Renewable Energy Financing Panel Lively and Informative

Darden Professor Yiorgos Allayannis moderated a lively, exciting, and incredibly informative panel discussion on the topic of renewable energy financing. The panel featured five speakers ranging the spectrum in this area, from financers, to developers, to technology providers. The all Darden alumni panel included:

• Blake Clifton, Abundant Power
• Terri Denning, Suzlon Wind Energy
• Matt Dixon, EnXco
• Matt Fedors, Leaf Clean Energy
• Fabricio Soares, Ashoka

Much of the discussion focused on key policy areas that are either facing the industry now or may be on the horizon. Of particular interest to this crowd was the topic of government support for project financing, including the renewal of the 1603 cash grant as well as the differences between investment and production tax credits. It was loud and clear that government policy, and the various methods to financially incentivize renewable energy project development, is a key driver for the future growth of the industry.

Additional topics touched upon included how to assess financial risk for both technology as well as valuations and financial projections. The audience was engaged and excited, with the only disappointment being that we did not have two more hours to answer more questions.