Solarplaza Summit | Asset Management North America

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bio coming soon...

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.