8minutenergy Renewables
March 2017 8minutenergy’s Model for Solar Infrastructure with Design Optimization
Company History & Overview
Confidential Information | 2
8minutenergy’s mission is to make solar energy abundant, and to be the industry leader in lowering the cost of solar PV
Springbok 2, Kern County, CA: 191 MW
Confidential Information | 3
8minutenergy Renewables is the nation’s largest independent solar PV developer
PORTFOLIO AND TRACK RECORD
TOP 5 UTILITY-SCALE DEVELOPERS IN U.S.
• Develops, engineers, builds and owns utility-scale solar projects • 3rd largest utility-scale developer in the U.S.* • 5,500+ MW of PV and storage under development
FIRST SOLAR
• 700+ MW of utility-scale projects producing power
NEXTERA
• 700+ MW are construction ready and have PPAs • 20,000+ acres under development • 8minutenergy’s projects have secured $1.2B in financing • Executed 1.5 GW of PPAs, representing $5B in contracted revenues
8MINUTENERGY CANADIAN SOLAR SUNEDISON Advanced Stage
Early Stage
• Notable projects: • Mount Signal Cluster, one of the world’s largest PV projects, • Springbok 2: first operational PV project in CA to beat fossil fuel pricing Confidential Information | 4 *As measured by pipeline. Graph source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance, April 2016
Our heritage is in California, where we have 12.5% utility market share, and we’re rapidly expanding across the nation
CALIFORNIA HERITAGE
• We are leading the industry in driving down the cost of solar – starting with California, one of the world’s most competitive solar markets. • The 4 largest California utilities have closed PPAs with 8minutenergy. These utilities represent 80% of the market in California, and have 10+ years of solar experience.
NATIONAL EXPANSION
• With the ITC expansion, we have moved into Texas, the Southeast, and other markets. • We are developing greenfield projects where we are able to drive cost leadership and further solar adoption.
• We built the first operational project in California to beat fossil fuel generation prices. • We are proud to have created thousands of solar jobs in the state of California.
Sampling of 8minutenergy Development Opportunities
Confidential Information | 5
Long term commitment to the California market and our unique approach to development has yielded an impressive track record & pipeline
8me Historical Projects by PPA Award Year
Cumulative Capacity:
292 MW
397 MW
1,203 MW
1,537MW
Redwood 2 – 34 MW
Midway 3 – 39 MW
Lotus – 65 MW
Springbok 1 – 137 MW
Redwood 4 – 26 MW
Mt. Signal 2 – 202 MW
Springbok 3 – 117 MW
Springbok 2 – 191 MW
Redwood 3 – 19 MW
Calipatria 1 – 26 MW
Redwood 1 – 21 MW
Mt. Signal 1 – 266 MW
Midway 1 – 65 MW
Mt. Signal 3 – 329 MW
2012
2013
2014
Founded
2009
2015
Confidential Information | 6
Our business model centers around developing and owning solar PV plants and energy storage projects
PV PLANTS
ENERGY STORAGE
Mount Signal, Imperial Valley, CA
Springbok 2 Farm, Kern County, CA
Redwood Solar, Kern County, CA
Springbok 1 Farm, Kern County, CA
Confidential Information | 7
We have a global presence with international expansion focused in India and Latin America
Confidential Information | 8
8minutenergy projects
have securedinvestments and financing from leading companies and
institutions
Confidential Information | 9
Mount Signal Cluster
Confidential Information | 10
Our proven strategy has achieved extraordinary partnerships with our customers and the deliver one of the world’s largest solar plant: Mount Signal, 800 MW
CASE IN POINT
• Mount Signal 1: 266 MW operational since Q1 2014 under PPA with SDG&E • Mount Signal 2: 202 MW under PPA with SCE • Mount Signal 3: 329 MW under PPA with SCE • 6,000 acres of environmentally approved and permitted land • Currently supplies clean electricity to over 150,000 households
Confidential Information | 11
The Mount Signal Cluster consists of three phases totaling 794 MW of which 266 MW are already operational
5 mi. 230kV Gen-Tie to SDG&E substation 230kV project substation
Mount Signal Cluster – Project Information
Size (MW)
Status
PPA Counterparty
Developer
Current Owner
Mt. Signal Solar Farm 1
266
Operational since Q2 2014
SDG&E
8minutenergy
TerraForm Power
Mt. Signal Solar Farm 2
200
Late-stage development FNTP expected Q1 2019
SCE
8minutenergy
DESRI
Mt. Signal Solar Farm 3
328
Near shovel ready FNTP expected Q2 2017
SCE
8minutenergy
8minutenergy
Total
794
Project
Confidential Information | 12
Our project development and EPC processes exceed industry standards and utilize a unique ‘Smart from the Start’ approach
Market Analysis
PreDevelopment
Transmission Analysis
Land Assembly
Interconnection Study
Environmental Power Purchase Permitting Agreement
Engineering
Continuous Project Design Optimization
Initial Project Development
Project Finance
Construction
O&M
Construction and Operations
• We demonstrate excellence at each step of the development process, and collaborate with our customers to deliver least cost, best fit projects.
• Developing projects from the beginning enables us to have a ~8x higher success rate of project completion than the industry average*.
• 8minutenergy emphasizes integrity and commitment to our stakeholders, as well as strong community involvement.
Confidential Information | 13 *8minutenergy’s 76% success rate far exceeds the industry average of 9% on solar capacity in CAISO queue including serial project and transitional clusters and Clusters 1-7.
Case Study: End-to-End Optimization at Mount Signal 3
Step1: Experienced Land Team Secured approximately 2,282 acres for the Project — Avoids any land constraints — Allows greater project flexibility and optimizes plant design to maximize economics Early analysis and identification of title issues
Step 3: Community Support and Investment Mount Signal 3 received broad public support from four major environmental groups, four local labor unions and many other local stakeholders Partnered with diverse organizations to contribute to local community — Burrowing Owl Stewardship and Education Fund — Renewable Energy Vocational Program
— Education on solar energy
Step 2: Relationship Building Maintaining 7+ year relationships with strong cooperation from all landowners Heavy engagement with local experts offers multifaceted benefits.
Step 4: EPC / Engineering / O&M Conducted in depth bid analyses and optimized equipment and contractor selection by running separate parallel RFPs for modules, inverters and EPC
Confidential | 14
Case Study: End-to-End Optimization at Mount Signal 3 (cont’d)
Step 5: Strong Alliance Formation Strong relationships with Imperial County’s Board of Supervisors and planning staff, Imperial Irrigation District and other local regulatory groups since 2009. Projects developed in Imperial County (over 7,650 acres) have received unanimous discretionary permit approval from the county’s Board of Supervisors Worked with Imperial County to proactively address economic impacts to agricultural resources by creating a Public Benefit Agreement
Step 6: GIA / Shared Facilities Agreement / CoTenancy Agreement Sharing of equipment reduces construction, environmental risk and cost (shared gen-tie, substation area, etc.) Cluster development with Mt. Signal 1 eliminates construction risk associated with Network Upgrades or Interconnection Facilities; improvements complete and operational since 2013 Shared Facilities management allows direct line to SDG&E/CAISO
Confidential Information | 15
We partner with local environmental groups and communities in which we operate in order to drive solar adoption and enhance societal causes
SUPPORT FROM LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS
• Mount Signal and Calexico projects received support from Sierra Club, Audubon California, Natural Resources Defense Council and Defenders of Wildlife through Imperial County land use permitting process • Teamed up with the Sierra Club and the Imperial Valley Community Foundation to establish the Burrowing Owl Stewardship and Education Fund, which funds the habitat protection of the burrowing owl in California • Worked together with the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee to protect undeveloped land and to improve tortoise habitat; approximately 1,009 acres are currently under protection
“…Without any legal obligation, 8minutenergy has gone beyond the minimum mitigation requirements and are funding research to understand how the development and operations of solar farms affect adjacent lands.... We thank 8minutenergy for being a responsible solar company with a willingness to work with our mission and goals to help protect the desert tortoise.” Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee Tortoise Tracks Newsletter, Winter 2016
Confidential Information | 16