SMP 91: Residential Solar Manufacturer innovates with their design, higher capacity panel, and strategic partnerships

Episode Summary In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy talks with Suvi Sharma who the Founder and Director of Solaria.  Solaria is a leading premium residential solar manufacturer and has the solar industry’s most advanced solar panel technology.  Suvi speaks about how Solaria differentiates from other residential solar manufacturers, talks about the Solaria’s product innovations, and future trends that he is seeing in solar panels and other solar industry trends.  He also speaks about his entrepreneurship experiences and provides advice for entrepreneurs.   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 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.   Suvi Sharma Suvi Sharma, an industry thought leader in solar PV innovation, is responsible for leading Solaria’s strategic initiatives as it extends the applications of its technology. Mr. Sharma joined Solaria in 2003. He is a seasoned entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in company formation, fundraising, talent recruitment, business development and global operations of innovative companies in renewable energy, information technology and private equity. Suvi Sharma was co-founder and board member of NEXTracker until its acquisition by FLEX.  He began his career at Geocapital Partners, a $500 million international private equity firm, and founded and ran IVUS, an outsourced CRM provider. Mr. Sharma holds a B.S. in Statistics from Northwestern University.   Stay Connected: Benoy Thanjan Email: [email protected]  LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com   Suvi Sharma Website:  https://www.solaria.com Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/suvi-sharma-414a0a80/ YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiWNrJCpQA2FORj_4bNCqA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-5irK1Juhw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrUKyj_k0UI     Email: [email protected]   Top 20 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021 Thank you to Feedspot for having the Solar Maverick Podcast as the second ranked podcast to listen in Top Solar Energy 20 Solar Energy Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021.  Below is the link with more information. https://blog.feedspot.com/solar_energy_podcasts/    Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on iTunes,Podbean, and youtube.   This episode was produced and managed by  Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)