVID-19 and many other interesting topics. CS Energy was recently named the nation’s number-one commercial solar installer by global research firm Wood Mackenzie.
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
Kevin Magayah
Vice President in Business Development at CS Energy
Mr. Magayah has 15 years of experience in large scale solar PV installations as well as bridge and tunnel work for public and private- sector clients. In his Business Development role, he is focused on building and maintaining relationships with CS Energy’s solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) customers in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the US. Leveraging his strong solar engineering, development and project management expertise, Kevin works with customers to create the most cost effective and productive solar facilities possible. Kevin has developed, designed and installed over 230 MW of solar photovoltaic systems for over 40 projects across the US and internationally, including engineering and constructing CS Energy’s first international solar project in Israel in 2016. Throughout his 15-year EPC career, he has proven to be an exceptional problem solver with an attention to detail who continues to be an asset to the customers he serves.
Matt Tripoli
Director in Project Development at CS Energy
Matt Tripoli is responsible for the development of new utility-scale and distributed solar and storage projects for CS Energy. He began his work in solar development in 2012, and he has been part of the acquisition, development, and operation of solar and energy projects in multiple markets throughout the US. Mr. Tripoli has also developed utility-scale natural gas, landfill-gas-to-energy, and wind projects. In total, his development efforts have resulted in over 150 MW’s of operating distributed generation projects. His diverse energy industry background includes work supervising distribution system design at PPL Electric Utilities, and asset electrical engineering support for Chevron’s operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: @bthanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Kevin Magayah
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-magayah-9995096/
Matt Tripoli
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tripoli/
CS Energy
Website: https://www.csenergy.com
Contact CS Energy: https://www.csenergy.com/contact/
LinkedIn: csenergy-usa
Facebook: @CSEnergyUSA
Twitter: @CS__Energy
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 Jun 09, 2020
Tuesday Jun 09, 2020
SMP 75: Mid-Year Solar Trends 2020
June 9, 2020
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy, the host of the podcast, speaks about mid-year trends in solar. He talks about how COVID-19 had a major impact on the solar industry. Benoy speaks about how third party financing will be more popular post COVID-19 and states will continue to take leadership role in promoting renewables. He also discusses about the continued growth of community solar and solar plus storage and stand alone storage will grow exponentially in the future.
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
Article Links discussed in the podcast
U.S. renewable energy consumption surpasses coal for the first time in over 130 years.
COVID-19 Impacts on the U.S. Solar Industry
9 Ways to Stay Positive During the Pandemic
How Stay Positive During the Pandemic
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 May 26, 2020
Tuesday May 26, 2020
SMP 74: Impact on COVID-19 on Residential Solar
May 26, 2020
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Nathan Jovanelly of IGS Solar speaks about how IGS Solar differentiates from other solar residential financiers. Nate talks about how the residential solar industry has been impacted by COVID-19. We also discuss how renewable energy should be incentivized in the United States and whether cost of capital or return on investment will change due to the pandemic.
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 Guest
Nathan Jovanelly
Nate is the Director of Business Development at IGS Solar. He helped start both the commercial and residential divisions of IGS in 2014. Since then the company has developed, owns, and operates more than 150MW of commercial solar assets. They operate in 19 states, and have a booming residential division with more than 10,000 customers. IGS Energy, is an independent retail natural gas and electric supplier based in Dublin, Ohio, United States. It serves more than 4,000,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers. In just a few short years IGS has become the 5th Largest Solar Developer based on 2017 data from GreenTech Media.
Nate also appeared in two previous episodes in the Solar Maverick Podcast. The details are below.
Episode 58: Residential Solar Financing and Other Interesting Topics
Episode 20: The Solar Intrapreneur Story: How Nate helped IGS become one of the biggest solar asset owners in the US
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: @bthanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Nathan Jovanelly
Website: IGS Solar
LinkedIn: Nathan Jovanelly, PE
Twitter: @NateJov
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 May 12, 2020
Tuesday May 12, 2020
SMP 73: Policy discussion on the NJ and NY Solar Market
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick, Benoy interviews Alex Rivera who is the Senior Vice President of Business Development from Vanguard Energy Partners. Vanguard Energy Partners is a national solar design-build firm that specializes in commercial, industrial, and utility-scale projects.
Alex talks about the incentives of the New Jersey solar market with the new TREC program and the sunsetting of the SREC(“Solar Renewable Energy Credit”) program. He also speaks about the community solar pilot in NJ and discusses the NY solar market and other states that Vanguard is looking into for solar. Alex discusses how educating clients and looks at things from their perspective will assist clients with making the right decision regarding their solar energy project. Also, he talks about how COVID-19 has impacted Vanguard and the solar industry.
About our host
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 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.
About our Guest
Alex Rivera is the senior vice president of business development for Vanguard Energy Partners. He is a member of the New Jersey Alliance for Action Energy Committee, the Solar Energy Industry Association and serves on the steering committee for the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy. He has worked in the solar energy industry for over 15 years, working with commercial and industrial clients to retrofit their facilities and support a more renewable energy economy.
Alex was also on Episode 4 of the Solar Maverick Podcast. The episode title was Strategies to Acquire Commercial & Industrial Solar Customers and the NJ Solar Market with Alex Rivera from Vanguard Energy Partners. Below is the link of the epiosode on Apple Podcasts.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/smp-04-strategies-to-acquire-commercial-industrial/id1441876259?i=1000449328243
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Phone: 201-743-9533
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: @bthanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Alex Rivera:
Cell Phone: 772-215-3626
Email: alex@vanguardenergypartners.com
Website: www.vanguardenergypartners.com
Sponsor:
Sponsor: We would like to thank Schwerd Consulting for sponsoring this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast.
Schwerd Consulting is a leading solar consulting firm dedicated to design, engineering, and owner representation in all areas of solar photovoltaics (PV) for the Commercial & Industrial and Utility markets.
At Schwerd Consulting they like to say that We Know Solar. We don’t just Do Solar. What sets them apart is their 100% focus on solar and understanding the business of their clients.
In its 5 years of business, Schwerd Consulting has provided services for approximately 450 MW of PV across over 330 sites and 15 states plus the Caribbean. That total includes 300MW of completed designs and engineering, and 150MW of consulting and owner rep services.
Let Schwerd Consulting take the burden off you and bring ease and expertise in all areas of Engineering & Design or help you navigate the technical world of solar.
If you are interested in learning more about Schwerd Consulting, you can call 215-219-6718 or email at admin@schwerdconsulting. Schwerd Consulting’s website is www.schwerdconsulting.com.
Steve Schwerd who is the Owner of Schwerd Consulting was interviewed on Episode 17 and Episode 48 of the Solar Maverick Podcast and Episode 42 of which he was on panel discussion on How Solar Technology is Changing the World.
They are involved with the trends, technologies, vendors, policies, utilities, codes, and financial considerations for the industry. Therefore, value add for them is not just a slogan, it’s what they practice in order to have loyal customers and gain trust.
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This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
Tuesday Apr 28, 2020
Tuesday Apr 28, 2020
Episode Summary
In this episode of Solar Maverick, Benoy and Li speak about how COV19 has affected the solar industry and they also speak about state level initiatives that were passed this month to increase solar deployment. Benoy and Li also speak about suggestions that they have to have a positive outlook and be successful during the pandemic.
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.
Li Wang
Li Wang is a life-long journalist and communications professional. He worked as an intern for the Philadelphia Daily News, during the summer of the O.J. trial, and has since had some fascinating jobs, from being a business reporter to an arts editor, to a film critic. He has since shifted his focus to digital marketing and creative services, and now his company, MJ Wang Media, develops brand messaging and identity through website design and content marketing.
Resources Mentioned:
106,000 American clean energy jobs were lost in March
Force Majeure: What does the coronavirus mean for your solar contract
Mediation Apps
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Phone: 201-743-9533
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: @bthanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Li Wang
MJWangMedia.com
Email: Li@mjwangmedia.com
Instagram: @liwang22
Sponsor:
Sillverline Communications, an integrated marketing and PR agency focused on clean and emerging tech, is headquartered in DC with satellite offices in Chicago and Salt Lake City.
What defines them? They are: Independent. Agile. Absolutely invested in their clients and their teams.
They are storytellers and connectors at heart, grounding programs with insights to achieve real business objectives and shape outcomes that influence markets and policy. They use every tool in the communication arsenal to translate complex ideas into breakthrough campaigns that drive stakeholder action. The team that gets it done? Silverline Communications. Strategic, smart professionals with unrivaled expertise in energy, policy and emerging technologies.
In short: They know their stuff.
They believe in what they do. They believe in what their clients do. When their clients succeed, the world is a better place.
To learn more about Silverline, go to teamsilverline.com. You can reach Silverline at 703-286-5500 or info@teamsilverline.com.
I interviewed Laura Taylor who is the CEO and Founder of Silverline Communications on Episode 59: Lessons Learned from Clean Energy Entrepreneur.
Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on itunes, Podbean and youtube.
This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)