SMP 90: How Sage Energy Consulting lowers operating costs for their clients through the incorporation of different renewable energy technologies?

Episode Summary In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy talks with Tom Williard who the CEO and Principal of Sage Energy Consulting.  Sage Energy Consulting works with clients to help them implement renewable energy and energy efficiency projects including solar, wind, energy storage, microgrids, fuel cells, and EV fleet transition planning and infrastructure support.  There are many interesting topics that Tom speaks about on this episode some of them are the many benefits of having microgrids, how PPAs have allowed more development of solar, and about EV fleet transition project.  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. Tom Williard Tom Williard is the Principal and CEO of Sage Energy Consulting has more than 18 years of experience in energy consulting and development of energy sector businesses, with a focus on the development of technical and financial models to predict potential energy asset allocation and financial performance, and has served as CEO since Sage’s inception. In 2013, Mr. Williard cofounded SolEd Benefit Corporation and wrote the project financial models used to structure PPA and lease financings that reduced the cost of renewable energy projects for public schools. In 2005, he cofounded Solmetric, a company that developed the SunEye, a high precision instrument now widely used in the solar industry to measure shade characteristics. In 2001 he cofounded System Design, a renewable energy system design and due diligence company. Prior to 2001, Mr. Williard worked in electronics engineering in senior hardware and software engineering positions, as senior technologist, and in engineering management. Mr. Williard also provided engineering management consulting to startup and early stage companies and served for seven years as an elected public school trustee in Marin County. As a Sage Principal, he provides financial, policy, and technical oversight for all company projects, and provides expert testimony for clients and industry groups. Stay Connected: Benoy Thanjan Email: [email protected]  LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com   Tom Williard Website:  https://www.sagerenew.com Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-williard-b68a443/ Phone: (415) 663-9914   Top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020 Thank you to Feedspot for having the Solar Maverick Podcast as one of the top 5 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020.  Below is the link with more information. https://blog.feedspot.com/solar_energy_podcasts/   Sponsor Information We would like to thank our sponsor Summit Ridge Energy for sponsoring this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast. Summit Ridge Energy is the leading owner-operator of community solar projects in the United States. The team has been a strong force within the U.S. commercial solar market for years and was instrumental in the creation of "virtual" power purchase agreements and associated financing structures. Summit Ridge Energy has leveraged this experience to launch Summit Ridge Capital, a dedicated funding platform that acquires pre-operational community solar and battery storage projects. SRE also works with land owners across the country to maximize the value of their acreage by offering predictable lease income to host their solar farms. From site identification and system design, to take-out financing and construction management, Summit Ridge is the most complete solutions provider in the community solar space.  Summit Ridge Energy was interviewed on Episode 26 and Episode 87 of the Solar Maverick Podcast. Website: https://srenergy.com Email: [email protected]   Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes,Podbean, and youtube.   This episode was produced and managed by  Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)