Lincoln renewable energy (LRE) is a developer utility solar project founders coming from the wind industry. A few months ago, the firm won a $14 million in funding from venture capital of Austin Ventures, a firm of VC capital and growth with 3.9 billion dollars under management.
I spoke with Declan Flanagan, the director-general, check on the progress of the company.
Lincoln, with 16 employees, is developing solar energy projects in multiple markets of the East Coast and West Coast, managed from its offices in Chicago, Denver and New Jersey.
Recently, the company announced the adoption of the plan of site for a solar Park $60 million in Salem County, NJ in early 2010, the company received a permit for the construction of a solar Park of 39 megawatts in the South of Alamosa County Colorado. LRE is also developing a project of 50 megawatt Homestead Solar situated on private land in Clark County, Nevada, as well as projects in New Mexico and Texas.
But the project that is closer to the building is a 10-megawatt (AC) on "Scrubs" in Cumberland County, New Jersey. A PPA is signed and Macquarie Energy has signed off-taker for power, as well as renewable energy (CER) credits. Macquarie is also the provider of the financing of the construction and long-term financing. Quanta Services is the EPC and will also provide or & M.
This project of 10 megawatt Solar oak is to be the largest no-utilidad of ownership of solar project East of the Mississippi. LRE owns long-term installation. The project will consist of approximately 55,000 solar panels on a 100-acre site and connects to the Atlantic City Electric distribution system.
The construction of the project is scheduled for next month, and the company expects the facility to provide commercial energy in December of this year. The project passed the start of the construction site identification in 18 months.
LRE has another 10 megawatts project in New Jersey in the works, hoping to enter in the window of grant on course for a total of 20 megawatts in 2011. The year 2012 has the possibility of 30 megawatts total projects in the hope of 60 megawatts up to 80 megawatts per year in the coming years.
Flanagan was previously with Airtricity, E.ON wind energy developers and brings with him some lessons hard earned industry of wind energy development to be applied for the solar market. One of the points was: "Although the project of development of the solar market is dominated by the guys from technology, in the long run will end with developers." He saw that you happen in the wind, and hoped that happens on the site.
Also notes that in the solar business, "the relationship between announced the current construction is quite high, higher than the wind."
Notes that, as well as wind farms are an optimal size, solar parks do as well, with a "sweet spot" in the 10 megawatt to 50 megawatts - which tends toward the lower end of the range of the coast this and the higher end of the West Coast.
Other relatively small pure-play developers Solar Power Axios, American Capital Energy, clear, Sustainable Energy peak Capital Partners, energy, renewable energy foresight and energy Agile Silverado Power (see Anatomy of a 50 MW Solar project). These companies could be solar players acquisition for upstream goals which have not yet been to integrate below. Until recently, the most renowned pure game developers would have been Recurrent Energy, SunEdison and NextLight renewable power, but all three of these companies were acquired in the past 24 months.
Even so, it is First Solar SunPower and who dominate the photovoltaic market utility in the United States.UU. Today, one of the two companies has been involved in every one of the largest of 11 operating in the country projects. To dominate the monster sized projects-, there is a very long queue. In fact, there is an oversupply of developers of projects - 55 different project developers have at least one signed utility PPA, with at least 25 more that have not yet signed any agreement out of the socket.
Scale photovoltaic promoters public services face many challenges, both legal and financial. Wait and see through the acquisition and consolidation of dropout in this market.
And the developers of small such as LRE will need a bit of differentiation in its strategy of business or team in order to survive the blast.
