SMP 183: Viridi: The World’s First Fail-Safe Lithium-Ion Battery Energy Storage System

In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy interviews John Williams, CEO of Virdi.  Virdi designs and builds fail-safe battery energy storage systems with on-demand, affordable power for many different uses.  John speaks about their innovative fail-safe battery technology, the opportunity for energy storage, and his entrepreneurial advice.  Virdi is revolutionizing the way energy is used and stored with commercial-scale lithium-ion-based energy storage systems certified for installation in occupied spaces.   Benoy Thanjan Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also an advisor for several solar startup companies.  He has extensive project origination, development, and financial experience in the renewable energy industry and in the environmental commodities market.   This includes initial site evaluation, permitting, financing, sourcing equipment, and negotiating the long-term energy and environmental commodities off-take agreements. He manages due diligence processes on land, permitting, and utility interconnection and is in charge of financing and structuring through Note to Proceed (“NTP”) to Commercial Operation Date (“COD”). Benoy composes teams suitable for all project development and construction tasks. He is also involved in project planning and pipeline financial modeling. He has been part of all sides of the transaction and this allows him to provide unique perspectives and value. Benoy has extensive experience in financial engineering to make solar projects profitable. 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 was the Vice President at Vanguard Energy Partners which is a national solar installer where he focused on project finance solutions for commercial scale solar projects.  He also worked for Ridgewood Renewable Power, a private equity fund, where he analyzed potential investments in renewable energy projects and worked on maximizing the financial return of the projects in the portfolio.  Benoy also worked on the sale of all of the renewable energy projects in Ridgewood’s portfolio.   He was in the Energy Structured Finance practice for Deloitte & Touche and in Financial Advisory Services practice at Ernst & Young.  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. He has a MBA in Finance from Rutgers University and a BS in Finance and Economics from the Stern School of Business at New York University.  Benoy was an Alumni Scholar at the Stern School of Business.     John Williams Jon M. Williams is the CEO of Viridi, a point-of-use energy technology company that is revolutionizing the way energy is stored and used, leading the way to a zero-carbon energy future. Prior to founding Viridi, Jon owned and managed OSC Holdings, Inc. a group of companies in the US and Canada that focused on Environmental Remediation and Redevelopment of former industrial sites. Jon’s commitment to using the power of business to address the interconnected systems of economic inequality, environmental degradation, and climate change was inspired by his hometown, Niagara Falls, New York. The many abandoned factories there served as reminders of Western New York’s rich history as a thriving manufacturing center for the world and of the devastation to lives and land caused by their abandonment. Most of all, these empty factory towns motivated Jon to help bring them back to life in a way that serves everyone who lives there.     Stay Connected: Benoy Thanjan Email: [email protected]  LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com   John Williams Website:  https://viridiparente.com/ Email:  [email protected]   We would like to thank Positive Deviancy for sponsoring this episode of the podcast. Jade Garrett, founder of Positive Deviancy, is a Power Connector for the DOE’s American-Made Program. Since 2018, Positive Deviancy has helped over 400 teams access $14 million in innovation funding from the American-Made Challenges.    Email:  [email protected] Website:  www.PositiveDeviancy.com/  Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jadegarrett/    Contact Jade directly via email to get help to apply for these Energy Prizes:     Community Power Accelerator Round 3 Prize - Due  December 17th, 2024 The Community Power Accelerator R3 Prize is designed to fast-track the efforts of new, emerging, and expanding solar developers and codevelopers to grow multiple successful community-benefiting distributed solar projects. 25 teams are each awarded up to $400k.   TCU Energy and Food Sovereignty Nexus Prize - Due December 4th, 2024 The Energy and Food Sovereignty Nexus Prize encourages Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) to develop student-led demonstration projects that increase their knowledge on clean energy and food sovereignty on TCU campuses. 30 TCUs can be awarded up to $250k for energy projects.    Join Reneu Energy, Positive Deviancy and the Solar Maverick Podcast for the Winter Solstice Fundraiser Celebrate the holidays with us at the Winter Solstice Fundraiser, hosted by Reneu Energy, Positive Deviancy, and the Solar Maverick Podcast. This special evening will take place on Wednesday, December 4th, from 6 PM to 10 PM at Hudson Hall in Jersey City, NJ. We'll also be raising funds for the Let's Share the Sun Foundation, which aids impoverished communities in harnessing solar energy.  Event Highlights: Venue: Hudson Hall, a Czech biergarten and smokehouse co-owned by Benoy, CEO of Reneu Energy. Time: 6 PM to 10 PM, with an open bar from 6 PM to 8 PM and delicious food throughout the evening. Tickets: Early Bird Pricing of $65 per person.  The pricing would be $75 starting on 11/27.   You can RSVP using the link provided below. Partnership with Grand Stand Sports & Memorabilia: We're excited to partner with Grand Stand Sports & Memorabilia, who will be offering sports memorabilia and experiences for sale. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Let's Share the Sun Foundation. Sponsorship Opportunities: If you're interested in sponsoring this event and helping make a difference, please contact us at [email protected]. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/reneuenergy/1448299