CYLS 172: Renewable Energy Goals with Benoy Thanjan

Episode Summary

This episode of Create Your Life Series will motivate you to make and keep your resolutions this year.  Kevin talks with Benoy Thanjan, owner of Reneu Energy, about his path to entrepreneurship in the solar energy industry and his passion project, the Solar Maverick podcast.  Benoy and Kevin look back on their journeys over the past year and discuss what it takes to be successful in entrepreneurship, podcasting, and life.  

Kevin Y. Brown

Kevin Y. Brown is a National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Center For Public Trust (CPT) “Being A Difference” award recipient, international speaker, entrepreneur, and author.  The former MTV Networks host and NYC fashion marketer has created an international following as a speaker on personal excellence, effective communication, and leadership. Kevin has been featured by Black Enterprise magazine as a “Modern Man of Distinction” and highlighted in various publications for his self-help speaking work and helping students graduate college debt-free.  Recognized for his commitment to empowering foster care youth and as a foster care system alumnus, he has also delivered the keynote address at the International Foster Care Organizations Conference in Sydney, Australia and Osaka, Japan.  Kevin is currently the creator/host of Sirius XM’s “Create Your Life” series, a fellow in the New York Chapter of the Startup Leadership Program, and an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. 

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. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodity transactions. 

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.

Insights from this episode:

Details on Reneu Energy, how the company became involved with Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs), and how states are employing them to incentivize solar development.

How to create a more eco-friendly lifestyle on a daily basis and incorporate renewable energy into any household.

Strategies on goal-setting, forming a work plan, and taking action steps to attain those goals.

How to create a successful podcast in a niche market, facing challenges, and making your own opportunities.

Details on how Benoy and Kevin became podcasters and what that process has taught them. 

Quotes from the show:

“My first background in energy was at Deloitte & Touch and then I knew that renewable energy sustainability was my passion.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #172

“There’s a lot of exciting things that are happening with the (renewable energy) industry, specifically related to solar.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #172

On having a renewable lifestyle: “There’s the Three R’s that we could all incorporate into our whole lifestyle, which is Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #172

On what it takes to become an entrepreneur: “A lot of time, in pursuit of running your own company, it takes a while.” – Kevin Y. Brown, Episode #172

On entrepreneurship: “It’s not easy to just go (out) and then suddenly start a company and take that leap, it definitely takes time.” – Benoy Th