SMP 291: How Bees, Biodiversity Data, and Agrivoltaics Are Transforming Solar Farms

Episode Summary In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan speaks with Matt Coleman, CEO of Davis Hill Development and Principal of Skyview Ventures. The conversation centers on Davis Hill's partnership with HiveTracks, an innovative program that uses beekeeping and honey analysis as a biodiversity monitoring tool on solar sites. Matt explains how HiveTracks analyzes honey, pollen, and environmental DNA to track pollutants, invasive species, and ecosystem health, and how that data informs vegetative maintenance, mowing schedules, and seeding decisions on Davis Hill's projects. Benoy and Matt also discuss agrivoltaics and multi-use land strategies, including grazing, hay production, and a new cranberry bog project in Massachusetts, the importance of long-term partnerships with farmers and landowners, how community-focused land stewardship can strengthen permitting outcomes, and the evolving role of solar-plus-storage and standalone battery projects. The episode closes with Matt's advice for early-stage clean energy entrepreneurs on differentiation and market timing. Biographies Benoy Thanjan Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, a solar development and consulting firm, and the host of the Solar Maverick Podcast. He also serves as a strategic advisor to multiple cleantech startups. Over his career, Benoy has developed more than 100 MW of solar projects across the United States, advised on more than 1 GW of energy projects worldwide, helped launch some of the first residential solar tax equity funds at Tesla, and brokered approximately $50 million in renewable energy credit transactions. Before founding Reneu Energy, Benoy worked in Tesla’s Project Finance Group as an environmental commodities trader, where he managed one of the company’s largest environmental commodities portfolios. He originated renewable energy credit transactions and worked with senior leadership to develop monetization and hedging strategies supporting the company’s expansion into East Coast markets. Benoy also served as Vice President at Vanguard Energy Partners, a solar and energy storage construction company, where he developed project finance solutions for commercial-scale solar portfolios. At Ridgewood Renewable Power, a private equity fund with approximately 125 MW of U.S. renewable energy assets, he evaluated investment opportunities, supported portfolio strategy, and played a key role in the sale of the firm’s renewable energy portfolio. Earlier in his career, Benoy worked in Energy Structured Finance at Deloitte & Touche and in Financial Advisory Services at Ernst & Young. He also completed an internship on the trading floor at D. E. Shaw & Co., a global investment and technology development firm. Benoy holds an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics from the NYU Stern School of Business, where he was an Alumni Scholar.   Guest Information   Matt Coleman Matt Coleman joined Skyview in February 2016 and brings over fifteen years of expertise in renewable energy via project development and finance, corporate investment, and technology development. Mr. Coleman was most recently EVP of Business Development at Clean Focus, where he led the company’s commercial and utility solar power project development and acquisition. Prior to Clean Focus, Mr. Coleman co-founded and managed one of the first renewable energy sector hedge funds in the United States. He also helped launch two different concentrating solar firms, Soliant Energy and Hyperlight Energy, and developed and financed a variety of distributed generation technologies for RealEnergy. Mr. Coleman earned an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA and a BA in Environmental Science from Johns Hopkins University.   Stay Connected: Benoy Thanjan Email: [email protected]  LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com Website: https://www.solarmaverickpodcast.com/    Matt Coleman       Skyview Ventures https://skyviewventures.com/    Davis Hill Development  https://www.davishilldevelopment.com/    Hivetracks  https://www.hivetracks.com/    Matt Coleman on LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattecolem/ Sponsor This episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast is brought to you by Reneu Energy. Reneu Energy works with companies and organizations on renewable energy strategy, project development, owner’s representation, project finance, renewable energy credits, and market advisory services. To learn more, visit: https://www.reneuenergy.com Listen and Subscribe Subscribe to the Solar Maverick Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast platform. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating and review. It helps more people discover conversations with the leaders shaping the future of solar, storage, and the energy transition.