Episode Summary
In this episode of Solar Maverick, Rich Walsh shares his journey to founding Madison Energy Investments with his two other partners, why Madison Energy Investment focuses on the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) solar market, and their goal of owning solar projects in every state. The overall discussion is a very high-level look at trends in the solar industry, the complicated financing of solar projects, and where to continue to find value in solar sectors.
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.
Richard Walsh
Rich oversees all activities relating to business development and strategy at Madison Energy Investments. This includes project origination, new market analysis and partner and customer relations. Rich spent 5 years at WGL Energy where he led business development activities related to solar. He originated over $300 million of projects across dozens of state markets with clients ranging from the federal government to professional sports teams. Rich also previously worked in renewable energy advisory with Sterling Planet. Rich currently serves as the US Representative for the World Energy Council’s future energy leaders programme. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Samford University.
Insights from this episode:
Quotes from the show:
Resources Mentioned:
5 Observations on the Commercial Solar Market by Richard Walsh for GreenTechMedia
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel
Transition Renewable Energy Credit Program (TREC)
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn: @bthanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
Richard Walsh
Email: rwalsh@madisonei.com
LinkedIn: Richard Walsh
Website: Madison Energy Investments
Sponsor:
We would like to thank Silverline Communications for sponsoring this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast.
Sillverline Communications, an integrated marketing and PR agency focused on clean and emerging tech, is headquartered in DC with satellite offices in Chicago and Salt Lake City.
What defines them? They are: Independent. Agile. Absolutely invested in their clients and their teams.
They are storytellers and connectors at heart, grounding programs with insights to achieve real business objectives and shape outcomes that influence markets and policy. They use every tool in the communication arsenal to translate complex ideas into breakthrough campaigns that drive stakeholder action. The team that gets it done? Silverline Communications. Strategic, smart professionals with unrivaled expertise in energy, policy and emerging technologies.
In short: They know their stuff.
They believe in what they do. They believe in what their clients do. When their clients succeed, the world is a better place.
To learn more about Silverline, go to teamsilverline.com. You can reach Silverline at 703-286-5500 or info@teamsilverline.com.
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This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)
SMP 18: Financing Platform for Renewable Energy Projects
SMP 17: Solar Engineering and Advice for Entrepreneurs looking to grow successfully in the solar industry
SMP 16: Solar Power Growth and Entrepreneurship Goal Setting in 2019
SMP 15: Colombia Solar Market Discussion with Benoy and Li
SMP 14: How Institutional Investment Capital is Transforming the Renewable Energy Market with Thom Byrne
SMP 13: How to develop a great solar project and many other interesting topics about solar and entrepreneurship with Jim Spano from Spano Partners
SMP 12: Secrets of the Latin America Solar Market with Rik Teeuwen
SMP 11: The marriage of roofing and solar: Innovative and economic solutions with Daryl Pilon and Bob Burwasser
SMP 10: Li and Benoy talk about their experiences as entrepreneurs
SMP 09: How David started his solar company with David Magid from YSG Solar
SMP 08: How companies are reaching 100% renewable energy goals with Benoy and Li
SMP 07: Getting down to Earth with Solar: Construction, quality control and O&M insights from Chris Grablutz
SMP 06: Why solar is a great industry to work in with Suzanne Waters from Reneu Energy
SMP 05: Common Myths of Solar Energy
SMP 04: Strategies to Acquire Commercial & Industrial Solar Customers and the NJ Solar Market with Alex Rivera from Vanguard Energy Partners
SMP 03: Innovative Solar Financing Solution with Abinash Tiwari from Blue Flame Energy Finance
SMP 02: Solar with Sports Teams with Benoy and Li
SMP 01: Introduction to the Solar Maverick Podcast with Benoy and Li
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