Episode Details

In this milestone 300th episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan is joined by longtime friend and co-host Nate Jovanelly, Founder and CEO of SunRaise Capital.

Benoy and Nate reflect on how much the solar industry has changed since the podcast began and explore where the market is headed next. They discuss the evolution of residential solar, the growing importance of battery storage, changing financing models, rising electricity costs, policy uncertainty, and the continuing challenge of customer acquisition.

They also examine the advantages regional solar companies may have over national providers, how shifting customer demographics could affect the market, and why solar plus storage represents one of the industry’s greatest opportunities over the next decade.

The episode concludes with lessons from entrepreneurship, reflections on navigating constant change, and a special Monday Motivation.

Biographies

Benoy Thanjan

Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, a solar development and consulting firm, and the host of the Solar Maverick Podcast. He also serves as a strategic advisor to multiple cleantech startups.

Over his career, Benoy has developed more than 100 MWs of solar projects across the United States, advised on more than 1 GW of energy projects worldwide, helped launch some of the first residential solar tax equity funds at Tesla, and brokered approximately $50 million in renewable energy credit transactions.

Before founding Reneu Energy, Benoy worked in Tesla’s Project Finance Group as an environmental commodities trader, where he managed one of the company’s largest environmental commodities portfolios. He originated renewable energy credit transactions and worked with senior leadership to develop monetization and hedging strategies supporting the company’s expansion into East Coast markets.

Benoy also served as Vice President at Vanguard Energy Partners, a solar and energy storage construction company, where he developed project finance solutions for commercial-scale solar portfolios. At Ridgewood Renewable Power, a private equity fund with approximately 125 MW of U.S. renewable energy assets, he evaluated investment opportunities, supported portfolio strategy, and played a key role in the sale of the firm’s renewable energy portfolio.

Earlier in his career, Benoy worked in Energy Structured Finance at Deloitte & Touche and in Financial Advisory Services at Ernst & Young. He also completed an internship on the trading floor at D. E. Shaw & Co., a global investment and technology development firm.

Benoy holds an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics from the NYU Stern School of Business, where he was an Alumni Scholar.

Nathan Jovanelly is the Founder and CEO of SunRaise Capital, a technology and financial infrastructure platform supporting residential solar deployment.

Before founding SunRaise Capital, Nate helped build IGS Solar and later launched its residential division. Under his leadership, the division grew to 150 MW and approximately $600 million in managed assets. Across his career, Nate has been involved in deploying more than $3 billion into residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar infrastructure.

Nate has worked on solar projects for organizations including Amazon, FedEx, Unilever, and numerous nonprofit groups. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer with a background in chemical engineering and serves on the Board of SunVena Solar.

Stay Connected:

Benoy Thanjan

Email: info@reneuenergy.com 

LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan

Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com

Website: https://www.solarmaverickpodcast.