Solarplaza Summit | Asset Management North America

Mark Z. Jacobson’s career has focused on better understanding air pollution and global warming problems and developing large-scale clean, renewable energy solutions to them. Toward that end, he has developed and applied three-dimensional atmosphere-biosphere-ocean computer models and solvers to simulate air pollution, weather, climate, and renewable energy. He has also developed roadmaps to transition states and countries to 100% clean, renewable energy for all purposes and computer models to examine grid stability in the presence of high penetrations of renewable energy.

Lydia Li is the Director of Investments at Arevon, a leading independent power producer that develops, finances, owns, and operates solar storage and hybrid projects in North America. Arevon has more than 3.5 gigawatts of operating capacity in its portfolio, is actively constructing more than a gigawatt of new projects, and boasts an overall pipeline of over 6 GWs of new projects. She's a firm believer of the "Double Bottom Line" - meaning that successful investments should generate strong financial returns as well as positive social or environmental impact.

Britta is a Partner and Managing Director with CRC-IB. She has 15+ years of experience in investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, and project finance and development in the wind, solar, storage, and broader sustainability sectors. Britta primarily focuses on transaction management, including corporate M&A, project finance, and tax equity structuring and negotiation with over $4B raised for renewable energy to date. She has led numerous renewable energy financings, mergers, and acquisitions for utility-scale and distributed generation wind, solar, and storage companies and assets, both in the U.S. and globally. Before joining CRC-IB, Britta was Head of Corporate Strategy and Development for Gestamp Solar, where she led M&A transactions and project financings for U.S. solar projects. Prior to Gestamp Solar, Britta was a Group Manager for Windkraft Nord AG, a German wind and solar developer, managing the Italian operations for the development of a 1GW+ portfolio of wind and solar assets throughout Italy. Before moving to Italy, Britta worked with Lehman Brothers’ Global Power Group. As one of few senior women in renewable energy finance, Britta has received multiple industry awards, including the 2020 U.S. C3E Finance Award issued by the U.S. Department of Energy; 2020 ‘Most Influential Women in Business’ by the San Francisco Business Times; and Renewable Energy World’s ‘Solar 40 Under 40’ in 2018. Britta received an MBA with honors in Finance from Cornell University’s Johnson Business School in 2009 and a B.A. in Environmental Biology from Colgate University in 2003. Britta serves as Co-Chair of the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) Women’s Empowerment Sub Committee.

As the Solar Chief Specialist at Orsted, Rounak brings a unique combination of passion and adept knowledge about solar energy systems and their applications. Ørsted is the global leader in offshore wind power and is one of the largest renewable energy companies in the world.

Ryan Zwilling is an Executive Director at JPMorgan Chase, where he supports tax equity investments in the energy sector, principally in solar PV and battery assets. Ryan has been with JPMC for over 8 years and has previously built up extensive experience in the renewable energy space as Sr. Project Manager at DNV GL and Wind Energy Analyst at Garrad Hassan. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and and an MBA from the University of California.

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Bryan Didier is a Partner and the Managing Director of Renewable Energy at Monarch Private Capital. In addition to nearly two decades of legal experience in renewable energy and project finance, Bryan brings over 30 years of leadership experience to his role, including over 20 years of service as an officer in the US Navy. As part of his responsibilities, Bryan leads and manages Monarch’s renewable energy tax practice, overseeing the origination and closing of transactions, working closely with investors, and serving as the primary point of contact for developers and service providers in the rapidly expanding renewable energy field. Bryan has been a frequent lecturer, speaker, and panelist for industry conferences and CLEs, including most recently on opportunities created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Bryan is currently serving on several boards, including as a Board Alternate for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and he is a member of the Renewable Energy Working Group.

As Chief Operating Officer, Elizabeth Brennan oversees asset performance, customer care and health, safety, security and environmental matters. She is responsible for optimizing generation, identifying repowering opportunities and working with existing customers on new DER opportunities. Before joining Brookfield in 2020, Dr. Brennan was the Global Director of Solar Services at Underwriter’s Laboratory, managing the Solar Consulting Practice for due diligence, energy services and asset management. Prior to that, she was Head of Department at DNV GL, where she managed the technical engineering teams and ran the operation of the PV Evolution Testing labs for modules, inverters, and batteries. Dr. Brennan holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science Education degree from Florida State University, as well as a Ph.D. in Chemistry from California Institute of Technology.

Tiffany Wang is a senior analyst on the Clean Energy Technology team at S&P Global Commodity Insights. She provides strategic market research on both behind the meter and front of the meter energy storage with a focus on the North American market. Tiffany holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

Jimena joined Lightsource bp in 2023 as a Solar Operations Engineer for the US Fleet. She supports the EPC O&M and Asset Management teams, collaborates with Engineering teams on project handovers, and works on process improvements across departments. Currently, she is focused on innovation through Lightsource bp's drone strategy to enhance site safety and performance. Her recent focus areas include capacity testing preparation, repowering projects, hail mitigation strategies, and predictive maintenance programs. Originally from Mexico City, Jimena began her career in structural engineering, leading projects for Mexico’s energy infrastructure. She later transitioned to Performance Engineering. She currently handles over 3GW of solar sites in operations and has maintained more than 15GW of solar projects in her career. Her background includes engineering, product design, and certifications in CAD/BIM, Excel, OSHA, and she is now enrolled in a Data Engineering Certificate.

Kimberlee Centera is a leading risk management expert for the development and financing of utility-scale wind, solar, storage and transmission line projects. A pioneer in renewable energy project development, she possesses real-world knowledge and expertise to identify, manage and mitigate risk. Her expertise in engaging and leading stakeholders in the analysis and resolution of legal issues consistently delivers positive results on complex high-value projects. An enthusiastic champion of women, Kimberlee believes that diversity is essential in meeting the demands of the rapidly growing renewable sector. She encourages and mentors’ women from around the world, by offering them actionable skills that help them to achieve their goals. As a Women Lead TV host, she has been committed to providing a platform for changemakers. Under Kimberlee's leadership, TerraPro Solutions has generated over 24 GWs in solar, wind, and energy storage. With a total financed value of over $25 billion, TerraPro Solutions is a leading development consultancy in the renewables market.

Jason has worked as a Development Land Manager securing land for projects, he has built Asset Management teams processes and procedures, and has worked with all the reporting to the different Investors. Jason’s experience includes a managed portfolio that exceeded over 850 MW of solar projects and took on the additional responsibility of Project Supervision with the construction teams of about 600 MW. He also helps with Repowering analysis with aging solar projects to help bring new life and updated technology to help both owners and off-takers. Jason currently is the Solar Operations Manager for Boralex Inc. and is working to help manage and oversee the USA solar projects.

Josh Corbitt is an energy and construction executive applying his expertise to help owners of large-scale solar and energy storage projects realize the full value of their assets. His in-depth understanding of procurement, operations, project management, and contract negotiations adds significant value to the experience of each Origis Services’ customer. Prior to Origis, Josh accumulated nearly a decade of solar industry experience working with MaxGen Energy Services and SunPower.

As Silicon Ranch’s Chief Technology Officer, Nick is charged with identifying and leveraging emerging technologies that enable Silicon Ranch to support the US domestic supply chain and demonstrate the sequestration of carbon. Nick has more than 20 years of diverse renewable energy, semiconductor, and military experience that inform his current work, including executive positions at SolarCity, Phoenix Solar, and Applied Materials. Nick’s renewable energy industry expertise spans module and cell manufacturing, photovoltaic project design and operation, auxiliary grid services, as well as the prediction and demonstration of the energy harvest of novel PV technologies. He has also worked on manufacturing amorphous silicon modules, and on process machine control of cell splitting and cascading cell bonding processes with heterojunction crystalline cells. Silicon Ranch owns projects that Nick himself designed nearly a decade ago, including the first transmission interconnected PV plant in the Southeast. Nick holds patents in both PV module manufacturing and design. While at Applied Materials, he advanced the use of statistical process control to enhance the reliability of production equipment. He has led the commissioning of process equipment at Intel semiconductor factories in both the U.S. and Europe, and entire solar cell factories in India, Germany, Spain, and China. Nick served his country on active duty as an Infantry Captain in the United States Army, with tours in Kuwait and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Nick is currently leading Silicon Ranch’s efforts to develop Cattle Tracker, working with the DOE, leading universities, and regenerative ranchers; Cattle Tracker is Silicon Ranch’s Integrated PV System Design and Management Platform for the co-optimization of cattle-grazing and PV solar generation while measuring the impacts of these efforts on the surrounding ecosystem dynamics and soil health.

Walter Cuculic has been working in the renewable energy industry for 20 years. Currently, he works as the Senior Vice President, Director of Solar Lending at Legacy Bank and Trust. At Legacy Bank and Trust, Walter provides traditional banking services and loan products for renewable energy developers and business owners. Walter has a long history and track record of project financing and providing loans to both traditional renewable energy assets such of solar, as well as more specialized technologies such as waste to energy and energy storage. During his career, Walter has developed and financed for over $1B of renewable energy projects. Prior to Legacy Bank and Trust, Walter worked at Sunwest Bank, Bank 34 and AVANA Capital as well as had various executive roles for both SunPower and SolarCity (Tesla). Walter has a background in energy efficiency and water conservation having served on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Green Building Council. He also, co-authored and won a $7M Department of Energy grant focused on reducing peak demand through solar, energy efficiency, demand response and battery storage for a 200-home community in Nevada. Additionally, Walter co-owns and operates numerous solar and energy storage projects serving various utility and commercial off-takers He has an MBA from UCLA and Bachelor’s in Science in Engineering and a Bachelor’s in Arts in Spanish from Northern Arizona University.

Bio coming soon...

Matthew Messer serves as Vice President, Asset Management at Madison Energy Infrastructure. He is an accomplished builder and operator with 15 years of experience leading national teams to support new initiatives. Teams under Matt’s supervision have visited and repaired 2GW/100,000 sites valued at more than two billion dollars. Matthew is the holder of the world’s highest solar certification (NABCEP, 1 of 2,500 globally), and a nationally recognized expert in solar service featured on CNN, Fox News, and Business Insider. He's the founder of the largest homeowner-direct solar repair company, and a Tesla alumni.

Geoffrey Hebertson is Lead Renewables Analyst in Rystad Energy’s New Energies team. In this role, he is responsible for providing research and expertise on the renewable energy and power industries in the United States as well as overseeing Rystad Energy’s US Renewables and Power solution. Prior to joining Rystad Energy in 2020, Geoff has held previous management consulting roles across the energy spectrum with a special interest focus on the renewable energy sector. Geoff has also held research roles at Gartner and the United States Census Bureau. Geoff holds a Master of Professional Studies in Applied Economics from the University of Maryland – College Park as well as Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Texas Tech University.

Javier Rico is a solar associate at BloombergNEF based in New York. He leads BNEF's global operation and maintenance index and inverter market coverage. Javier is also responsible for the firm's US utility-scale solar coverage with a focus on market forecasts, economic analysis, and grid permitting. Before BloombergNEF, Javier worked as an engineering consultant in power systems for transmission and utility-scale renewable projects. Javier holds a MSc in Public Policy and Management with a concentration in Energy Systems from Carnegie Mellon University, a BSc in Electrical Engineering, and a BSc in Civil Engineering from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia.

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Ms. Bybee has worked in the solar industry since 2003, first promoting renewable energy policy in Austin, TX while at Public Citizen, and then at Meridian Energy Systems, before finding her home at Namasté Solar. Ms. Bybee joined Namasté Solar in January 2006 as an early member of the team and held numerous roles over her 11 years, from technical sales & design to business development. While there, she worked to obtain a federal charter for a unique financial institution that funds clean energy products and services: Clean Energy Credit Union (www.cleanenergycu.org). This was only the 17th federal charter issued since 2010, and the first in the state of Colorado for over 30 years. She continues to serve as a volunteer on the Supervisory Committee of the credit union. Additionally, in 2016, she helped earn an award from the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative to found the Amicus O&M Cooperative (www.AmicusOM.com). The O&M Cooperative brings together a network of providers across the country to provide coordinated services for geographically distributed portfolios. She now serves as its CEO, and is committed to the mission “to ensure that solar PV fulfills its promise as a responsible and reliable energy source, for generations to come.” She obtained a BA in English and French from the University of Texas at Austin, and through solar, has found her “inner engineer.”

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Jay has spent his entire career in the energy industry and has committed the last decade to focusing on solar and battery storage financial valuation, asset management, and commercial optimization. He now serves as the Director of Services Business Development for DEPCOM Power, where he leads efforts to provide quality services through DEPCOM's O&M, Repowering, and Specialized Services capabilities.

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Zack Townsend, in his role as the Director of DG Optimization at Luminace, a Brookfield Renewable Company, leads a team of project managers and analysts dedicated to optimizing the performance and profitability of over 1,200 MW of distributed solar assets across the US. With a dual concentration in Energy and Biotechnology from James Madison University and ongoing MBA studies, Zack possesses a strong foundation in the technical, business, and environmental aspects of renewable energy. He applies his analytical skills, utilizes data analysis tools, and leverages industry knowledge to identify and implement repowering and performance improvement opportunities. Passionate about advancing the clean energy transition and ensuring the reliability and resilience of the grid, Zack collaborates with internal and external stakeholders, including engineering, finance, sales, customers, regulators, and utilities, to deliver high-quality service and value. He also provides support for the development and execution of new projects and initiatives, such as energy efficiency, demand response, and microgrids, aimed at expanding the portfolio and enhancing the competitive edge.

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Doseke Akporiaye has an extensive career and executive experience that spans over 20 years, in Strategy and Business Development, Strategic Human Resources, Performance Management, Organizational design and Operations Management. She also has worked with and sat on Boards, bringing these experiences to bear on, and delivering value to, wherever she has served. Her experience and knowledge working in Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy, Telecom, IT and Financial Services, are invaluable. Before joining WRISE, she was the Managing Director of the Nigerian subsidiary of Oolu LLC and a member of the Executive Committee of the group company. Together with her team, she grew the business’ geographic coverage from a single location to its nationwide presence in 3 years, deploying a national distribution and service delivery network. She also founded a boutique start-up and entrepreneurial-consulting firm which transforms ideas, irrespective of its stage of development, into competitive business realities. Doseke has successfully led/delivered several Strategy, Acquisition, Performance Management and Organizational Development projects. She is adept at partnering, advocacy, networking and building relationships with multiple and diverse stakeholders in government, private sector and special interest groups, to facilitate buy-in, change and the achievement of set objectives. Her vast personal network of professionals, business leaders, regulators, technocrats, development agencies and C suites across all key industries/sectors, will serve as an advantage to further the cause and objectives of WRISE. Her experience to date, her passion for social impact and her eagerness to contribute to building and driving socially & ethically conscious and sustainable organizations, are her key motivators and a perfect alignment to WRISE’s ethos.

Jan Willem has over 20 years of experience in the energy market and worked for some of the larger utilities. Early 2020, Jan Willem sold his previous companies Greenspread and Greencrowd to private equity concern NPM Capital. Since his departure in October 2020, Jan Willem works as an independent consultant at Stratergy. Stratergy advises funds, banks, utilities, and large consumers and producers of energy and specializes in maximizing asset value and minimizing financial risk.

Dino E. Barajas is a partner and the firmwide Practice Group Chair of Project Finance. Mr. Barajas focuses his practice on domestic and international project development and finance, with particular emphasis on Latin American infrastructure projects, debt financings and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Barajas regularly represents lenders, investors and developers in a wide range of domestic and international project financings in the energy, power, infrastructure and commercial sectors, as well as in traditional banking, structured finance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, asset finance, joint ventures and venture capital transactions. His clients include commercial lenders, institutional investors, investment funds, project sponsors, and public and private companies. Mr. Barajas has worked on transactions in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Yemen and elsewhere.

With an MBA from King University and the title of 2023 Nuffield International Agricultural Scholar, Jess leads with a vision fueled by extensive research in solar grazing. Her insights into the sustainable future of farming have captured global attention, propelling Gray’s LAMBscaping toward innovative horizons.

Jon Previtali is an engineer who has worked with Internet and renewable energy technologies for over twenty years.

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Aditya has sixteen years of experience in renewable and conventional energy services. Prior to joining esVolta, Aditya served as Vice President & Global Head of Asset Management at Siemens Energy (SE), focused on private equity-backed, utility-scale power generation. During his tenure at SE, he held senior leadership positions spanning service sales & marketing, strategy & business development, and business operations. Before his role at SE, Aditya served as field operations manager at Schlumberger, where he oversaw complex O&M services in offshore oil and gas operations across Brazil, North Africa, and the Middle East. Aditya holds an MBA from IESE Business School in Spain and a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from IIT-Bombay in India.

Firm co-founder and chief executive Marion Forsyth Werkheiser is an award-winning lawyer and internationally recognized trailblazer in the cultural heritage field. Her well-established practice is firmly rooted at the intersection of preservation and development. She has a proven track record of convening diverse stakeholders to identify shared values, solve tough problems, and scale solutions. Marion earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and is licensed to practice law in California, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Indiana University, where she was a Wells Scholar and earned her B.A. degree in political science and classical civilization with an emphasis in art and archaeology. The Register of Professional Archaeologists honored Marion with the John F. Seiberling Award for her significant and sustained efforts in the conservation of archaeological resources, and she is a recipient of the 2023 Albert Simons Medal of Excellence in Historic Preservation.

Reece Lowry, P.E., Director of Control Room Technology and Engineering at RNWBL, has over a decade of experience in utility power plant design and management. Based in Gilbert, Arizona, Reece has driven substantial improvements in operational efficiency and performance throughout his career via a combination of technology-driven solutions, process standardization, and automation. He has overseen large-scale control rooms managing the world’s most extensive networks of grid-connected solar, BESS, and wind power plants. Reece holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Arizona. His technical expertise spans various programming languages, data platforms, automation systems, and SCADA systems making him a dynamic leader in the renewable energy sector.

As the Performance Engineering Manager – EPC and Analytics Lead at SOLV Energy, Jaya Mallineni oversees commissioning & acceptance testing, performance engineering, analytics, and analytical tool development for the SOLV Energy EPC Projects. Mr. Mallineni has over 10+ years of experience in the solar industry in both the EPC and the O&M projects. His team is responsible for all aspects of system performance during construction and commissioning for the ever-growing SOLV Energy EPC portfolio. Mr. Mallineni has a leading role in the continuing development and maintenance of SOLV Energy’s proprietary Real Time Monitoring, HMI, and analytical tools. The performance engineering team bridges several groups within SOLV Energy including design, engineering, construction, commissioning, SCADA and O&M services. Mr. Mallineni has constant and direct involvement in all the new SOLV Energy EPC construction projects. Mr. Mallineni graduated from Arizona State University with a MS in Alternative Energy Technologies majoring in Solar Technology.

Nicole Thompson is a Data Science Manager at kWh Analytics. Previously Nicole worked as a Data Scientist at an AI company Beyond Limits, where she developed explainable industrial AI solutions, with a focus on reasoning algorithms. In her graduate studies, her research was centered around nanocrystals for bioimaging as well as applying data science to differential capacity analysis of batteries. Nicole earned her M.S. in Chemical Engineering with a Data Science option from the University of Washington and her B.S.E in Chemical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. She is from Great Falls, Montana.

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Jason Kaminsky is a co-founder and the CEO at kWh Analytics. He has helped grow the company into the leader in Climate Insurance and is passionate about activating insurance capital into climate forward opportunities. Prior to joining kWh Analytics, Jason spent more than three years as a Vice President of Environmental Finance at Wells Fargo Bank. As a senior member of the Wells Fargo deal team, Jason originated, underwrote, and financed tax-equity investments during a time when the bank added nearly $1bn of solar assets. Prior to joining Wells Fargo in 2011, Jason worked at SPG Solar, where he supported the CEO on strategic corporate initiatives. Jason received both his B.S. in Mathematics and his B.S. in Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Environmental Sciences from UCLA. He holds an M.S. degree in Environment and Resources from Stanford University, and also completed his M.B.A. at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Katie Guillen is the Vice President of Asset Management at Soltage. Katie has over 15 years of experience in asset management, finance, and operations. Prior to joining Soltage, Katie worked in the real estate industry where she managed diverse investment portfolios throughout the U.S. Katie holds a B.A in Economics from the University of Rochester as well as an MBA and MS in Accounting from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

Werner Coppye is a co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at 3E, responsible for the definition of the technology roadmap of the company's solutions stack. Werner has 30 years of experience in the solar industry and renewable energy technologies. While he started his carreer in photovoltaic cell and module technology research at IMEC in 1992, he contributed to the early development of grid-connected and building integrated solar e.g. by the establishment of the initial grid codes. Since the start of 3E in 1999, he led the technology and research roadmap of the company leading to the commercialisation of SynaptiQ as a heavy analytics based full-lifecycle asset performance management solution. He guided amongst others the spin-out of 2 start-up initiatives from 3E: Flidar, a floating lidar technology and DeltaQ, a net-zero SAAS solution for the building industry. Werner is involved in several strategic industry initiatives. He graduated as an electro-technical engineer from the University of Leuven (Belgium).

Stanislas Van Der Vaeren is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Sitemark, a leading provider of integrated software and aerial inspection solutions for the solar industry. With a strong background in business development and a deep understanding of the renewable energy sector, Stanislas has been at the forefront of driving innovation in digitalized design, construction, and operational management of solar assets. Sitemark has since grown into a global leader, with its solutions deployed on more than 7,000 sites across 71 countries.

Nikhil Vadhavkar is the co-founder and CEO of Raptor Maps, solar's leading asset health management platform. He is an MIT engineer, Y combinator alum, and Gates Foundation leader. Nikhil is passionate about building software that empowers decision makers with accurate, high value system analytics and reports. In his free time, Nikhil enjoys alpine skiing, hiking, and hanging our on solar farms. Raptor Maps is delivering the autonomous future of solar by harnessing robotics and AI to address critical challenges in the industry. Its software empowers solar owners and operators to recover power production loss, optimize operations, and protect financial returns. Raptor Maps’ suite of solutions gives the solar industry a unified playbook for scalability. For more information, visit: https://raptormaps.com

Originally from Brazil, Lorena Nieuwenhoven completed a double major degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2019. She then deep-dived into the area of renewables and sustainability, helping expand the penetration of solar energy in the Iberian markets through her work as a Project Manager for Solarplaza. Apart from her work in the Spanish and Portuguese markets, Lorena has also spearheaded topical conferences related to Green Hydrogen and Hybrid Renewables.