Episode Summary

In this episode of Solar Maverick, Benoy talks with Andy Klump of Clean Energy Associates about how the rising demand for solar power has also created a rising need for greater quality assurance within the solar industry. Andy discusses what quality assurance in solar means, what sets CEA apart from their competitors, and what he sees as key trends in the solar and energy storage supply chain.  As an American company based in China, Andy shares how COVID-19 specifically affected their operations and how it disrupted business overall.

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 international 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. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodity transactions. 

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.

Andy Klump

Andy is the founder and CEO of Clean Energy Associates.  Clean Energy Associates works with developers, independent power producers (IPPs), and engineering procurement construction (EPC) customers in 55+ countries.  Founded in 2008, Clean Energy Associates provides technical advisory services in the areas of quality assurance, supply chain management, and engineering services.  Their 125-plus member team comprised of over 85 in-house engineers serving the needs of project developers, IPPs, EPCs, financial institutions, and other downstream partners that value supply chain transparency and quality solutions in the global storage and solar energy fields.

Andy’s area of expertise is storage and solar energy, with a track record of 14 years of leadership experience in the field of storage and solar energy along with 17 years of experience working within Asia.  Prior to CEA, Andy served as the Vice President of Business Development for Trina Solar, where he headed the company’s international expansion plans covering supply chain, international business development, capital raising, and corporate development. During the period from 2006 to 2008, the management team successfully raised nearly $500 million in capital during Trina’s IPO, follow-on, and convertible bond offerings on the New York Stock Exchange.  Additionally, Andy also served as an active Board Member of the U.S. Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

Being proactive towards society and entrepreneurial in nature, Andy also co-founded KIDSIQProject.org in 2015, a non-profit organization advancing drug development for reversible Intellectual disability disorders with an initial focus on Kleefstra Syndrome. Andy is also an active member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization in Shanghai. 

Insights from this episode:

• Details on starting Clean Energy Associates and the services they provide, what quality assurance is, and how they enhance the solar supply chain.
• Benefits of overseeing the whole solar process including being able to better identify trends in solar power and storage.
• Difficulties of incorporating different technologies and software into energy storage.
• How to help clients incorporate software capability when acting as a technical advisor of solar assets.
• Strategies China is employing to push its solar and storage agenda forward and how the automotive industry is helping that agenda.
• Details on what key trends are happening in the solar market including cost reduction and higher output modules.
• Difficulties Clean Energy Associates faced in China in the early days of COVID-19, how they are still being impacted, and how it caused them to evolve as a company.
• Suggestions Andy has for solar entrepreneurs to create a successful company with a great culture.

Quotes from the show:

• On what CEA provides: “We created this comprehensive, on-site quality assurance program that really starts with a factory audit, with a rigorous team and a rigorous methodology and a thousand-point checklist.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
• “Our core customer is the end-owner of solar and storage assets who cares about consistent, reliable, and optimized performance and having a ‘Wow’ customer experience.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
• “Everyone is talking about energy storage and the cost of energy storage, the duration of the batteries, and then coupling it with solar.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #80
• “The reality is that the overall Asian supply chain, particularly in China, has a dominant path to cost reduction and that’s where we’ve seen these dramatic cost reductions and that is what is going to allow the industry to grow.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
• “Once you combine storage with solar to balance a system you’re really adding a lot of value to your clients, your asset owners.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #80
• “We’re going to see more and more large-scale deployment of energy storage in the future but, still, I think the primary focus has been on the manufacturing side and that’s where China has significant scale advantages.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
• “If I had to make one bold prediction, it’s on the technology-adoption side, and I see module power classes continue to make leapfrog steps forward.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
• “Everything keeps getting re-engineered because the technology changes so if you’re able to know what’s going to happen in the future, you’re able to design for it in the beginning, and I think that’s a huge advantage to the asset owner.” – Benoy Thanjan, Episode #80
• “We believe that by helping our clients and stakeholders deploy solar and storage solutions worldwide, we are creating a better future.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80
• CEA’s vision statement:  “By 2025 we want to become the leading global solar and storage engineering services firm that creates tangible impact with every customer.” – Andy Klump, Episode #80

Stay Connected:

Benoy Thanjan

Email: info@reneuenergy.com 

LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan

Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com

Andy Klump

LinkedIn: Andy Klump

Website: www.cea3.com

Sponsor:

We would like to thank Solar Energy Systems for sponsoring this episode of the podcast.  Solar Energy Systems, LLC (SES) is a solar energy photovoltaic design/build firm headquartered in Brooklyn, NY and serving the Northeast U.S.  Founded in 1998, the company designs, builds, and maintains solar photovoltaic (PV) systems within the public and private domain.  I interviewed David Buckner who is the Founder and CEO of SES on Episode 65:  20 Year Solar Veteran and Entrepreneur Provides Perspective on the Solar Market.   To learn more about Solar Energy Systems, check out their website which is www.solaresystems.com.  Email SES at info@solaresystems.com or Call 718-389-1545.

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