Solar Maverick Podcast

Dan French, the Executive Producer of the Solar Farm Summit and Virginia Solar Summit, discusses Agrivoltaics and the upcoming events. They explore the benefits of combining agriculture and solar energy, updates in the solar industry, and the origins of agrivoltaics. The chapter also highlights the success of previous AgroVoltx projects and the growing interest in Agrivoltaics.

Episode Summary In this episode of Solar Maverick Podcast,  Benoy is joined by his co-host Nate Jovanelly and they interview Kailtin Savage from Hodson Energy and Stephanie Johnson who is the Executive Director of Chesapeake Solar & Storage Association(“CHESSA”).  There are many interesting topics that were discussed regarding the challenges of the PJM Interconnection Queue, the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act(“IRA”), and finding talent for the renewable energy transition.   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 Environmental Commodities 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 Tesla 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 Jovanelly LLC is a problem solver in the solar industry.  Nathan, the CEO, has a proven track record of simplifying complex issues and helping solar companies:    Develop business strategies and tactics to gain a competitive advantage;  Connect to affiliates, partnerships, and vendors to scale faster;  Gain access to project and growth capital;  Increase market share through operational efficiency; and  Coach and mentor sales leadership.   We are not just another consulting firm.  Jovanelly LLC works side by side with your team to identify the gaps that are holding you back from reaching your business goals.  We develop an implementable plan structured to optimize your current resources, and stick with you all the way through completion. We become part of your team and are invested in your success.  Jovanelly LLC focuses on helping your company reach its full potential; making your solar business limitless. Nathan Jovanelly is also the head of business development at Enerflo.  Nate joined Enerflo because he believes everyone should have access to affordable green energy. At Enerflo they are helping their solar partners increase efficiencies and cut costs by creating a seamless customer journey from lead to PTO. Enerflo gives your reps the most unified solar sales process in the industry. One platform, one login, one seamless experience across the entire solar customer journey. They’re on a mission to help democratize solar energy and spread it across the globe, one well-executed deal at a time.   Kaitlin Savage Kaitlin Savage is Senior Vice President of Project Development at Hodson Energy, a leading utility-scale solar and solar plus storage platform with 3 GW of renewable energy assets under development in PJM, MISO, and other US markets. Hodson is a proud partner of Great Bay Renewables. She has a background in GIS and environmental studies/urban planning with 800+ MW project development experience across PJM. Kaitlin also has expertise in site selection, solar land use, stakeholder engagement, permitting, environmental science, local/state energy policy.    Stephanie Johnson Stephanie Johnson is the Executive Director at Chesapeake Solar & Storage Association(“CHESSA”)  CHESSA  represents the interests of manufacturers, installers, distributors and component suppliers serving Maryland, the District of Columbia, Delaware and Virginia.  She is an advocate for Accelerating the Renewable Energy Transition Stay connected: Benoy Thanjan Website: www.reneuenergy.com Email: info@renewenergy.com LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan Facebook: Reneu Energy   Nathan Jovanelly Email:  nate@jovanellyllc.com Website:  https://jovanelly.io/ Limitless Podcast:  https://jovanelly.io/limitless-podcast Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/natejov/   Kaitlin Savage Email:  kesavage@hodsoninc.com  Website:  https://hodsonenergy.com Linkedin:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlinsavage/   Stephanie Johnson  Email:  sjohnson@chessa.org Website:  www.chessa.org Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-johnson-484b6017/   Empower Virtual Conference 2023 created by Aurora Solar https://aurorasolar.com/empower-2023/   SMP 106:  Dual Use the Future of Agriculture Land https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-106-the-future-of-solar-on-agriculture-land-with-dual-use/ Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Podbean, YouTube, and most of the major podcast platforms. This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.

Episode Summary In this episode of Solar Maverick Podcast,  Benoy speaks to Martin Pochtaruk who is a President at Heliene, US and Canadian manufacturer of High Efficiency Solar PV Modules.  Martin speaks primarily about how Heliene has differentiated itself from foreign solar manufacturers,  the opportunity for domestic solar panel manufacturing from the Inflation Reduction(“IRA”) and he discusses new solar panel technologies.  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 Environmental Commodities 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 Tesla 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.     Martin Pochtaruk President at Heliene, US and Canadian manufacturer of High Efficiency Solar PV Modules.   Stay connected: Benoy Thanjan Website: www.reneuenergy.com Email: info@renewenergy.com LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan Facebook: Reneu Energy   Martin Pochtaruk Email:  mpochtaruk@heliene.com Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-pochtaruk-5512581/ Website:  https://heliene.com Empower Virtual Conference 2023 created by Aurora Solar https://aurorasolar.com/empower-2023/    Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Podbean, YouTube, and most of the major podcast platforms.   This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.

Episode Summary In this episode of Solar Maverick Podcast,  Benoy speaks to Adam Schurle who is a Tax Partner with Foley & Lardner.  Adam speaks primarily about the transferability guidance provided by the IRS on the Inflation Reduction(“IRA”) and he also talks about the IRS guidance on Tax Credit Sales and Direct Cash Payments.   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 Environmental Commodities 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 Tesla 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.     Adam Schurle Adam Schurle is a Partner and business law attorney with Foley & Lardner LLP. Adam is based in the Milwaukee office where he is a member of the Tax Practice Group. Adam counsels on a wide variety of federal and state tax matters, including issues relating to entity formation, corporate mergers and acquisitions, transactions involving partnerships, S corporations, limited liability companies and other pass-through entities, and tax aspects of compensation arrangements. A significant portion of Adam’s practice is focused on tax advice for developers and financial institutions in wind, solar, hydroelectric, biomass and other renewable energy finance transactions. He helps these clients qualify for federal, state and local tax incentives and implement transaction structures that maximize the value of those incentives.  Adam also frequently advises clients with respect to tax incentives related to energy transition projects and investments, including Section 45Q carbon capture and sequestration credits.   Stay connected: Benoy Thanjan Website: www.reneuenergy.com Email: info@renewenergy.com LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan Facebook: Reneu Energy   Adam Schurle Phone:  414.297.5158 Email:  aschurle@foley.com Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamschurle Website:  https://www.foley.com/en IRS Releases Guidance on Tax Credit Sales and Direct Cash Payments written by Adam https://www.foley.com/en/insights/publications/2023/06/irs-guidance-tax-credit-sales-direct-cash-payments. Powered By Foley Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/powered-by-foley/id1629499243 Empower Virtual Conference 2023 created by Aurora Solar https://aurorasolar.com/empower-2023/    Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Podbean, YouTube, and most of the major podcast platforms.   This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.  

Episode Summary In this episode of Solar Maverick Podcast,  Benoy speaks to Sierra Jackovics who is Government and Energy Policy Specialist for Mana Pacific.  Mana Pacific is a social impact company and benefit corporation that develops, finances, and de-risks scalable island resiliency projects in Hawaii and the 22 Pacific Island Territories and Countries.  Sierra speaks about developing projects in the Pacific islands, how community engagement is so important when developing a solar project, and the Community Solar Prize that Mana Pacific won. 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 Environmental Commodities 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 Tesla 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.     Sierra Jackovics Sierra Jackovics is Government Affairs and Energy Policy Specialist and also the UN Energy Policy, and Project Manager for Mana Pacific.  Sierra is Accelerating renewable energy development through project management, environmental policy, and community engagement. She is committed to working towards a global reality that prioritizes sustainability, long-term resilience, and equitable access to energy.  Sierra speaks about how to develop solar projects in the Pacific Islands, how community buy in is so important when developing projects, and    Stay connected: Benoy Thanjan Website: www.reneuenergy.com Email: info@renewenergy.com LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan Facebook: Reneu Energy   Sierra Jackovics Email:  sierra.jackovics@manapacific.com  Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sierra-jackovics/ Mana Pacific’s website:  https://www.manapacific.com/     Solar Project Development Book discussed on the podcast. Project Development in the Solar Industry by  Albie Fong  (Editor), Jesse Tippett  (Editor) Below is the Amazon Link. https://www.amazon.com/Project-Development-Solar-Industry-Albie/dp/0367576619/ref=sr_1_5?crid=36MI64HYLEMYV&keywords=solar+project+development&qid=1687177550&sprefix=solar+project+development%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-5&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18630bbb-fcbb-42f8-9767-857e17e03685 Solar Maverick Podcast and Reneu Energy Summer Solstice Party It is almost the Summer Solstice which is the longest day of sunlight of the year!! Reneu Energy and the Solar Maverick Podcast will be celebrating the Summer Solstice on Thursday, June 21rd from 6pm to 10pm in Jersey City. It will be held at Hudson Hall which is a beer hall and Benoy is  one of the owners of Hudson Hall. The details are below.  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-solstice-networking-event-tickets-629223292807   Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Podbean, YouTube, and most of the major podcast platforms.   This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.

Episode Summary In this episode of Solar Maverick Podcast,  Benoy is interviewed by Logan Chipkin about Solar and Bitcoin and how Solar Energy can be used for Bitcoin Mining.   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 Environmental Commodities 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 Tesla 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.     Logan Chipkin Logan Chipkin is a writer in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Physics World, Bitcoin Magazine, History Magazine, Quillette, and Gizmodo. He is passionate about the future of energy, Bitcoin, and physics.   Stay connected: Benoy Thanjan Website: www.reneuenergy.com Email: info@renewenergy.com LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan Facebook: Reneu Energy   Logan Chipkin Website: www.loganchipkin.com Twitter:  @ChipkinLogan   Previous Episodes that Sazmining has been on the Solar Maverick Podcast   https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-86-how-renewable-energy-is-partnering-with-crypto-mining/   https://solarmaverick.podbean.com/e/smp-125-solar-expert-discusses-bitcoin-and-the-great-opportunity-for-solar/   Benoy on the Sazmining Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C8-RGl3oZo   Solar Maverick Podcast and Reneu Energy Summer Solstice Party It is almost Summer Solstice which is the longest day of sunlight of the year!! Reneu Energy and the Solar Maverick Podcast will be celebrating the Summer Solstice on Thursday, June 21rd from 6pm to 10pm in Jersey City. It will be held at Hudson Hall which is a beer hall and Benoy is  one of the owners of Hudson Hall. The details are below.  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-solstice-networking-event-tickets-629223292807   Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes, Podbean, YouTube, and most of the major podcast platforms.   This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.  

Episode Summary In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Nathan Jovanelly who is the head of business development from Enerflo and the owner of Jovanelly LLC.  Enerflo is a platform for Solar Sales and Operations and has processed $2 Billion in solar transactions to date.  Nate speaks about his 2023 solar predictions and how technology is going to accelerate solar deployment.   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 Nathan Jovanelly is the head of business development at Enerflo.  Nate joined Enerflo because he believes everyone should have access to affordable green energy. At Enerflo they are helping their solar partners increase efficiencies and cut costs by creating a seamless customer journey from lead to PTO. Enerflo gives your reps the most unified solar sales process in the industry. One platform, one login, one seamless experience across the entire solar customer journey. They’re on a mission to help democratize solar energy and spread it across the globe, one well-executed deal at a time.   Stay Connected: Benoy Thanjan Email: info@reneuenergy.com  LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com   Nate Jovanelly Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/natejov/ Website:  https://enerflo.com   Solar Maverick and Reneu Energy Summer Solstice Networking Event https://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-solstice-networking-event-tickets-629223292807     Press release regarding Nate joining Enerflo. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nathan-jovanelly-joins-enerflo-as-head-of-business-development-301463017.html   Nate’s other interviews on the Solar Maverick Podcast 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

Episode Summary In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Gregory Wetstone who is the President and CEO of American Council on Renewable Energy (“ACORE”).  Greg gives an update on  the Inflation Reduction Act(“IRA”) and talks about current policy issues in renewables.  He also talks about how ACORE is leading as a trade organization in the equitable transition of renewables with the Accelerate Program and partnership with the National Urban League.   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 Environmental Commodities 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 Tesla 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.     Gregory Wetstone Gregory Wetstone is President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), a national nonprofit organization that unites finance, policy and technology to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy economy. Since assuming this role in January of 2016, he has led the way to dramatic improvements in ACORE’s organizational health, prominence and effectiveness in pursuit of its mission. Greg oversees ACORE’s strategic planning and core activities, including government affairs, communications, research and analysis, executive programs, market expansion priorities, signature events and fundraising. Prior to joining ACORE, Greg served as Vice President for Terra-Gen Power LLC, a renewable energy company with utility-scale wind, solar and geothermal energy facilities. Prior to his six-year term with Terra-Gen, he served as Senior Director for Government and Public Affairs at the American Wind Energy Association and Director of Programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, where he founded the legislative program. Earlier in his career, Greg was Senior Counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and played an important role in crafting a number of important laws, including the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. Prior to joining the Committee staff, Greg was Director of the Air and Water Pollution Program at the Environmental Law Institute. Greg is a forceful advocate for the policies and financial structures essential to renewable energy growth, and has been widely published and quoted on energy and environmental issues over the span of his career. He has a Juris Doctor degree from the Duke University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Florida State University. Stay Connected: Benoy Thanjan Email: info@reneuenergy.com  Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com   To Learn More about ACORE: https://acore.org/   ACORE Finance Forum June 7-8, 2023 in New York https://acorefinanceforum.org/   ACORE Accelerate Program https://acore.org/accelerate/

Episode Summary In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Bill Jordan and John Moran about Let’s Share the Sun Foundation.  Since 2010, Let’s Share the Sun Foundation has been installing solar across Haiti, Honduras, and Puerto Rico.  The Foundation has partnered with local solar installers, equipment manufacturers, and US solar companies to bring solar to communities in need around the world.   Benoy Thanjan Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities.  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. Before founding Reneu Energy, he was the SREC Trader in the Project Finance Group for Tesla. 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 also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.   Bernadette(“Bernie”) Jordan Bernie is the executive director of Let’s Share the Sun.  She is a versatile professional with over 5 years of experience in innovating the current business approach and addressing social challenges, in a variety of industries including non-profit. Bernie has exceptional leadership skills and has had many experiences abroad that have shaped her vision. She is driven to learn the position inside and out to maximize contributions and support business and customer objectives.   Bill Jordan  Bill is the Founder and CEO of Jordan Energy. He brings over 13 years of solar development experience with a focus in agricultural installations. Prior to starting Jordan Energy, Bill served as a Special Assistant to the New York State Commissioner of Agriculture & Markets from 2002-2007. Prior to Ag & Markets, Bill received a Master's degree from Cornell University in Applied Economics with a thesis on Manure Management in the dairy industry.   Previous experiences include over six years working to improve Chilean agricultural profitability, efforts which were recognized by the President of Chile, and five years in marketing and sales for GAF Materials Corporation, the largest roofing company in the United States. Bill is a graduate of Cornell University, Maryknoll School of Theology, and University of Notre Dame. Concurrent with the founding of Jordan Energy, Bill and his wife Nancy Brennan-Jordan co-founded the Let's Share the Sun Foundation to bring solar energy to communities in need around the world.     Stay Connected:   Benoy Thanjan  Email: info@reneuenergy.com   Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com   Bernie Jordan Email:  Bernie@letssharethesun.org Phone Number:  +1 (518) 326-1104 Bernie@letssharethesun.org Bill Jordan Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-jordan-235295a/  Email:  bill@letssharethesun.org   How to donate to Let’s Share the Sun Foundation.   https://www.letssharethesun.org/contribute     Let’s Share the Sun Foundation and Wood MacKenzie Documentary about Proyecto Cucubano   https://woodmac.wistia.com/medias/33ia64ab9u   Let’s Share the Sun Foundation and fighting for renewable energy   https://fightingfor.nd.edu/2022/fighting-for-renewable-energy/    

Episode Summary In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Nathan Jovanelly who is the head of business development from Enerflo and the owner of Jovanelly LLC.  Enerflo is a platform for Solar Sales and Operations and has processed $2 Billion in solar transactions to date.  Nate speaks about many interesting topics like how technology and software is innovating the solar industry, how data is helping with lowering energy usage and using renewables more efficiently, and other solar trends and predictions. Benoy Thanjan Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, as well as an advisor for several solar startup companies. Reneu Energy is a premier international solar energy consulting firm and developer, and the company focuses on developing commercial and industrial solar, as well as utility-scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges both energy and environmental commodities.  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. 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 also worked at Vanguard Energy Partners, Ridgewood Renewable Power, and Deloitte & Touche.   Nathan Jovanelly Nathan Jovanelly is the head of business development at Enerflo.  Nate joined Enerflo because he believes everyone should have access to affordable green energy. At Enerflo they are helping their solar partners increase efficiencies and cut costs by creating a seamless customer journey from lead to PTO. Enerflo gives your reps the most unified solar sales process in the industry. One platform, one login, one seamless experience across the entire solar customer journey. They’re on a mission to help democratize solar energy and spread it across the globe, one well-executed deal at a time.   Stay Connected: Benoy Thanjan Email: info@reneuenergy.com  LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com   Nate Jovanelly Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/natejov/ Website:  https://enerflo.com   Press release regarding Nate joining Enerflo. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nathan-jovanelly-joins-enerflo-as-head-of-business-development-301463017.html   Nate’s other interviews on the Solar Maverick Podcast 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