SMP 118: REACTIVATE: The New Innovative Solar Platform, Powered by Invenergy and Lafayette Square

Episode Summary In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy speaks with Jordan Leventhal from Invenergy and John Moran from Lafayette Square.  They discuss REACTIVATE which is a new innovative solar platform which is a joint venture between Invenergy and Lafayette Square. By 2030, Reactivate seeks to develop three gigawatts (“GW”) of renewable energy capacity, save $50 million in energy costs for LMI households, sign 100 contracts with minority or women-owned contractors, and facilitate workforce training for 2,500 underserved workers.  They speak about many interesting topics like how REACTIVATE is solar 2.0, the many benefits of community solar project, and how to scale solar deployment and investment. 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.  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. John Moran John Moran leads the community solar energy platform, Reactivate, in its efforts to make impact in underserved areas by acquiring, developing, financing, and operating renewable energy projects that support local communities. Prior to joining Lafayette Square as Co-Head of Community Solar, John was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in the Renewable Power Group where he helped pioneer the group's Community Solar business. John has worked in the solar and renewables industry since 2006 and has worked on over a gigawatt of projects. Previously, John was a Project Manager at Spower where he was responsible for taking projects from inception, through permitting, construction and financing. Prior to Spower, John held positions at Suntech where he led utility scale sales on the east coast, and EDF where he established their east coast distributed generation business. Before entering the Renewables space in 2006 John was a High School Science Teacher and Coach at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx. John started his career in Private Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley. John serves on the board of the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Research Team. Originally from New City, NY, John holds a BS from the University of Notre Dame. Jordan Leventhal Jordan Leventhal serves on the Investment Committee of Reactivate and as Manager of Growth and Innovation at Invenergy. In his role at Reactivate, Jordan advises on market and impact strategy and oversees key investment decisions. At Invenergy, Jordan leads the Growth and Innovation team where he engages in strategic planning and leads various growth initiatives across Invenergy’s solar, wind, energy storage, and other technology platforms. Prior to his current role, Jordan led emerging technologies on the Invenergy Strategy team where he was instrumental in the launch of new Invenergy technology platforms including hydrogen, distributed energy, electric vehicle charging, offshore wind, and long-duration energy storage. Previously, Jordan worked at Deloitte Consulting in the Strategy and Operations practice where he led strategy, sustainability, and corporate restructuring projects for large electric utility and consumer goods companies. Jordan holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh.   Stay Connected: Benoy Thanjan Email: [email protected]  LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com   John Moran Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-moran-03a3b3a/ Website:  https://www.reactivate.com                     https://www.lafayettesquare.com   Jordan Leventhal Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-leventhal-ba127b90/ Website:  https://www.reactivate.com                     https://invenergy.com   Additional Notes Lafayette Square and Invenergy Announce Launch of Renewable Energy Joint Venture.  The link to the press release is below. https://invenergy.com/news/lafayette-square-and-invenergy-announce-launch-of-renewable-energy-joint-venture Invenergy Announces Approximately $3 Billion Investment from Blackstone Infrastructure Partners to Accelerate Renewable Development Activities.  The link to the press release is below. https://invenergy.com/news/invenergy-announces-approximately-3-billion-investment-from-blackstone-infrastructure-partners-to-accelerate-renewable-development-activities Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes,Podbean, youtube, and most of the major podcast platforms. 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