Solarplaza Summit | Asset Management North America

Ms. Bybee has worked in the solar industry since 2003, first promoting renewable energy policy in Austin, TX while at Public Citizen, and then at Meridian Energy Systems, before finding her home at Namasté Solar. Ms. Bybee joined Namasté Solar in January 2006 as an early member of the team and held numerous roles over her 11 years, from technical sales & design to business development. While there, she worked to obtain a federal charter for a unique financial institution that funds clean energy products and services: Clean Energy Credit Union (www.cleanenergycu.org). This was only the 17th federal charter issued since 2010, and the first in the state of Colorado for over 30 years. She continues to serve as a volunteer on the Supervisory Committee of the credit union. Additionally, in 2016, she helped earn an award from the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative to found the Amicus O&M Cooperative (www.AmicusOM.com). The O&M Cooperative brings together a network of providers across the country to provide coordinated services for geographically distributed portfolios. She now serves as its CEO, and is committed to the mission “to ensure that solar PV fulfills its promise as a responsible and reliable energy source, for generations to come.” She obtained a BA in English and French from the University of Texas at Austin, and through solar, has found her “inner engineer.”

For nearly a decade, Angela Burke has been a strong voice and example for women in technical roles in the solar industry. Drawing from her background in architecture, Angela has led the residential design, commercial design, and O&M teams to improve quality and efficiency while completing over 4,000 of her designs. Currently, Angela is the Director of O&M at Pivot Energy. She manages an ever-growing portfolio of assets across the country to ensure healthy site performance while achieving cutting-edge ESG goals. Angela has been recognized by the Denver Business Journal as an Outstanding Woman in Energy in 2019 and a key partner to Denver Public Schools’ career readiness programming in multiple categories. Angela also volunteers time to SolarRecycle.org as a website administrator.

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.

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.

Pol Lezcano is a senior analyst at BloombergNEF in New York, the clean energy research division of Bloomberg LP. He leads BNEF’s US clean power market outlook, which covers the company’s forward-looking views on solar, wind and storage deployments and economic analysis. Pol also covers renewable energy integration and power markets, as well as solar supply chains and manufacturing with a focus on price forecasting and industry risk analysis. Prior to BloombergNEF, he worked at a clean energy research investment fund and as a risk consultant for large energy companies. Pol holds a Master of Science in Energy and Sustainability from Columbia University in New York and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Vienna University of Business and Economics.

As Vice President of Asset Management, Erin’s primary responsibilities are operational and commercial performance, contractual and regulatory compliance, O&M management, and financial support for Clēnera’s 1.6GW utility scale operating portfolio. Additionally, she supports the development, engineering, construction, and finance teams in evaluating Clēnera’s pipeline assets. Erin joined Clēnera from Sempra Renewables in San Diego, CA where she managed 500+MW of utility-scale solar assets. Prior to Sempra, Erin specialized in procurement and contract negotiation in the utility sector. She has also held corporate counsel positions at Helix Wind and Wintec Energy LLC. All told, she has 16 years in the energy sector, with 12 focused on renewable energy. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine and Juris Doctor from California Western School of Law and is a member of the California State Bar.

Caitlin Smith, Vice President of Policy and Corporate Communications for Jupiter Power, is an energy professional with thirteen years of experience in electricity market policy, regulatory and government affairs. For the last ten years, she has focused on electricity market design and has worked both as an advocate for policies that enhance competitive energy markets and as an advisor on the commercial and financial impacts of energy policy. In her current role, Caitlin has responsibility for Jupiter Power's policy positions related to the commercial operations of utility-scale energy storage in power markets throughout North America and leads the company’s corporate communications and public relations. Caitlin has specific in-depth experience with the ERCOT market and was the first in-house counsel for the Independent Market Monitor to ERCOT. She is the current Vice Chair of ERCOT’s Technical Advisory Committee, the highest committee comprised of stakeholders, which makes recommendations to the ERCOT Board. She founded the Texas Energy Storage Coalition and is an active advocate in front of the Texas Public Utility Commission and the Texas Legislature. Caitlin is dedicated to promoting women in energy and policy and has been active in volunteering with the Gulf Coast Power Association’s EmPOWERing Women Program, with the Women of Renewable Energy and Sustainable Industries, and as a contributor to Pink Granite, a network and foundation that promotes women in policy and politics in Texas. Caitlin founded Jupiter Power’s Women’s Professional Development Initiative in 2022. Caitlin holds a Bachelor of the Arts in Economics from the University of Texas, a Juris Doctor from Pennsylvania State University, and a Master of Laws in Environmental & Natural Resource Law and Policy from the University of Denver.

Jesse Simons is Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at SOLARCYCLE, a tech-driven solar circular economy platform. Prior to founding SOLARCYCLE, Jesse served on the Executive Team of the Sierra Club as Chief of Staff and National Program Director where he led climate and clean energy strategy. He brings in-depth knowledge on climate and the circular economy and has extensive experience scaling and managing large teams in both entrepreneurial and established environments.

Alexandria is a research associate at Rewiring America. Alexandria’s background is at the intersection of research and writing focused on climate solutions and environmental justice. Her writing, audio journalism, and illustrations can be found in Grist, where she was formerly a fellow, as well as The Washington Post, The Guardian, Floodlight, Capital and Main, Atmos, and elsewhere. Her journalism has received multiple awards including a 2021 Online News Association's Online Journalism Award and a 2022 LA Press Club Southern California Journalism Award. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, a master’s degree from Oxford in Environmental Change and Management, and was previously a PhD student in UCLA’s Institute of Environment and Sustainability, where she was an NSF trainee.

Moira started in renewables 6+ years ago at First Solar, EPC. She began her experiences in inverter commodity management for Utility Scale and Commercial/Industrial Solar Sites. She eventually expanded and lead the Supply Chain Department for 18GW for NovaSource O&M. She pivoted her career to direct the Account Management Team at NovaSource which then comprised of 21GW. Her experience in operations and customer support roles provides a unique perspective on client needs and the impact of supply chain on revenue generation.

Jon Previtali is an engineer who has worked with Internet and renewable energy technologies for over twenty years.

As Todd’s title implies, he’s responsible for Primergy's portfolio of operating assets, including financial and operations performance, contract management, and oversight of operations and maintenance (O&M). He’s spent nearly three decades in power generation, including almost half that time in the renewable energy sector. Prior to Primergy, Todd worked in renewable energy for BP Solar, SunPower, and Origis Services.

Extensive experience managing chaos in foreign environments, building and leading high-performing teams in support of complex, critical objectives. An Olmsted Scholar with profound international and cross-cultural expertise, including considerable experience as a strategic advisor. Bold leadership, accomplished management skills, talented communicator with global insights. Active security clearance (TS/SCI).

Leigh is a 13 year veteran of the solar industry focusing on the technical operation and asset management of solar power portfolios. He currently directs the operations and asset management division of Avantus. He was previously director of products at meteocontrol and overseeing their line of monitoring metering systems, O&M service plans, quality test processes, and performance analysis for developing and existing PV assets. He currently volunteers for the education committee for Solar Power international, as well as a working group member for several international quality and performance standards committees with DOE and IEC.

Terry Nicol has spent nearly 20 years in the renewable energy industry working as a wind developer, consultant, solar developer/operator, and tax equity investor. For the last 7 years, Terry has co-led the Portfolio Management team in Wells Fargo’s tax equity group. Terry resides in the SF Bay Area with his wife and two daughters.

Leila Garcia is responsible for wind and solar operation & maintenance market research for the American region within Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables. Additionally, she leads the Power & Renewables team in Latin America. Her team provides market research, analyses and forecasts covering conventional and renewable energy technologies ranging from Uruguay to Mexico. Leila brings more than a decade of experience in the renewable energy industry. She's worked both in mature and developing markets, from Denmark to Brazil and Mexico. Prior to joining Wood Mackenzie Leila worked as marketing leader for Vestas, as well as market intelligence manager for GE Renewables in Mexico. She is Brazilian, currently located in Vancouver, Canada and holds an engineering degree from PUC University in Brazil and a Masters in renewable energy from German Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg.

Alfred I. Johnson is Co-Founder and CEO of Crux Climate – the ecosystem for developers, tax credit buyers, and financial institutions to transact & manage transferable tax credits. From 2021-2022, Alfred served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary Janet Yellen at the US Department of the Treasury where he was responsible for work related to digital assets, cybersecurity and technology, pandemic response, and the operational management of the 80,000+ person Department. Prior to Treasury, Alfred was Co-Founder and CEO of Mobilize, the events management platform and network acquired by EveryAction in 2020. Prior to founding Mobilize, Alfred was Head of Sales & People at Clara Lending and Vice President in BlackRock’s Financial Markets Advisory Group, where he worked on projects related to financial regulation, structured finance, and the European Sovereign Debt Crisis. From 2009-2012, Alfred served in the Obama Administration as Special Assistant to the White House Chief of Staff, Senior Advisor to the Treasury Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets at the U.S. Treasury Department, and Special Assistant on the Financial Crisis Response Team. He started his career as a Regional Field Director for Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign for President. Alfred is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations; Member of the National Advisory Council for the Stanford Center on Longevity and Stanford in Washington; and Co-Chair of the Robert S. Brookings Society. Alfred is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford University, where he played Defensive End on the Varsity Football Team. He lives in Washington DC with his wife, Dr. Emily Watts, and their two children.

Dr. Rob Andrews is an expert in solar energy operations and modeling with a PhD in the field. He co-founded Heliolytics, an international leader in aircraft-based solar site analytics, and led the company as CEO until its acquisition by Novasource Power, where he took on the role of VP of Product Strategy and Innovation. Currently, he offers technology and strategy consulting services in renewable energy and entrepreneurship, and creates advanced photovoltaic system analytics tools.

Chioma works as Director Asset Management at Madison Energy Investments’ Virginia office. She leads the asset management group focusing on maximizing revenue and performance across operating assets, ensuring contract compliance and managing O&M providers. Previously, Chioma worked for several years in the carbon capture, utilization and storage space. She has also worked as a consulting geologist on environmental remediation issues. She received a bachelor of science in environmental geology from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Science in Engineering from China University of Petroleum.

Richard Matsui advises investors accelerating the Energy Transition. He was previously the Founder/CEO of kWh Analytics, the leader in Climate Insurance. He invented the Solar Revenue Put, a financial instrument adopted by leading investors ranging from DE Shaw to AES to protect nearly $5 billion of solar power plants. kWh Analytics is backed by private venture capital and the US Department of Energy. Prior to that, he was a consultant with McKinsey & Company based in Greater China, where he helped found the Firm’s solar practice in 2007. There, he established himself as a leading global expert on the solar industry by accumulating the most industry experience of all consultants within the Firm. He graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and is fluent in both English and Mandarin Chinese. He is proud to have been born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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Kelly Weger, RA, LEED AP, CEA has been called “a national sustainability expert” by Janet Haff, at the EPA. She is an international speaker, known for her passion for sharing and inspiring commitment to a sustainable lifestyle and gender equality. She earned her degrees in architecture from the University of Michigan and University of Texas at Austin. With a first career as a Registered Architect and LEED Accredited Professional specializing in sustainable building design, Ms. Weger went on to spend over a decade providing both strategic and in-depth sustainability consulting and workshop facilitation to over 200 companies. Currently, as the new Director of Sustainability, Ms. Weger is leading Qcells to aspire to be the most sustainable solar company in North America.

Zoe is responsible for the management and optimization of CleanCapital’s clean energy assets and assists with operations and investor relations. Prior to CleanCapital, her passion for clean energy took to Washington, D.C. to focus on public policy. At the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), a clean energy trade association, Zoe managed the clean air program area and assisted with international programs at United Nations climate conferences. Prior to BCSE, Zoe worked at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) in the Office of Federal Sustainability. She is a Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) Fellow and has lived and studied in Dakar, Senegal. Zoe is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

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Matt Tappin is the President of Stem’s Asset Management Division. In this role, Matt oversees Stem's software and services efforts, focusing on asset management and optimization offerings for energy storage and solar assets. Matt joined Stem as it became a public company in 2021 to lead corporate development, overseeing the company’s inorganic growth strategy, including mergers and acquisitions (M&A), investments, joint ventures, and related matters. Prior to joining Stem, he held senior corporate development positions at Royal Dutch Shell, where he focused on investments in the electricity sector, and Centrica, where he led corporate development for the distributed energy business globally. Earlier in his career, he was an investment banker in Lazard’s Power, Energy & Infrastructure Group and a corporate attorney at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. Matt earned his J.D. from Duke University School of Law and B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Michael Valerino first started studying the energy loss impacts from dirty solar panels (known as soiling) in 2016. His co-founding of Solar Unsoiled in 2022, a company dedicated to providing a comprehensive and proactive solution to soiling mitigation, was inspired by observing the challenge that soiling posed to an already challenging industry.

CEO with a strong history of innovation in the PV industry. Skilled in R&D, Strategic Planning, Product Development, Project Management, Business Development, Operations, Finance, Data Analysis.

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.

Edwin founded Solarplaza company in 2004. He is a senior PV expert and started in the photovoltaic solar energy business in 1994. He has experience as a solar energy consultant and project developer in more than 200 PV projects. Edwin holds a Master’s degree in Chemical engineering and previously worked in the Chemical industry before starting his first consultancy company in PV in 1994.