Episode Summary
In this episode of Solar Maverick, Benoy talks with Andy Klump of Clean Energy Associates about how the rising demand for solar power has also created a rising need for greater quality assurance within the solar industry. Andy discusses what quality assurance in solar means, what sets CEA apart from their competitors, and what he sees as key trends in the solar and energy storage supply chain. As an American company based in China, Andy shares how COVID-19 specifically affected their operations and how it disrupted business overall.
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.
Andy Klump
Andy is the founder and CEO of Clean Energy Associates. Clean Energy Associates works with developers, independent power producers (IPPs), and engineering procurement construction (EPC) customers in 55+ countries. Founded in 2008, Clean Energy Associates provides technical advisory services in the areas of quality assurance, supply chain management, and engineering services. Their 125-plus member team comprised of over 85 in-house engineers serving the needs of project developers, IPPs, EPCs, financial institutions, and other downstream partners that value supply chain transparency and quality solutions in the global storage and solar energy fields.
Andy’s area of expertise is storage and solar energy, with a track record of 14 years of leadership experience in the field of storage and solar energy along with 17 years of experience working within Asia. Prior to CEA, Andy served as the Vice President of Business Development for Trina Solar, where he headed the company’s international expansion plans covering supply chain, international business development, capital raising, and corporate development. During the period from 2006 to 2008, the management team successfully raised nearly $500 million in capital during Trina’s IPO, follow-on, and convertible bond offerings on the New York Stock Exchange. Additionally, Andy also served as an active Board Member of the U.S. Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
Being proactive towards society and entrepreneurial in nature, Andy also co-founded KIDSIQProject.org in 2015, a non-profit organization advancing drug development for reversible Intellectual disability disorders with an initial focus on Kleefstra Syndrome. Andy is also an active member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization in Shanghai.
Insights from this episode:
Quotes from the show:
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Andy Klump
LinkedIn: Andy Klump
Website: www.cea3.com
Sponsor:
We would like to thank Solar Energy Systems for sponsoring this episode of the podcast. Solar Energy Systems, LLC (SES) is a solar energy photovoltaic design/build firm headquartered in Brooklyn, NY and serving the Northeast U.S. Founded in 1998, the company designs, builds, and maintains solar photovoltaic (PV) systems within the public and private domain. I interviewed David Buckner who is the Founder and CEO of SES on Episode 65: 20 Year Solar Veteran and Entrepreneur Provides Perspective on the Solar Market.
To learn more about Solar Energy Systems, check out their website which is www.solaresystems.com. Email SES at info@solaresystems.com or Call 718-389-1545.
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This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
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