In this episode, Tim Montague interviews Marc Palmer, CEO and Co-Founder of Conductor Solar, a platform that aims to accelerate commercial and community solar deals by connecting solar developers and investors to streamline project financing. Marc is a repeat guest on the show and one of the nicest people in solar. He cut his teeth on the solar industry working for Invenergy in Chicago - one of the largest wind and solar developers in the US.
NOTE that there is a Clean Power Hour LIVE event featuring Marc Palmer and Nick Perugini on Feb 21, 2024: C&I Solar PPAs - Best Practices and Success Stories | Register Here: https://bit.ly/solarPPA24
As co-founder and CEO of Conductor Solar, Marc Palmer brings extensive experience in renewable energy project finance and development to the company. With over $1.5 billion raised for clean energy projects, Marc recognized the major roadblocks to funding and building commercial and community solar projects. He founded Conductor to develop software solutions to streamline solar financing and reduce soft costs, enabling more solar projects to move forward. Marc's background in structuring and executing complex energy deals gives him valuable insight into the solar industry's needs. As CEO, he sets the strategy and vision for Conductor Solar to make commercial and community solar more accessible and affordable.
Conductor Solar is a platform to accelerate your commercial and community solar deals:
- Dozens of professional investors with gigawatts of project experience and billions of dollars deployed
- Multiple financing options for every deal
- One source for streamlined project financing
- Tools for analysis and deal acceleration
- Software-enabled efficiency and consistency across project types
Key topics covered in this episode:
- The challenges developers face in financing commercial and community solar projects, including finding the right financing products and trusted partners. Conductor Solar aims to simplify this process.
- Using Conductor's platform to get estimated PPA rates to aid initial customer conversations and filter potential deals. The platform matches projects to screened, reputable investors.
- Key considerations for investors in evaluating project attractiveness, like cost to build, production forecasts, system monitoring needs. Conductor provides validation from firms like DNV.
Social Media Handles
https://www.linkedin.com/in/palmermarc/
http://conductor.solar/
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6ueerEFmTD2zIOVkayTVwQ#/registration
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The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. CPS America has offices in California, New Jersey, and Texas. Learn more at https://www.chintpowersystems.com/
0:00 - Introduction
2:56 - Marc's experience in renewable energy finance and Conductor Solar Background
6:32 - How does Conductor Solar help Developers and EPCs
10:48 - Walkthrough of financing a CNI solar PPA project
13:11 - Using Conductor's platform for initial customer proposals
17:03 - Considerations for solar + storage PPAs
21:37 - What investors look for in project pricing
25:54 - Financing differences: public entities vs. private
29:24 - Managing local solar incentives in different markets
33:59 - Upcoming webinar on CNI Solar PPAs
34:42 - Updates on Conductor's growth
37:17 - Conclusion & final thoughts
