DownEast Renewable Energy · Independent solar advisory

Whether to build is the first question we answer.

We develop and own distributed solar. We also advise the owners deciding whether to build. We hold what we build, so your project gets the same underwriting as our own capital. Sometimes the answer is no.

1You send twelve months of bills
→
2We run our own underwriting
→
3You get a yes or no in writing
Owned, operating projects
Seven states
Track record
We own what we develop
Headquarters
Norwalk, Connecticut
7
states with owned, operating projects. The record behind the advice.
100%
of the solar we developed, we still own and operate. Yours is underwritten the same way.
20-25yr
the operating horizon we underwrite to. Tariff terms differ by state.
CT
Norwalk headquarters. The market we know deepest.
01 The approach

Most developers are paid to build. It shows in their advice. We tell you to own solar only when the project clears the same underwriting we run on the assets we keep. When it does not clear, we say so in writing, with the reasoning. Own it, host it, or walk away. The standard does not move.

You do not need to become a solar expert to make this decision. That is the point of hiring one.

02 What it asks of you

Your part fits in an afternoon.

Solar is our full-time job so it does not have to be yours. This is the entire ask, end to end.

Your part3 items
  • Forward twelve months of utility billsminutes
  • One meeting to walk the recommendationabout an hour
  • Sign if you decide to buildyour call
Our partEverything else
  • Site screening and structural fit
  • Interconnection application and study management
  • Zoning, permits, and environmental review
  • Incentive and tariff strategy and filings
  • Competitive contractor bidding
  • Construction oversight
  • Production monitoring and O&M oversight
  • Incentive reporting, corrected and chased
03 Who this is for

Three kinds of owner walk in the door.

Building owners

You have a roof, a bill, and a decision. We tell you if the project clears the bar: own it, host it, or pass. If it clears, we run the development.

Municipalities and school boards

Procurement rules, board calendars, and public scrutiny change the math. We build the proposal, the incentive strategy, and the paper trail. All three survive review.

Operating CT systems

Your array is built and producing. Were you paid everything the programs owe you? Twelve months of statements answers it.

04 What we assess

The whole path, not a slice of it.

Most of the risk in distributed solar sits in the two years before a panel is installed. That is the part we do ourselves, before you commit capital.

Where the risk sitsTwo years of development decide the 20-25 that follow.
DEVELOPMENT · ABOUT 2 YEARS · MOST OF THE RISK OPERATION · 20-25 YEARS SCREEN INTERCONNECT PERMITS INCENTIVES BUILD THE ASSET EARNS. THE ASSUMPTIONS HAVE TO HOLD. We carry this part You collect this part
01
Site origination and screening
Utility territory, interconnection headroom, roof age, structure, and load. We rule sites out early, before you spend on them.
02
Interconnection
Application, study management, and cost negotiation. Queue position and hosting capacity decide whether a project is real.
03
Permitting and entitlement
Local approvals, zoning, and environmental review. Lease and easement work built to survive a lender’s review.
04
Incentives and grant strategy
State programs, tariffs, and procurement rules. Get this wrong and a project that pencils on paper stops penciling.
05
Construction management
If the numbers say build, we bid it competitively and oversee delivery. We manage the contractor. We do not self-perform.
06
Ownership and operations
Most of our clients own their array. We stay on after commissioning: monitoring, warranty and O&M oversight, incentive reporting.
05 How we decide

We recommend you own only when it clears our own bar.

The recommendation is not tied to a sale. That is the reason to hire an advisor instead of a developer working a quota.

No commission. No quota.

The recommendation measures one thing: whether the project is worth owning. Nothing else sits behind it.

Your numbers come first.

Usage, roof, tax position, capital plan. A proposal comes after the math, never before.

Sometimes the answer is no.

A project that does not pencil is one we tell you to walk away from. We put that in writing. We would rather lose the build than sign bad math.

Own, host, or we build it for you.

The structure fits your balance sheet. The underwriting never changes.

DownEast advisory
A developer's pitch
Can the answer be "do not build"?
Yes. In writing, with the math.
The pitch needs a build.
Who owns it after commissioning?
You do, or we do. We operate either way.
Often sold at close.
Underwriting standard
The same one behind our own portfolio.
Sized to win the contract.
After commissioning
Monitoring, O&M oversight, incentive reporting.
A warranty desk.
Fees tied to building?
No. The read is free. The advice is the product.
Entirely.
06 How we work

How an engagement runs.

Five steps. You can stop after any of them. Most of the value lands before a panel is ordered.

Step 1 · No cost Your part: one email

The first read

Send the address and twelve months of usage. You get a straight read within days. No cost, no commitment.

Step 2 Your part: none

Feasibility and underwriting

We model the project to our own standard: production, interconnection cost, incentive stack, and the full operating case.

Step 3 · The deliverable Your part: read it, decide

The recommendation

Own, lease, or do not build. In writing, with the numbers and the reasoning. This is what you are paying for.

Step 4 · If it is a yes Your part: sign-offs

Delivery

Interconnection, permitting, competitive procurement, and construction oversight. Managed on your behalf.

Step 5 Your part: none

Ownership support

Monitoring, O&M oversight, and incentive reporting for the life of the asset.

07 Already operating?

Recover the incentive revenue you are already owed.

Connecticut REC and incentive programs pay on reported production. Reporting is where money goes missing. Misread meters. Mismatched enrollment. True-ups nobody chased. You do not need to have built with us.

1

Send your data

Twelve months of production data and your REC or incentive statements. That is all it takes.

Your files
2

We reconcile

Production against payment, program by program, until the shortfall is on the table.

Our work
3

You see the gap first

We tell you whether there is money to recover before you commit to anything.

No cost
4

We recover it

We handle the recovery and correct the reporting going forward.

Our work
What the read finds
PRODUCED PAID THE GAP WE CHASE
Illustrative, not to scale. Your gap is measured from your statements.
08 Fair questions

Asked before hiring us.

What does the first read cost?

Nothing. Send the address and the last twelve months of usage. We tell you whether the project is worth pursuing. The reconciliation read works the same way. You see whether there is money on the table before you commit to anything.

How much of our time does this take?

One email to start: the address and twelve months of usage. One meeting to walk through the recommendation. Signatures if you build. We carry the rest.

If the answer is yes, do we have to build with you?

No. The recommendation is yours, in writing, with the numbers and the reasoning. It stands on its own. Most clients keep us on to run interconnection, permitting, procurement, and construction oversight. That is your decision after you have the answer, not a condition of getting it.

Why would a developer tell us not to build?

We own what we build. A project that does not pencil becomes our problem for the life of the asset, not just yours. Your project gets the same underwriting as our own capital. When it fails that test, saying so costs us a build and saves us both the years after it.

What does the reconciliation ask from our side?

Twelve months of production data and your REC or incentive statements. We reconcile production against payment, program by program, and show you the gap first. If there is money to recover, we scope the recovery engagement then. You know the number before you spend anything.

Do you only work in Connecticut?

Connecticut is home and the market we know deepest. The reconciliation practice runs here. We hold operating projects in seven states and take on advisory work where we know the program as well as the market.

What are the possible outcomes of an engagement?

Three: you own the array and we develop it for you, you host it under a lease and we own and operate the system, or you do not build. The recommendation names one and shows the math behind all three.

“The advice is worth paying for precisely because we are willing to lose the build.”

James Patenaude · President
09 Where to start

Two ways in, depending on where you are.

Considering solar, or you have a site

Send the address and the last twelve months of usage. That is enough for a first read on whether it is worth either of our time.

Email us a site →

You already own or operate solar in CT

Send twelve months of production data and your REC or incentive statements. We will tell you whether there is revenue to recover.

Request a reconciliation read →
Or build the first email here
The draft reminds you to attach twelve months of data. Nothing sends until you hit send. Or call (475) 889-0284 or email james@downeastgreen.com.