Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Kushagra Nandan provides a unique international perspective on the solar industry that comes from his early days in the United States solar market, starting his company, SunSource, in India, and his experience working on over 300 solar projects across many countries throughout India, Asia, and Africa. While talking about his journey with SunSource, Kushagra gives an in-depth overview of the entire Indian solar market from its inception to its future.
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.
Kushagra Nandan
As Co-Founder and President of SunSource, Kushagra has guided the company’s strategy, project execution, technology and engineering efforts, with a primary focus on client-specific solar solutions and international market development. He has played an active role in helping shape SunSource’s offerings for domestic and international markets. Kushagra has pioneered efforts towards providing end-to-end engineering solutions beginning from initial scoping and capacity building to actual project design, engineering, supervision, and construction. Kushagra is actively engaged in building the capability to handle a challenging portfolio of solar projects and focused on deeply entrenching the philosophy of minimizing the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE).
Kushagra brings a vast amount of experience in leading teams that have developed, designed and installed multi-megawatt solar PV projects. Prior to SunSource, Kushagra worked with global solar majors including SunPower and GE. As one of the core members of the SunDurance Energy team, he led the technical group and helped grow the team and capability to develop, engineer-build projects ranging from 100’s kilowatt to multiple megawatts. Kushagra has also had roles at New Energy Options, Inc., AstroPower Inc. (currently GE Energy), and the Center for Sustainable Energy at the University of Massachusetts.
Kushagra holds a Master’s degree in Solar Energy Engineering from the University of Massachusetts. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology. Kushagra has also successfully completed a Solar PV Technology Assessment Certification from Florida Solar Energy Center & Villanova University along with Electrical Safety for Qualified Electrical Workers Certificate from Louisiana Tech University. He is a Lifetime Member of the Solar Energy Society of India and was a member of the interconnection group at the Mid-Atlantic Solar Energy Association to assist New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities to help define State’s solar policy implementation.
Insights from this episode:
Quotes from the show:
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: @bthanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Kushagra Nandan
Email: knandan@sunsource-energy.com
LinkedIn: Kushagra Nandan
Website: sunsource-energy.com
Sponsor:
We would like to thank RadiantREIT for sponsoring this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast.
RadiantREIT is the first-ever investment trust to bring mortgage REITs to the solar energy market.
For the solar developers and EPC developers out there, financing with RadiantREIT’s solar mortgage REIT will transform how you think about the business of project development. With RadiantREIT financing, you can increase project cash flow and you can retain ownership of your projects.
The company’s cradle-to-grave financing package includes the entire capital stack. RadiantREIT arranges tax equity, 100% construction financing and up to 99% term financing at competitive rates with no upfront fees including legal and diligence!
Co-Founders Jim Spano and Jeff Just are solar and finance veterans who have brought together a team of experts to create and offer this innovative financing model enabling developers to capture the true value of their development. They are committed to addressing the financing gaps that exist in today’s market, especially for small and mid-sized developers. RadiantREIT will remove the stress of financing or refinancing, and allow you to maintain focus on your projects. Let them be your outsourced, structured finance department.
Visit www.radiantreit.com to learn more and to submit your expression of interest form today.
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This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
SMP 60: Developing Renewable Energy in Opportunity Zones
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SMP 58: Residential Solar Financing and Other Interesting Topics
SMP 57: Solar Power International 2019 Takeaways
SMP 55: Solar on Cannabis Grow Facilities
SMP 54: Cannabis Industry Overview and How Solar Can Be Incorporated at Cannabis Grow Facilities
SMP 53: Solar Permitting
SMP 52: PPA 101
SMP 51: Community Solar - New Jersey 101
SMP 50: We celebrate our 50th Episode and discuss the Solar Maverick Podcast Journey!
SMP 49: A Consultative Approach to Develop and Finance Solar Projects
SMP 48: Solar Panel Recycling and Entrepreneurship Advice
SMP 47: Financing Solar 101
SMP 46: Why Brownfields are Ideal Sites for Solar?
SMP 45: Productivity Tips and Entrepreneurial Advice from the CEO and Founder of the Number 1 Millennial Platform Called Mogul
SMP 44: Community Solar 201
SMP 43: 2019 Energy Storage Trends
SMP 42: Live Event - How Solar Technology is Changing the World!
SMP 41: Solar Entrepreneur Perspective on Development of Solar and Storage Projects
SMP 40: Strategies for the Low Income Population to Use Solar Power
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