Episode Summary:

Led by Suzanne Waters, VP of Business Development at Reneu Energy, Benoy Thanjan joins three other solar industry leaders on a panel called How Solar Technology is Changing the World hosted by Reneu Energy and JCTech Meetup. The panel discusses solar energy, how it’s affecting us, what the future looks like, and how it’s impacting Jersey City. Coming from different sectors, each panelist offers their unique knowledge base to create a thorough picture of the field. Topics include industry growth, incentives, solar energy careers, obstacles & threats, community solar projects, and more.

About the Guests:

Suzanne Waters: Suzanne Waters is the Vice President of Business Development at Reneu Energy. She is an experienced solar professional with a broad knowledge of the industry, including project development administration, marketing best practices, financial strategy, and team leadership. Before joining Reneu Energy, Suzanne worked as the Business Development Manager and Proposal Team Leader at Vanguard Energy Partners, a national solar developer, and their affiliate firm, Vanguard Energy Capital. She oversaw proposal development and contract execution. Additionally, she collaborated on structured finance for large scale, multimillion dollar projects.

Steve Schwerd: Steve Schwerd is the owner of Schwerd Consulting, LLC. Schwerd Consulting is dedicated to design, engineering, representation, and support in all areas of solar photovoltaics. He has nearly 30 years in Consulting Engineering and an extensive background in Electrical Engineering. He became involved in renewable energy and design in 2008 and formed Schwerd Consulting in 2014 to allow for 100% dedication to the solar sector.

Juan Truyol: Juan Truyol works as a Project Estimator at Strata Solar, LLC. He is an experienced estimator with a background in estimating, procurement, and a demonstrated history working in civil construction as well as the renewables and environment industry. Truyol earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering and M.S in Construction Infrastructure and Management from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He’s skilled in construction engineering, project estimation, construction, and scheduling.

Chris Grablutz: Chris Grablutz is the Director of Business Development at PV Pros, Inc. He entered the solar industry in 2010 and has experience in engineering, project management, and operations. Grablutz joined PV Pros in 2017 and assists clients with owner’s engineering, testing, maintenance, and repair solutions. He’s passionate about solar energy and views his career as an exciting chain of challenges that continue to prevail.

Benoy Thanjan: Benoy Thanjan, Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, advises several solar startup companies about investment and development. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer. The company focuses on developing commercial, industrial, and utility scale solar, plus storage projects. Additionally, the company sources financing for solar projects and hedges energy and environmental commodities. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodities transactions.

Insights from Episode:

What technology goes into solar energy
Why building owners and land owners should use solar energy
The incentives and benefits of using solar energy
How solar energy has changed in the last 10 years and where it will be in 30 years
How to enter the solar energy field as a career
The downsides and threats to solar energy
Resources to learn more about solar energy
What community solar is and how people can benefit from it
How solar panels are recycled and reused

Quotes from the Show:

When asked about the technology that goes into solar energy… “In terms of technology, really just capturing data, having it, knowing how to sort it, and then knowing how to use it and evolve from it in the future is a tremendous resource for operations and maintenance of PV systems.” Chris Grablutz, Episode #42

Why should building/land owners look into going solar? “Building owners should definitely look into solar in New Jersey, it’s a way of saving money and going green. There’s green incentives for solar energy. There’s the 30% investment tax credit. There’s also solar depreciation.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #42

“Landowners should look at (solar energy) because you could potentially have a solar field and could receive rent or someone could buy land as they develop a project.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #42

What advice would you give to people looking to break into the solar industry? “The industry is great, so if you’re thinking about it, my first suggestion would be- do it. It’s a great industry, you’ll find many great people.” Chris Grablutz, Episode #42

“Our industry the cost goes down every year and other industries go up- steel, copper, aluminum. Solar goes down, so it will be the cheapest, most cost effective form of energy in the future.” Juan Truyol, Episode #42

“With energy storage, with policies continuing to drive the proliferation of solar, what it means for the benefit of the environment is fossil fuel plants will be shut down in large scales. Even PSEG recently announced their goal is by 2046, they will have no fossil fuel plants except for two of the newest natural gas plants.” ” Steve Schwerd, Episode #42

“Do not feel intimidated to come into the solar industry. We were all somewhat hesitant in the beginning and it turned out ok. No, for real, it’s not intimidating and there’s a lot of good people. There’s ups and downs like any industry, but overall 70/30, it’s good people wanting to teach you, mentor, and just have more cool people to work with ultimately.” Juan Truyol, Episode #42

Stay Connected:

Benoy Thanjan

info@reneuenergy.com

www.linkedin.com/in/bthanjan/

www.reneuenergy.com

Suzanne Waters

suzanne@reneuenergy.com

www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-waters-01bb6077/

www.reneuenergy.com

Juan Truyol

jtruyol@stratasolar.com

www.linkedin.com/in/juan-truyol-4995b958/

https://stratasolar.com/

www.facebook.com/strata.solar/

www.twitter.com/StrataSolar

www.youtube.com/channel/UCx9ml4yKbGoaDkJxNyXfQMQ

Steve Schwerd

www.schwerdconsulting.com/

admin@schwerdconsulting.com

www.linkedin.com/company/schwerd-consulting/about/

www.linkedin.com/in/steveschwerd/

www.facebook.com/Schwerd-Consulting-744150758955130/

www.twitter.com/schwerdsolar

Chris Grablutz

https://pvpros.com/

info@pvpros.com

www.linkedin.com/in/cgrablutz/

www.twitter.com/PVProsInc

Jersey CIty Tech Meetup

We would like to thank you to Jersey City Tech Meetup for partnering with Reneu Energy on this great solar event. For more information on Jersey City Tech Meetup. Please follow the links below.

https://jctechmeetup.com

https://www.meetup.com/Jersey-City-Tech-Meetup/

Issue 3 — content breakdown and behind the scenes