SMP 34: The importance of solar estimating in the construction of a solar project
Episode Summary
Juan Truyol is a former co-worker of Benoy and Suzanne’s and they reunite on this week’s episode to discuss Juan’s current role as project estimator at Strata Solar, one of the top 5 turnkey EPC solar contractors in the US. They get into what exactly a project cost estimator does and why they are important to the solar industry.
About our Guest:
Juan Truyol’s experience includes the role of Director of System Design and Turnkey Estimating for Vanguard Energy Partners. Mr. Truyol received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Master of Science in Infrastructure and Construction Management from NJIT, Newark New Jersey. Juan has over 12 years of experience in heavy construction, primarily as field level site civil (five years) and his last seven years in solar design and estimating. Juan represents the C&I department of Strata Solar, one of the top 5 turnkey solar EPC contractors in the US.
Through his years at The Conti Group and Cruz Construction, his site civil experience includes utility projects, concrete dam reconstruction, micro-tunneling, airport runway, environmental remediation sites, and demolition in subways. In the early days of Vanguard’s history, Juan’s comprehensive knowledge of construction means and methods and pre-construction procurement enhanced Vanguard’s professionalism in regards to construction practices and protocols. His latter responsibilities at Vanguard had required him to interact daily with a wide assortment of subcontractors and equipment suppliers. Such interaction has allowed Juan to become a very familiar player in the Mid-Atlantic regional territory.
Benoy Thanjan
Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also 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 and utility scale solar plus storage projects. The company also sources financing for solar projects and hedges energy and environmental commodities. Reneu Energy has brokered $27 million in environmental commodities 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.
Suzanne Waters
Suzanne Waters is an experienced solar professional with a broad knowledge of the industry, including project development administration, marketing best practices, financial strategy, and team leadership. Before joining Reneu Energy, Suzanne worked as the Business Development Manager and Proposal Team Leader at Vanguard Energy Partners, a national solar developer, and their affiliate firm, Vanguard Energy Capital. She oversaw proposal development and contract execution, and collaborated on structured finance for large scale, multimillion-dollar projects. In addition, Suzanne has extensive experience in many aspects of the PV industry, with unmatched enthusiasm for its capabilities and a BA in Economics from Rutgers College at Rutgers University.
Insight from this episode:
Quotes from the show:
Resources Mentioned - Episode 30 of Solar Mavericks
Stay Connected:
Benoy Thanjan
info@reneuenergy.com
LinkedIn.com/bthanjan
www.reneuenergy.com
Facebook: Reneu Energy
Suzanne Waters
suzanne@reneuenergy.com
Linkedin: Suzanne Waters
www.reneuenergy.com
Facebook: Reneu Energy
Juan Truyol
https://stratasolar.com/
LinkedIn: Juan Truyol
jtruyol@stratasolar.com
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