Solar Maverick Podcast SMP 195: Unlocking Peak Solar Performance with O&M Services
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy sits down with Chris Grablutz, Principal and Co-founder of Tri-Force Energy—a leading Commercial & Utility Solar Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance company serving NJ, NY, and PA. Chris shares expert insights on optimizing solar project performance through effective O&M strategies, repowering aging assets, and emerging trends shaping the future of the solar 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.
Chris Grablutz
Chris Grablutz has worked in the solar industry since 2010 with a wide network of great solar professionals and deep roots in northeast solar markets. His work in commercial, industrial, and utility scale solar has been focused on the technical aspects such as design engineering, construction management, QA/QC, Testing, and Operations & Maintenance. With a degree in Applied Physics and engineering background, Chris is a very detailed, logical, and process driven leader. Chris was also a NCAA Division I wrestler and grew up working for a family-owned construction company, which has contributed to his work hard attitude.
In 2010, he entered the solar industry as a Project Engineer at Pfister Energy, a New Jersey based EPC firm. Chris supported commercial PV designs. Project and construction management came naturally to Chris from his upbringing in a family-owned construction firm. Chris managed the solar installations on multiple school district portfolios, UPS distribution facility, Teterboro Airport hangers, low and moderate income (LMI) apartment complexes, and building-integrated PV (BIPV) and building-integrated solar thermal systems at Camp Lejeune Marine Base in North Carolina.
As the Director of Field Services at PV Pros and Pure Power Engineering, he led the creation of a commercial PV installation division. Chris grew the team to over 30 in-house employees with Job Site Safety, Technical Training, Quality Control, Staffing, and Project Management under his purview. In 2016, he led a start-up effort to transition from regional commercial construction into a national technical services firm, providing Operations and Maintenance (O&M), Owner's Engineer, and Independent Engineering.
As the Director of Business Development, Chris's team led the sales of over 1GW of Owner's Engineer, Independent Engineer, and commissioning agent. His team's O&M sales included over 200MW of long-term O&M agreements. The O&M division completed multiple large service projects including PV system removal & re-installations.
He continued his career in technical sales as the Director of Business Development at Clean Energy Associates, a global leader in solar manufacturing quality assurance, supply chain management, engineering services, and supplier/market intelligence programs.
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Chris Grablutz
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cgrablutz/
Email: info@triforceenergy.com
Website: https://triforceenergy.com/
Chris Grablutz’s previous episodes on the Solar Maverick Podcast
SMP 42-LIve How Solar Technology is Changing the world?
https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-42-live-event-how-solar-technology-is-changing-the-world/
The book that Chris spoke about during the podcast is Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business.
Two companies that Chris discusses in the podcast.
Ecosuite
Solargrade
Chris will be attending RE+ in Boston on Feb 12 to 13, 2025. If you want to meet with him at the conference, email him at info@triforceenergy.com.
Thank you to Concentro for sponsoring this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast!
Concentro’s mission is to create and promote accessible financing mechanisms for distributed generation projects. As we work towards a cleaner, more reliable, and affordable energy system, they strive to empower developers with the financial tools they need to succeed. Below are the link to the podcast and the contact information of Iñigo and Tao who were on Episode 186.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solar-maverick-podcast/id1441876259?i=1000679191495
Iñigo Rengifo Melia
Email: inigo@concentro.io
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inigo-rengifo-melia/
Website: https://www.concentro.io/
Tao Mantaras
Email: tao@concentro.io
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taomantaras/
Website: https://www.concentro.io
Join Us at FireAid LA Fundraiser During InterSolar!
The recent fires in Los Angeles have impacted so many lives, and now is our chance to give back. Join us on Tuesday, February 25th, 2025, at 5:00 PM at The Lofts at 777 Sixth Ave for an evening of networking, community, and making a real difference.
💡 Why Attend?
✅ Support those affected by the LA fires
✅ Connect with fellow solar & clean energy professionals
✅ Enjoy a great evening while giving back
This event is proudly organized by Reneu Energy & the Solar Maverick Podcast, and proceeds will go to FireAid LA to help those in need.
📩 Interested in sponsoring? Email us at info@reneuenergy.com.
Let’s come together as an industry to make an impact. See you there!