SMP 73: Policy Discussion on the NJ and NY Solar Market

SMP 73:  Policy discussion on the NJ and NY Solar Market Episode Summary In this episode of the Solar Maverick, Benoy interviews Alex Rivera who is the Senior Vice President of Business Development from Vanguard Energy Partners.  Vanguard Energy Partners is a national solar design-build firm that specializes in commercial, industrial, and utility-scale projects.    Alex talks about the incentives of the New Jersey solar market with the new TREC program and the sunsetting of the SREC(“Solar Renewable Energy Credit”) program.  He also speaks about the community solar pilot in NJ and discusses the NY solar market and other states that Vanguard is looking into for solar.  Alex discusses how educating clients and looks at things from their perspective will assist clients with making the right decision regarding their solar energy project. Also, he talks about how COVID-19 has impacted Vanguard and the solar industry. About our host 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 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. About our Guest Alex Rivera is the senior vice president of business development for Vanguard Energy Partners. He is a member of the New Jersey Alliance for Action Energy Committee, the Solar Energy Industry Association and serves on the steering committee for the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy. He has worked in the solar energy industry for over 15 years, working with commercial and industrial clients to retrofit their facilities and support a more renewable energy economy. Alex was also on Episode 4 of the Solar Maverick Podcast.  The episode title was Strategies to Acquire Commercial & Industrial Solar Customers and the NJ Solar Market with Alex Rivera from Vanguard Energy Partners. Below is the link of the epiosode on Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/smp-04-strategies-to-acquire-commercial-industrial/id1441876259?i=1000449328243 Stay Connected: Benoy Thanjan Phone:  201-743-9533  Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: @bthanjan Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com   Alex Rivera: Cell Phone:  772-215-3626 Email:  [email protected] Website:  www.vanguardenergypartners.com   Sponsor: Sponsor:  We would like to thank Schwerd Consulting for sponsoring this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast. Schwerd Consulting is a leading solar consulting firm dedicated to design, engineering, and owner representation in all areas of solar photovoltaics (PV) for the Commercial & Industrial and Utility markets. At Schwerd Consulting they like to say that We Know Solar. We don’t just Do Solar. What sets them apart is their 100% focus on solar and understanding the business of their clients.  In its 5 years of business, Schwerd Consulting has provided services for approximately 450 MW of PV across over 330 sites and 15 states plus the Caribbean. That total includes 300MW of completed designs and engineering, and 150MW of consulting and owner rep services. Let Schwerd Consulting take the burden off you and bring ease and expertise in all areas of Engineering & Design or help you navigate the technical world of solar. If you are interested in learning more about Schwerd Consulting, you can call 215-219-6718 or email at admin@schwerdconsulting.  Schwerd Consulting’s website is www.schwerdconsulting.com. Steve Schwerd who is the Owner of Schwerd Consulting was interviewed on Episode 17 and Episode 48 of the Solar Maverick Podcast and Episode 42 of which he was on panel discussion on How Solar Technology is Changing the World. They are involved with the trends, technologies, vendors, policies, utilities, codes, and financial considerations for the industry. Therefore, value add for them is not just a slogan, it’s what they practice in order to have loyal customers and gain trust. Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on itunes, Podbean and youtube.  This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)