James Geshwiler on Rooftop Solar for Commercial Facilities Ep.69

90% of real estate in America is owned by a third party. And this is a big part of what makes rooftop solar so challenging in the commercial and industrial space. How do you convince a property owner to install rooftop solar when it’s the tenant who pays the utility bill? How do you develop systems that work at scale and can expand as regulations change?James Geshwiler is the Cofounder and Chief Strategy and Investment Officer of Catalyze, a private equity backed energy transition company focused exclusively on rooftop solar for commercial and industrial facilities. Catalyze works with commercial real estate groups, large-scale owner operators and regional renewable energy developers to build and operate solar storage and EV charging systems at scale. James and his team are on a mission to accelerate the large-scale transition to clean energy by making it easy and profitable.On this episode of Clean Power Hour, James joins Tim and John to explain how Catalyze is overcoming the challenges of rooftop solar for C&I by serving as a long-term, independent energy services provider for its client-partners. James discusses the Catalyze partnership with Microgrid Labs, describing how the two companies are preparing for the coming shift to electric vehicles. Listen in to understand how Catalyze leverages the REenergyze software to future-proof its solar infrastructure and learn how James sells rooftop solar to property owners who don’t care about sustainability. Key TakeawaysWhat makes rooftop solar for commercial and industrial facilities so challengingCatalyze’s work as an energy transition company focused on solar storage and EV charging for C&IHow James’ team serves commercial real estate groups, regional renewable energy developers and large-scale owner-operatorsCatalyze’s evolution from tech-focused software company to long-term owner-operator and energy services providerHow operating at scale gives Catalyze a price advantage The advantage Catalyze has in being able to expand as regulations changeHow James thinks about future-proofing to deal with demand curvesHow Catalyze leverages its REenergyze platform to create energy profiles for commercial buildingsCatalyze’s partnership with Microgrid Labs to manage electricity charging and fleet schedulingHow Catalyze sells rooftop solar to an owner who doesn’t care about sustainabilityHow Catalyze offers lead gen as part of its partnership with local developersConnect with JamesCatalyzeConnect with Tim Clean Power Hour  Clean Power Hour on YouTubeTim on TwitterTim on LinkedIn Connect with JohnCommercial Solar Guy John on Twitter John on LinkedIn ResourcesSungevity SunRa SolarEnCap Investments Microgrid Labs Catalyze’s REenergyze PlatformPermaCitySol Alliance  Support the showConnect with Tim  Clean Power Hour  Clean Power Hour on YouTubeTim on TwitterTim on LinkedIn Email [email protected] Review Clean Power Hour on Apple PodcastsThe Clean Power Hour is produced by the Clean Power Consulting Group and created by Tim Montague. Contact us by email:  [email protected] sponsors who share our mission to speed the energy transition are invited to check out https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/support/The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems.  Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com