SMP 95: Solar Practitioner and Influencer discusses Midwest Solar Market and Energy Storage

Episode Summary
In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy talks with Tim Montague who is in Business Development at Continental Energy Solutions which is the largest commercial & industrial solar installer & EPC in Illinois.  Tim speaks about a lot of interesting topics about the Illinois and Midwest solar market, how energy storage is a game changer for solar energy, and how long term state solar incentives stop the solar boom and bust cycle scenario.
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.
 
Tim Montague
Tim Montague works in business development at Continental Energy Solutions. Continental Energy Solution is the largest commercial & industrial solar installer & EPC in IL with over 100 projects and 60 MW installed. The company is known for quality & innovation on every job since 1912.  Their Portfolio includes 3.5 MW Magid Glove in Romeoville IL & 2.9 MW IKEA Joliet IL.        
Tim is a Solar PV and battery storage executive, podcast host, speaker, trainer and consultant.   He is a renewable energy and green building leader with a passion for the energy transition. He helps developers and business owners build projects that return a handsome ROI.  The solar project has a payback period of 3-6 years now in Illinois thanks to generous solar incentives. Let's grow solar!
Sponsor:  Summit Ridge Energy
Thank you to 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.  
https://srenergy.com
info@srenergy.com 
 
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
Email: info@reneuenergy.com 
LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan
Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com
 
Tim Montague
Website:  https://cesnrg.com
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/midwestsolar/
Tim’s Solar Podcast:  https://cesnrg.com/podcast/
Tim’s Live Events:  https://cesnrg.com/events/
Twitter:  @tgmontague
Tim’s Email:  tmontague@cesnrg.com
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 This episode was produced and managed by  Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)