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
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.
Tuesday Sep 03, 2024
Tuesday Sep 03, 2024
⚡ The League ⚡-Weekly Energy Insights Episode #8 is LIVE! 🔌 💡
Dive into this week’s segment on the worlds latest energy updates with Benoy Thanjan and David Magid :
- California Public Utilities Commission's rejection of the California Community Solar Program
- Impressions from the ACORE Finance Forum
- Highs and lows of recent PPA pricing
💡 Don’t miss out – Watch the full clip here and stay ahead in the energy game!
If you have questions or comments, please email us at info@reneuenergy.com.
Tuesday Aug 27, 2024
Tuesday Aug 27, 2024
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan, the host of the Solar Maverick Podcast, was interviewed by Mike "C-Roc" Ciorrocco on his podcast called "What Are You Made Of?."
Benoy speaks about current solar industry trends and his entrepreneurship and podcast experience.
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.
Mike "C-Roc" Ciorrocco
Mike "C-Roc" Ciorrocco is the Co-Founder of the innovative tech platform blooprinted, the powerhouse behind the "What Are You Made Of?" podcast, and the best-selling author of ROCKET FUEL Convert Setbacks. Become Unstoppable.
He is a performance coach, author, dynamic public speaker, tech visionary and thought leader.
He has been featured by Yahoo! Finance as one of the Top Business Leaders to Follow in 2020 and is on a mission to build unstoppable people. He is consumed with the passion to help people break free from the confines of complacency and propel to untapped levels of success.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Mike "C-Roc" Ciorrocco
"What Are You Made Of?" Podcast
We would like to thank Summit Ridge Energy for sponsoring this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast.
As the nation’s leading commercial solar company, Summit Ridge Energy merges financial innovation and industry-leading execution to deliver clean, locally generated energy. This has made Summit Ridge one of the fastest-growing energy companies in America.
Since launching in 2017, the company has deployed over $2B into clean energy assets and controls a development pipeline of more than 3GW that will provide solar power to homes and businesses nationwide. Learn more at srenergy.com and connect with us on LinkedIn.
https://srenergy.com/
Tuesday Aug 20, 2024
Tuesday Aug 20, 2024
Power Up with the Latest in Renewable Energy!
We're thrilled to bring you the latest episodes of the League Newsbriefing, your go-to source for renewable energy updates! 
Hosted by David Magid and Benoy Thanjan, each episode packs a punch with key insights and trends. You give us 5 minutes, we give you the latest clean energy trends. Check out the highlights from episodes #5 to #9:
Episode #7 Highlights:
- FERC Order 1920
- Appalachian Power's 800MW RFP
- Increasing clean energy-related tariffs
Don't miss out on these episodes! Tune in now. Your 5-Minute Guide to Clean Energy Trends!
#CleanEnergy #RenewableEnergy #EnergyTransition #SolarEnergy #BatteryStorage #EnergyNews
If you have questions or comments, please email us at info@reneuenergy.com.
Tuesday Aug 13, 2024
Tuesday Aug 13, 2024
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Jim Howard, President at Dudley Ventures, and Derek Gabriel who is the COO & Head of Originations at SunRocket Capital. They speak about how their structured finance solution ensures access to construction funding and long-term financing for developers who want to preserve their equity in their projects.
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.
Jim Howard
James D Howard, Jr. is the President of Dudley Ventures, LLC is an investment and advisory services firm specializing in congressionally sanctioned tax credits and other tax advantaged investments. DV has a 20+ year track record of success with the vision, staff and values to succeed. Dudley Ventures is a subsidiary of Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ:VLY), one of the top 30 publically traded banks with $50B in assets,
A native of The Bronx, New York, Mr. Howard earned his degree from The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1980 and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1984.
Dudley Ventures was founded by Mr. Howard in 1996. Dudley Ventures has been an innovator in tax credit investment and Mr. Howard has authored numerous articles on tax credit investing and is a regular speaker at conferences. Dudley Ventures has invested and manages over $2 billion in tax credit investments.
Mr. Howard is a Board Member of the New Markets Tax Credit Coalition.
Derek Gabriel
With over 15 years of experience in the renewable energy sector, Derek is a passionate and driven leader who strives to make a positive impact on the environment and society through innovative and sustainable solutions. As the Chief Operating Officer at SunRocket Capital, Derek oversee the daily administrative and operational functions, as well as the origination, development, and financing of solar projects across various markets and segments. Derek leverage my extensive network of over 15 years in the solar industry, and my deep knowledge of solar policy, tax equity, and debt financing to create value for our clients, investors, and partners.
In his previous role as the Executive Vice President and Head of Originations at Sol-REIT, Derek was responsible for business development in providing debt and arranging tax equity for solar and renewable energy projects, ranging from C&I, community solar, portfolio transactions, to utility-scale. Derek engaged a team of solar lending analyst, underwriters, and established strong relationships with key stakeholders, such as EPCs, developers, off-takers, and lenders. Derek also contributed to the strategic direction and growth of the company, and supported the development of new products and services. Some of the skills that Derek applied and developed in this role include organizational development, business development, negotiation, risk management, and financial analysis.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Jim Howard
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesdhoward/
Dudley Venture Website: https://www.dudleyventures.com
Derek Gabriel
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-g-a754a748/
Website: https://www.sunrocketcapital.com
Press Release dated June 24, 2024
SunRocket Capital and Dudley Ventures Arrange to Provide $100+ Million to Monetize Tax Credits in Commercial, Industrial and Community Solar Developments
https://www.sunrocketcapital.com/news/sunrocket-capital-and-dudley-ventures-to-monetize-tax-credits