Solar Maverick Podcast

SMP 44: Community Solar 201

Episode Summary

In this episode, Benoy and Suzanne talk about community solar and how it’s one of the fastest-growing areas of solar. They discuss the benefits and trends of community solar, and they go into the four different business models through which community solar projects get done. They also discuss legislation to keep the Investment Tax Credit at 30%.

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.

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.

Insight from this episode:

• Strategies to understanding community solar trends

Quotes from the show:

“Obviously the question you’re all asking, if you’re listening to this episode is ‘what is community solar?’... According to SEIA community solar is a situation where a center solar array is built either by utility, municipality, or some other third party owner.” – Suzanne Waters, Episode #44

“Today many American households and businesses don’t have access to solar because they rent, live in multi-tenant buildings, have roofs that are unable to host a solar system, or experience some other type of mitigating factor.” – Suzanne Waters, quoting from SEIA Episode #44

“Community solar expands access to solar for all, including, in particular, low to moderate-income customers most impacted by a lack of access, all while building a stronger distributed and more resilient electric grid.” – Suzanne Waters, quoting from SEIA Episode #44

“So what we’re finding is that financing communities are slowly getting more comfortable in having customers that are 100% residential. Where there’s no long-term contract. Where there’s no penalty if the customer opts out.” - Benoy Thanjan Episode #44

“So right now, what the investment tax credit is, it’s a credit on your taxes for 30% of the cost of the [solar] system. There’s actually a step down over the next couple of years, so till the end of 2019 it’s 30%, come 2020 it will be 26%, in 2021 it’s a 22% credit, and then in 2022 it’s 10%. – Suzanne Waters Episode #44

“If you want to take advantage of the 30% tax credit you have to have 5% of the [community solar] project procured by the end of 2019. And the biggest thing we see is that people will buy and secure the panels for their project.” – Suzanne Waters Episode #44

“The most common [business model for community projects] is a Special Purpose Entity, which is the SPE model… In this approach individuals or companies join in a business enterprise to develop a community solar project… Organizations may take advantage of incentives and tax credits that are available, that are unavailable to utilities.” - Benoy Thanjan Episode #44

Resources Mentioned:

For more information on community solar:

Listen to Episode #23: Community Solar 101

Listen to Episode #19: Customer Acquisition and Billing in Community Solar

Listen to Episode #42: How Solar Technology Is Changing the World!

Benoy referred to the eBook titled “Community Solar: What You Need To Know” created by Standard Solar.  The link to the eBook is below.

https://www.standardsolar.com/standard-solar-releases-ebook-offering-critical-insight-executing-successful-community-solar

Stay Connected:

Benoy Thanjan

[email protected]

LinkedIn.com/bthanjan

www.reneuenergy.com

Suzanne Waters

[email protected]

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

www.reneuenergy.com

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on itunes and Podbean

SMP 43: 2019 Energy Storage Trends

Episode Summary

In this episode, Benoy and Li talk about energy storage and how it’s a huge game changer. They go into the many benefits and trends in energy storage.  They also discuss legislation to keep the Investment Tax Credit at 30%.

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.

Li Wang

Li Wang is a life-long journalist and communications professional. He worked as an intern for the Philadelphia Daily News, during the summer of the O.J. trial, and has since had some fascinating jobs, from being a business reporter, to an arts editor, to a film critic. He has since shifted his focus to digital marketing and creative services, and now his company, MJ Wang Media, develops brand messaging and identity through website design and content marketing. 

Insight from this episode:

• Discuss energy storage trends

Quotes from the show:

•  “So prices are going down, capacity and efficiency is increasing. So has that recent combination of factors, sort of accelerated the advancement of [energy] storage?” - Li Wang Episode #43  “Definitely!” - Benoy Thanjan Episode #43

•  “I guess the best way to look at [energy storage] is like landlines and cellphones. You know, you need the infrastructure with the landline, and then basically what energy storage allows is you can be decentralized vs. having a central network and connecting it.” - Benoy Thanjan Episode #43

•  “You know we are seeing more blackouts. If anyone was in New York three weeks ago on a Saturday, from midtown to… on the west side, there was a power outage… and you would think ‘wow 2019. How is that kinda still happening?’”- Benoy Thanjan Episode #43

•  “Energy storage is a great way to help with bringing energy back into the grid. It’s a lot faster for energy to come from an energy storage unit that having a peak or natural gas plant.” - Benoy Thanjan Episode #43

•  “I think one thing that I didn’t realize about the Tesla [electric car] is it’s also performance wise and safety wise so incredible too.  You know, one of the features in a crash, it has a lot of capacity to absorb damage… so when I shop for cars, you know I have young kids, so I’m thinking safety. So that hugely impresses me.” – Li Wang Episode #43

• “It’s been exciting actually what happened in the past few days. The House and Senate introduced legislation for a 5-year extension of the solar investment tax credit… you know, please reach out to your representative and lawmakers to pass this critical legislation.” - Benoy Thanjan Episode #43

•  “So [energy storage] is huge for, you know, countries that don’t have already electricity infrastructure. You know, particularly in emerging countries, and then obviously in the U.S. we haven’t upgraded the transmission and distribution grid in a long time.” - Benoy Thanjan Episode #43

Resources Mentioned:

Gary Vaynerchuk, Youtube Channel

Featured Book:

 Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

Featured Quote:

“Since 2005, when ITC was first passed by the Republican led congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush. The ITC has created hundreds of thousands of jobs. Sparked more than $40 billion in pride investment and helped solar grow by more than 10,000 percent.” – Abigail Ross Hopper, CEO of Solar Energy Industry Association

Featured Link:

Benoy spoke about the Energy Storage Midyear Snapshot by Nikola Power

https://nikolapower.com/blog/2019/7/1/energy-storage-midyear-snapshot

Stay Connected:

Benoy Thanjan

[email protected]

LinkedIn.com/bthanjan

Facebook: Reneu Energy

www.reneuenergy.com

Li Wang

MJWangMedia.com 

Instagram: @liwang22

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on itunes and Podbean

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 

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

[email protected]

www.linkedin.com/in/bthanjan/

www.reneuenergy.com

Suzanne Waters 

[email protected]

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

www.reneuenergy.com

Juan Truyol

[email protected]

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/

[email protected] 

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/

[email protected]

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/

SMP 41:  Solar Entrepreneur Perspective on Development of Solar and Storage Projects 

Episode Summary

Solar entrepreneur, Ben Levy joins Benoy on the podcast this week to talk about his passion for solar and his company Round Trip Energy. Ben has a diverse background and unique perspective on what it means to be a solar developer and consultant. Their conversation spans topics such as the Washington DC solar market, dealing with massive shut downs like what happened with the hurricane in Puerto Rico, Ben’s experience and advice as an entrepreneur, and current trends and projections in the larger solar community. 

About our Guest:

Benjamin is the Founder and Executive Director of Round Trip Energy, a growing renewable energy consulting and development startup, specializing in the development, financing, operation, and management of commercial and utility-scale solar, wind, energy storage, and energy efficiency projects. The company develops world-class greenfield and behind-the-meter projects that are optimized for performance and speed to deploy with Round Trip’s proprietary cost-risk-mitigation development approach.

Benjamin is a project developer, engineer, and construction manager with experience in cradle-to-grave development of world-class renewable power generations facilities across the US and Caribbean. His career in construction of sustainable projects also includes 5 years in energy efficiency project development at military bases and other Federal government campuses as well as success with leading HVAC, lighting, water, building envelope, and water treatment retrofit projects. Mr. Levy was previously a manager of Project Development at Constellation Energy and Sr. Manager of Engineering and Construction at Sonnedix, both developer-owners of large-scale power generation facilities and pioneers in the utility-scale renewable space. He led the design and construction of the 58MW solar, 22MW energy storage Oriana Solar Park, the largest solar plant in the Caribbean.

Benoy Thanjan

Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also 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 and utility scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges energy and environmental commodities. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodities 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.

Insight from this episode:

• What Round Trip Energy does, what makes them different, and why Ben started the company.

Quotes from the show:

“There’s a lot of companies doing off grid residential, and  there’s a lot of suppliers providing PCS and batteries together, but there’s not a lot of companies that are integrating and providing the full permitting and analysis and implementation scope.” Ben Levy, Episode #41 

“What’s different about D.C. is we have a true confinement of the supply of SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Certificates). That’s because D.C. is essentially a 9 mile by 9 mile grid that’s totally packed with residential houses and commercial office buildings. There’s very limited space to add solar.” Ben Levy, Episode #41 

“The investors that win projects are the ones that are comfortable with taking a certain portion of merchant SREC risk.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #41 

“Financiers and investors are willing to take a little bit more merchant risk than they used to be and that is a product of who are the tax equity and sponsor equity investors and what’s their comfort and risk level.” Ben Levy, Episode #41 

“I believe over the next 3 or 4 years regulators, policy makers, utilities, and local jurisdictions are going to be catching up and creating structures where developers and builders out there will be able to connect the real technology with the clients who need them.” Ben Levy, Episode #41 

“Our bills especially here on the east coast are shifting to being more demand heavy than energy heavy because they’re realizing that they need to incentivize people to get their demand down in the times where it’s quite congested.” Ben Levy, Episode #41  

“It’s a lot easier to get power back onto the grid from the storage devices.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #41 

Stay Connected:

Benoy Thanjan:

[email protected]

LinkedIn.com/bthanjan

www.reneuenergy.com

Facebook: Reneu Energy

Ben Levy 

www.roundtripenergy.com 

[email protected]

LinkedIn - Round Trip Energy

Facebook: Round Trip Energy 

Episode Summary

Li Wang, Director of Marketing at Reneu Energy, returns to the podcast as co-host. Listen as he and Benoy catch up about current events and discuss some hot topics in solar right now including solar energy projects in low income areas.

Benoy Thanjan

Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also 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 and utility scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges energy and environmental commodities. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodities 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.

Li Wang

A life-long journalist and communications professional, Li Wang was hooked on the news as an intern at the Philadelphia Daily News during the summer of the O.J. trial. He has been a business reporter, arts editor and film critic. He has shifted his focus to digital marketing and creative services. His company, MJ Wang Media, develops brand messaging and identity through website design and content marketing. 

Insight from this episode:

• Thoughts on the topic of India becoming a leader in solar with their tariff exemption. 

Quotes from the show:

“The perception has been that solar, at least in the US, is just for the wealthy.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #40

“Community solar is one of the fastest growing types of solar in the US but states are requiring that a certain percentage of it be low income.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #40

“You’re providing solar and energy to a population that doesn’t have it, and also promoting renewable energy, allowing people to lower their carbon footprint, and allowing people who would not normally receive solar to get solar energy and be involved in the process.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #40

“After the initial investment it’s been shown to actually be able to lower utility bills which is significant.”  Li Wang, Episode #40  

“Solar has an opportunity now to become more accepted in the mainstream instead of a privilege for the rich.” Li Wang, Episode #40  

Resources Mentioned:

Shark Tank 

Grant Cardone 

Book:

The Power of Broke by Daymond John 

Sponsors for Recent Reneu Energy Events 

Infiniti Energy Services 

Spano Partners 

Schwerd Consulting 

CBL Markets 

To request a media kit send an email to [email protected] 

Stay Connected:

Benoy Thanjan

[email protected]

LinkedIn.com/bthanjan

www.reneuenergy.com

Facebook: Reneu Energy

Li Wang 

MJWangMedia.com 

Instagram: @liwang22 

Episode Summary

Reneu Energy’s Benoy Thanjan and Suzanne Waters talk in detail about what landowners need to know about going solar. They discuss the reasons why a landowner should look into going solar for generating income through a utility scale or community solar project, a description of different incentives available, and logistically how they would go about doing it. 

Benoy Thanjan

Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also 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 and utility scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges energy and environmental commodities. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodities 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.

Suzanne Waters 

Suzanne Waters 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, and collaborated on structured finance for large scale, multimillion-dollar projects. In addition, Suzanne has extensive experience in many aspects of the PV industry, with unmatched enthusiasm for its capabilities and  a BA in Economics from Rutgers College at Rutgers University.

Insight from this episode:

• The many benefits of leasing your land for solar projects.

Quotes from the show:

“The system owners can recover their costs up front instead of over a 20-25 year period which is pretty much the life of the system. So, that’s something that definitely makes the projects more attractive to system owners.” Suzanne Waters, Episode #39  

“The cost of panels have decreased. The efficiency of the panels are going up. It makes the whole situation a win-win” Suzanne Waters, Episode #39  

“The federal incentives make up 50-60% of the cost of the project and that doesn’t include the state level incentives. If you have strong state level incentives it really helps” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #39 

“In states that have better incentives the land owners are going to benefit from that” Suzanne Waters, Episode #39 

Upcoming Event discussed on the podcast:

Summer Solar Special:  How Solar Technology is Changing the World

Reneu Energy is partnering with JC TechMeetup.  It is on Tuesday, July 30 from 6:30 to 9 at Surf City in Jersey City.

Benoy Thanjan who is the CEO and Founder of Reneu Energy will be moderating.  The other panelists are Suzanne Waters from Reneu Energy, Chris Grablutz from PV Pros, Steve Schwerd from Schwerd Consulting, and Juan Truyol from Strata Solar.

The event is free to attend and you can RSVP in the link below.

https://www.meetup.com/Jersey-City-Tech-Meetup/events/262598987/ 

Stay Connected:

Benoy Thanjan

[email protected]

LinkedIn.com/bthanjan

www.reneuenergy.com

Facebook: Reneu Energy

Suzanne Waters

[email protected] 

Linkedin: Suzanne Waters

www.reneuenergy.com

Facebook: Reneu Energy

Episode Summary

Suzanne Waters, Vice President of Business Development at Reneu Energy, returns to the show to talk with Benoy about why commercial and industrial building owners should go solar. This episode serves as an excellent primer for building owners who are potentially looking to go solar as Benoy and Suzanne cover topics such as the benefits of solar, types of systems, and financial opportunities for building owners.

Benoy Thanjan

Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also 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 and utility scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges energy and environmental commodities. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodities 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.

Suzanne Waters 

Suzanne Waters 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, and collaborated on structured finance for large scale, multimillion-dollar projects. In addition, Suzanne has extensive experience in many aspects of the PV industry, with unmatched enthusiasm for its capabilities and  a BA in Economics from Rutgers College at Rutgers University.

Insight from this episode:

• The benefits of going solar. 

Quotes from the show:

“If You’re going to go solar, you’re definitely going to reduce your electrical cost.” Suzanne Waters, Episode #38  

“Most solar systems can live between 20 and 30 years so you’re going to have a relatively short return on your investment for an asset that you’re going to have for a really long time.” Suzanne Waters, Episode #38   

“The fixed electric pricing definitely makes is easier to forecast and budget plan so you can hedge against electricity price volatility and inflation.” Suzanne Waters, Episode #38

“Customers and employees are looking for companies that can say that they’re sustainable and they’re making sustainable efforts.” Suzanne Waters, Episode #38

“As solar becomes more acceptable as an asset to finance, the returns are getting lower and lower.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #38 

“Last year there was 6.53 gigawatts of corporate renewable deals, both wind and solar, and it was actually the highest ever.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #38

Resources mentioned: 

Solar + Roofing Episode #11

For more detailed information or questions about topics from this episode email [email protected]

Upcoming Event discussed on the podcast:

Summer Solar Special:  How Solar Technology is Changing the World

Reneu Energy is partnering with JC TechMeetup.  It is on Tuesday, July 30 from 6:30 to 9 at Surf City in Jersey City.

Benoy Thanjan who is the CEO and Founder of Reneu Energy will be moderating.  The other panelists are Suzanne Waters from Reneu Energy, Chris Grablutz from PV Pros, and Steve Schwerd from Schwerd Consulting.

The event is free to attend and you can RSVP in the link below.

https://www.meetup.com/Jersey-City-Tech-Meetup/events/262598987/ 

Stay Connected:

Benoy Thanjan

[email protected]

LinkedIn.com/bthanjan

www.reneuenergy.com

Facebook: Reneu Energy

Suzanne Waters

[email protected] 

Linkedin: Suzanne Waters

www.reneuenergy.com

Facebook: Reneu Energy

About our Guest:

As the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, Benoy Thanjan took his passion for sustainability and renewable energy and turned it into a company that has traded $27 billion in solar renewable energy credits (SREC). He attributes his success to his time working as a SREC trader in the Project Finance Group for SolarCity, a company that merged with Tesla in 2016. With a BS in finance and economics from the Stern School of Business and an MBA in finance from Rutgers University, Benoy has an extensive financial background. Having previously worked as the Vice President at Vanguard Energy Partners, he focused on project finance solutions for commercial scale solar projects. In addition, Benoy used his financial expertise while working for Ridgewood Renewable Power, Deloitte and Touche, Ernst & Young, and D.E. Shaw and Co. His current company Reneu Energy provides consultation for other companies looking to save money, modernize their energy use, and implement solar energy practices. 

Episode Summary 

Alternative energy sources have been gaining in popularity over the past several decades. However, public knowledge still lags behind when it comes to clean energy such as solar. Many people are unaware of the substantial benefits, including a reduction in financial burden, that result from switching to renewable energy. Benoy Thanjan, a juggernaut in the solar energy world, explains how he decided to make the leap to entrepreneurship, creating a company that combines his passion, his knowledge of finances, and his goal of making an impact in the world.

Insight from this episode:

• How to build passive income streams while succeeding at your primary job.

Quotes from the show:

“Not getting overconfident. Continue to be humble. Continue to develop myself. Continue to add value to our clients.” - Benoy Thanjan, on being successful as an entrepreneur, Episode 134

“If I never tried starting my business, there would always be a regret in my life. Even if I failed, there would always be the regret of never trying.” - Benoy Thanjan, Episode 134

“I feel like entrepreneurship’s a lot about instincts and gut feel.” - Benoy Thanjan, Episode 134  

“When you wait on people, you give your power away.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 134

“They’re not willing to make the sacrifice and the discipline and put the work and take the failure. They don’t realize how much failure. They see the outside and they don’t see behind the scenes.” - Benoy Thanjan, on the misconception about starting a business, Episode 134  

“A lot of times in entrepreneurship, you can’t control a lot of things that are happening. It’s a journey and it’s mentally controlling yourself. And mentally realizing what you can control and what you can make the difference. And there’s a lot of things you can’t control. And that makes a huge difference on being successful or not in life.” - Benoy Thanjan, Episode 134 

“We’re focused on progression, not perfection.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Episode 134

Resources Mentioned:

• Apple hardware

Favorite Book:

• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

• How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

Favorite Quote: 

• “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” - Reinhold Niebuhr

3 keys to Create Your Best Life:

• Do what you’re passionate about, because that’s your true self

• Accept failure

• Never give up

Stay Connected:

Create Your Life Series:

https://www.facebook.com/cylseries/ 

https://www.instagram.com/cylseries/

Kevin:

www.kevinybrown.com

www.instagram.com/kevinybrown

www.twitter.com/kevinybrown

www.facebook.com/kevbrown001

Benoy Thanjan:

www.reneuenergy.com

www.linkedin.com/in/bthanjan/

[email protected]

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on  itunes, google play, stitcher and www.createyourlifeseries.com/podcast

Episode Summary

Li Wang returns to the podcast as co-host for this week’s episode. Li is the Director of Marketing at Reneu Energy, founder of MJ Wang Marketing, and also Benoy’s publicist. The two of them catch up with a chat about branding and marketing practices and then go on to discuss in depth the current state of solar. Also, included are recommended resources for anyone interested in solar energy.

Benoy Thanjan

Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also 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 and utility scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges energy and environmental commodities. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodities 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.

Li Wang

A life-long journalist and communications professional, Li Wang was hooked on the news as an intern at the Philadelphia Daily News during the summer of the O.J. trial. He has been a business reporter, arts editor and film critic. He has shifted his focus to digital marketing and creative services. His company, MJ Wang Media, develops brand messaging and identity through website design and content marketing. 

Insight from this episode:

• The importance of branding and ways Reneu Energy is working to establish their brand identity and recognition. 

Quotes from the show:

“If you do create content for your company or brand, video packs a huge punch. not only with engagement you’re actually speaking to an audience literally, but also in search.” Li Wang, Episode #36  

“Always remember that YouTube is the #2 search engine behind Google” Li Wang, Episode #36  

“If you’re going to put your effort into one thing, and you can and you feel comfortable, I encourage you to do video.” Li Wang, Episode #36  

On the value of podcast sponsorships: “One of keys to why our sponsorships are effective is because of the distinct audience that our podcast reaches.” Li Wang, Episode #36  

“Solar keeps growing exponentially. We keep seeing the cost of solar going down and the efficiencies of panels increasing.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #36 

“What we’re seeing is that solar companies are trying to build as quickly as possible to qualify for this 30% because it’s a huge part of the economics of the project.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #36 

“The issue with the incentives going down is that potentially solar might not be as cost effective.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #36 

“There was a time when there were a lot of good projects but not a lot of financing.” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #36

“A lot of real estate developers are telling me, ‘Hey, we’re developing projects in opportunity zones can we pull solar in it?’” Benoy Thanjan, Episode #36 

“The rise of the corporate PPAs has allowed a lot of development of renewable energy.”  Benoy Thanjan, Episode #36 

Resources Mentioned:

Podcast Laundry 

Create Your Life Series Podcast 

PV Magazine 

Renewable Energy World 

UtilityDive.com

Book:

Relentless by Tim S. Grover 

Sponsors for Reneu Energy Summer Solstice Event 

Infiniti Energy Services 

Spano Partners 

Schwerd Consulting 

CBL Markets 

To request a media kit send an email to [email protected] 

Stay Connected:

Benoy Thanjan

[email protected]

LinkedIn.com/bthanjan

www.reneuenergy.com

Facebook: Reneu Energy

Li Wang 

MJWangMedia.com 

Instagram: @liwang22