Greenbacker Invests in Energy Efficiency Platform Renew Energy Partners

Greenbacker’s partnership will support RENEW’s growth in the clean energy and energy retrofit markets

New York, NY August 2, 2022 — Greenbacker Development Opportunities Fund I, LP (“Greenbacker”), which provides flexible capital and best-in-class guidance for growth-stage clean energy companies, announced today that it has made a strategic growth investment in Boston-based Renew Energy Partners, LLC (“RENEW”), a nationwide distributed generation, microgrid, and energy efficiency company.

The partnership with Greenbacker will expand RENEW’s capacity to scale its platform and execute on its project pipeline—developing, constructing, financing, and operating distributed generation, microgrids, and energy efficiency assets that allow commercial and industrial (C&I) building owners to upgrade to energy-saving systems and reduce their carbon footprint.

RENEW helps customers reduce carbon and greenhouse gas emissions with projects that include HVAC retrofits, lighting updates, building management system upgrades, and onsite clean energy generation and battery storage.

RENEW offers energy service agreements and power purchase agreements to C&I customers, including manufacturing, multi-family housing, healthcare, and hospitality facilities. The company differentiates itself from competitors in its ability to implement complex interconnected energy systems in one simple offering, fully finance projects for its customers, and allow them to reduce their carbon footprint while increasing resiliency.

Founded in 2013, the company brings decades of experience and extensive industry relationships to its role as a developer and long-term owner-operator of its energy efficiency and clean energy assets.

 

“We’re excited to partner with RENEW and expand our presence in the distributed generation, microgrid, and energy efficiency space,” said Benjamin Baker, Managing Director at Greenbacker. “We find RENEW to be particularly adept at maximizing energy savings for its customers and very well positioned to grow in the market, especially as demand for emissions reduction projects continues to increase in both the private and public sectors.”

As of last year, 60% of the Fortune 500 had made commitments related to emissions reductions, energy efficiency, or using renewables (up from 48% in 2017). In New York City, where buildings make up about two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions, Local Law 97 requires those over 20,000 square feet to cut emissions 80% by 2050. Boston’s Building Energy Reporting Disclosure Ordinance requires similarly large buildings to achieve zero emissions over the same period. Numerous cities across the country are exploring similar ordinances.

 

“Our collaboration with Greenbacker will enable us to expand our portfolio of energy efficiency and clean energy projects, and increase our contributions to the energy transition,” said Charlie Lord, Principal at RENEW. “We look forward to taking our platform to the next level so we can help more building and facility owners start saving energy, saving money, and saving the planet.”

Greenbacker Capital Management established the Greenbacker Development Opportunities Fund I, LP in 2020 to invest in companies focused on clean energy project development.

The RENEW Energy Service Agreement allows businesses to focus on what they do best, while ensuring that their facilities are performing at their peak with brand new, and high-efficiency equipment. In this current climate of cost control and resource allocation, the energy service agreement is the perfect solution to help businesses meet sustainability goals and keep facilities in top condition. Reach out to RENEW and talk to us about financing your energy saving retrofits and clean energy builds without debt today. 

See the original article on Globe News Wire here.