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Entrepreneurs for Impact

#215: Laura Pagliarulo, Co-Founder & CEO at SolaREIT – $3.5B in Solar and Storage Projects Supported. Land Investment in 19 States. Long-Term Commitments v. Constant Hopping. Mindful Leadership.

Feb 13, 2025
49:23

SolaREIT, established in 2020, specializes in providing flexible capital solutions for solar and battery energy storage real estate. By partnering with developers and landowners, SolaREIT facilitates the monetization of land assets through land purchases, lease prepayments, and land loans. Their streamlined approach and competitive pricing have enabled capital deployment for projects across 19 states, contributing to over $3.5 billion in solar and battery storage developments.

Laura Pagliarulo is the Co-founder and CEO of SolaREIT, bringing over 15 years of experience in the renewable energy sector. Before founding SolaREIT in July 2020, she served as Senior Vice President of Community Solar and Energy Innovation at CleanChoice Energy, where she led initiatives to expand access to clean energy solutions. Her extensive background also includes leadership roles at SunEdison and WGL Energy, where she focused on community solar and distributed generation projects.

Here are some key takeaways:

  1. How to optimize capital efficiency in solar and battery storage projects by leveraging innovative land acquisition strategies
  2. How they decide to structure their investment based on landowner and project owner perspectives
  3. Why the solar and battery storage industry demonstrates resilience and adaptability amidst legislative changes and market fluctuations
  4. When to consider long-term commitments within a company to fully understand its operations and foster personal growth
  5. How to maintain health and focus through personal habits such as outdoor exercise, mindful presence, and balanced technology use

🔗 PODCAST SHOW LINKS:

SolarREIT: https://www.solareit.com

Laura's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-pagliarulo-4934aa5

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🤔 PODCAST HOST:

Dr. Chris Wedding is the CEO of EFI (climate CEO peer groups and executive coaching), cofounder of Terraset (carbon removal), Senior Advisor at Javelin Capital (clean energy investment banking), Board member at World Tree (regenerative forestry), Board Advisor at DG Matrix (next-gen power electronics), Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, and super humble human being (as evidenced by this long bio).

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