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 Aug 05, 2024
Monday Aug 05, 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 #6 Highlights:
- High interest rates impacting the energy transition
- EIA study on the future of solar energy in the USA
- DOE's identification of 10 critical transmission corridors for the energy transition
- Maryland SREC updates
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.
Friday Aug 02, 2024
Friday Aug 02, 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:
Episode #5 Highlights:
- FERC Order 2023: Major changes to the NYISO interconnection process and the wholesale market
- Tax credit transfer market forecasts
- President Biden's transmission upgrade plan
- Massachusetts' expanded net metering
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 any questions or comments, reach out to us info@reneuenergy.com
Friday Jul 26, 2024
Friday Jul 26, 2024
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Nate Jovanelly, CEO of Sunraise Capital, and Jason Steinberg who is the CEO of Scanifly.
Scanifly, a software platform for PV design and field operations, has partnered with SunRaise Technology, a leading solar fintech company, to accelerate Service-level agreement(“SLAs”) for residential solar leasing.
They speaks about residential solar trends like improving customer experience, automating the sales and construction process, and how to improve solar production.
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.
Jason Steinberg
Jason is the CEO of Scanifly and oversees the operational and financial aspects of Scanifly. Scanifly is the only drone-based solar software committed to improving the efficiency, accuracy and safety of solar projects globally. Previously, Jason helped finance over $3 billion of renewable energy projects and companies as a banker for CohnReznick Capital. Prior to that, Jason worked for Bloomberg New Energy Finance as a lead North American data researcher. Jason’s first job in the industry was installing solar arrays on rooftops in New Jersey. Jason is a CFA Charterholder and a NABCEP PV. Associate.
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/
Jason Steinberg
Email: jason.steinberg@scanifly.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-steinberg-48356017/
Press Release dated July 18, 2024
Scanifly Integrates with SunRaise Technology for Streamlined Financing Approval
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scanifly-integrates-with-sunraise-technology-for-streamlined-financing-approval-302200077.html?tc=eml_cleartime
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
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.
Tuesday Jul 16, 2024
Tuesday Jul 16, 2024
🌞 Weekly Energy Briefings - Episode #4 is NOW LIVE!
🌍 'The League' 5-Minute Weekly Briefing with Benoy Thanjan and David Magid !
🚀 Dive into the world of clean energy with us. Give us just 5 minutes, and we'll bring you the latest trends in the industry!
🔗 April 2024 Briefing Highlights:
-Potential Tariffs: Exploring the impact of potential tariffs on solar panels from Southeast Asia.
-Industry Insight: Residential solar contractors share their perspectives on the current solar market.
-Future Focus: Unpacking NYS DPS Order 'The Grid of the Future' with insights from the NY PSC. Virtual Power Plants
-Data Centers: How data centers are integrating renewable energy solutions. Reneu Energy
🔋 Stay Informed and Empowered: Our series is your go-to weekly power hub for the latest in project finance, renewable energy, and power generation.
If you have any questions or comments, reach out to us info@reneuenergy.com.
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Garrett Peterson who is the Co-Founder of Sigma Renewables. Sigma offers land and building owners multiple ways to monetize their property value without giving up ownership and keeps owner priorities at the forefront when developing projects. Garrett speaks about solar and storage development, why to get early in different markets, and what he learned from being an entrepreneur.
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.
Garrett Peterson
Garrett is the co-founder of Sigma Renewables. Sigma Renewables is an independently owned solar and storage development firm focused on markets with emerging or existing community solar and energy storage programs. Sigma offers land and building owners multiple ways to monetize their property value without giving up ownership and keeps owner priorities at the forefront when developing projects. Previously, Garrett worked as Senior Vice President of Project Development at Pivot Energy. He has over 16 years of energy experience at Pivot Energy, Sunshare, Namaste Solar, SunEdison, and REC Solar.
A dynamic leader with sixteen years of energy industry experience, with the past fourteen focused on the solar and energy storage sector. Possesses a unique skill set gained by working from the ground up within a broad range of established solar companies and startups, combined with post graduate level education, and focus on executive leadership, project development, financial, and technical aspects of the energy industry.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Garrett Peterson
Website: https://sigmarenewables.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrett-peterson-29062879/
Tuesday Jul 02, 2024
Tuesday Jul 02, 2024
The League is a new podcast with my co-host David Magid! You give us 5 minutes, we give you the latest clean energy trends.
Weekly Energy Briefings Episode #3 is live .
Episode 3 - March 2024 Briefing Highlights:
-Basel III Implications on the tax equity market
-Insights on the community solar expansion introduced in Virginia
-updates on community solar in California
-news about the new “advanced grid enhancing technology act” introduced by Senators Peter Walsh and Angus King
Exclusive insights from industry experts navigating the constantly changing renewable energy industry.
Keeping YOU in the know and empowered, this series is your weekly power hub for the latest in project finance, renewable energy, and power generation. If you have any questions or comments, email us at info@reneuenergy.com.
Tuesday Jun 25, 2024
Tuesday Jun 25, 2024
The League is a new podcast with my co-host David Magid! You give us 5 minutes, we give you the latest clean energy trends.
Weekly Energy Briefings Episode #1 is live .
Episode 2 – Jan 2024 Briefing Highlights:
-NY has 2GWh of Community Solar.
-Largest Storage CA Project
-Midwest Community Solar Opportunity
-A Lot of M&A Activity
Exclusive insights from industry experts navigating the constantly changing renewable energy industry.
Keeping YOU in the know and empowered, this series is your weekly power hub for the latest in project finance, renewable energy, and power generation.
IF you have any questions or comments, reach out to us info@reneuenergy.com.
Tuesday Jun 11, 2024
Tuesday Jun 11, 2024
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Herve Billet and the Joe Marhamati who are the founders of Sunvoy. Sunvoy is the first and only solar customer portal and fleet management system built for solar installers by a solar installer. Herve and Joe discuss how their software helps solar installers, what they learned from working at the Department of Energy, and they speak about their entrepreneurship experiences.
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.
Herve Billet
He is a father, serial entrepreneur, investor, engineer, Master Electrician on a mission to fight climate change.
Ipsun Solar installs residential and commercial solar PV systems. They are a licensed General Contractor in 3 U.S. States: Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland.
Ipsun Tech has a software called Sunvoy to automate communication and tasks for solar companies and provide a solar installation company with a white label customer portal. Sunvoy also offers a tool to manage a solar fleet. Check it out at www.sunvoy.com
Before co-founding Ipsun Power I was with Accenture consulting with Fortune 500 companies, U.S. Federal agencies and large non-profits:
- Greenhouse Gas emission calculations for the U.S. Department of Energy Headquarters.
- Business development work for Accenture's Sustainability Services
- Lead a Digital implementation team for Goodwill International Industries
- Provided strategy and sales support to large accounts including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, UNICEF, United Nations, U.S. Department of Labor
He co-founded my first company when I was 21, a solar car organization www.solarteam.be meant to highlight the capabilities of solar power.
Joe Marhamati
What gets him out of bed every day is helping solar installers learn from my lived experience in building an 8-figure solar business, not just the successes but also the mistakes. In my current role as co-founder and CFO of Sunvoy, he help solar installers build their brands by building a white-labeled customer portal and fleet management platform to bring together all of their fleet data into a single location. He is also passionate about helping solar installers with their tech stack, growth strategy, management and leadership direction, and exit plans.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Herve Billet
Website: https://sunvoy.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hervebilliet/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marhamati/
Join Reneu Energy and the Solar Maverick Podcast for the Summer Solstice Fundraiser
Celebrate the peak of summer with us at the Summer Solstice Fundraiser, hosted by Reneu Energy and the Solar Maverick Podcast. This special evening will take place on Thursday, June 20, from 6 PM to 10 PM at Hudson Hall in Jersey City, NJ. As we revel in the longest day of the year, we'll also be raising funds for the Let's Share the Sun Foundation, which aids impoverished communities in harnessing solar energy. Thanks to your support, we raised $2,250 for this great cause from our previous events.
Event Details
Venue: Hudson Hall, a Czech biergarten and smokehouse co-owned by Benoy, CEO of Reneu Energy.
Time: 6 PM to 10 PM, with an open bar from 6 PM to 8 PM and delicious food throughout the evening.
Tickets: $64 per person. You can RSVP using the link provided below.
Sponsorship Opportunities: If you're interested in sponsoring this event and helping make a difference, please respond to this email.
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/reneuenergy/1256198
Thursday May 30, 2024
Thursday May 30, 2024
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with John Langhus who is the Chief Commercial Officer of Photon Vault. Photon Vault is a developer of revolutionary thermal energy storage technology for the utility-scale market. John speaks about their early stage energy storage technology, how they will produce green power cheaper than most renewable energy technologies, and federal incentives for their unique technology.
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.
Chief Commercial Officer of Photon Vault
John is an experienced solar developer, entrepreneur, attorney, and business leader.
Building a deep background in corporate and transactional law, he practiced initially with the preeminent New York law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, working from Melbourne, Australia on an array of industry-leading cross border securities and M&A transactions. Later he spent ten years with NYSE–listed Forest Oil Corporation, culminating in the role of Managing Director of Forest’s International Business Unit, based in Cape Town, South Africa. He completed over $4Bn of acquisitions and divestitures at Forest.
Since 2013, he has focused on a mix of legal and business roles in the solar energy industry, working as a developer, owner, and consultant on more than 250MW of solar energy projects (over $500M of deployed capital), primarily as General Counsel and VP of Business Development with New Energy Equity of Annapolis, MD a national leader in the development of Commercial and Industrial-scale solar energy projects.
John lives in Norwich, Vermont with his wife and two sons where has served as an elected member of his local town government and is an active leader in his church.
He graduated with a B.A. in political science from Colorado College and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.
His favorite bands are The Indigo Girls, Evanescence, and whatever bands his sons are in at the moment. On the weekend, you might find him listening to live music or making pizza in his backyard brick oven.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Website: http://www.photonvault.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlanghus/
Email: jlanghus@photonvault.com
Photon Vault Linkedin Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/photon-vault/
Join Reneu Energy and the Solar Maverick Podcast for the Summer Solstice Fundraiser
Celebrate the peak of summer with us at the Summer Solstice Fundraiser, hosted by Reneu Energy and the Solar Maverick Podcast. This special evening will take place on Thursday, June 20, from 6 PM to 10 PM at Hudson Hall in Jersey City, NJ. As we revel in the longest day of the year, we'll also be raising funds for the Let's Share the Sun Foundation, which aids impoverished communities in harnessing solar energy. Thanks to your support, we raised $2,250 for this great cause from our previous events.
Event Details
Venue: Hudson Hall, a Czech biergarten and smokehouse co-owned by Benoy, CEO of Reneu Energy.
Time: 6 PM to 10 PM, with an open bar from 6 PM to 8 PM and delicious food throughout the evening.
Tickets: $64 per person. You can RSVP using the link provided below.
Sponsorship Opportunities: If you're interested in sponsoring this event and helping make a difference, please respond to this email.
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/reneuenergy/1256198
Monday May 13, 2024
Monday May 13, 2024
The League is a new podcast with my co-host David Magid! You give us 5 minutes, we give you the latest clean energy trends.
Weekly Energy Briefings Episode #1 is live .
Episode 1 – Jan 2024 Briefing Highlights:
-Interest Rates increase as impacted solar development
-Transferibility Update of Tax Credits
-Domestic Adder-IRA
-Update on Brookfield Transactions
Exclusive insights from industry experts navigating the constantly changing renewable energy industry.
Keeping YOU in the know and empowered, this series is your weekly power hub for the latest in project finance, renewable energy, and power generation.
IF you have any questions or comments, reach out to us info@reneuenergy.com.