HOUSTON, TX – June 21, 2020 – Rockland Capital (“Rockland”), a power-focused private equity fund, announced today it closed an equity commitment to fund up to $200 million of solar projects developed and originated by SolRiver Capital LLC (“SolRiver”), a solar investment fund that acquires and owns distributed generation and utility scale projects.
The Rockland/SolRiver platform will acquire, own and operate distributed (“DG”), utility-scale, and commercial & industrial (“C&I”) solar projects. The focus is on ground-mount and rooftop projects ranging from 2 MW – 50 MW in all markets across the United States. The partnership acquires projects at any phase in the development life cycle, from pre-NTP through mechanical completion.
Rockland’s Managing Partner, Scott Harlan, explained “As Rockland expanded our investments in the renewable energy sector, we sought an experienced partner with an established platform. SolRiver is an excellent fit for Rockland based on SolRiver’s straightforward yet rigorous process for acquiring high-quality solar projects. The Rockland team looks forward to assisting SolRiver scale up its acquisition platform with this investment.”
“SolRiver’s process is built around – closing and funding projects quickly.” said Nick Gazzolo, Head of Business Development at SolRiver. “We look at nearly 2 GW of projects every year. That volume requires a streamlined process to underwrite, close, and fund deals. Our partnership with Rockland has enabled us to continue doing that at a larger scale.”
“Partnering with Rockland allows SolRiver to capture a larger share of an increasingly complex solar market,” explained Brandon Conard, Managing Partner of SolRiver. “Solar projects now include new technologies like energy storage, new revenue strategies like hedges and merchant structures, and new policies like community solar. Rockland brings a savvy team, familiar with those complexities from a range of large energy investments, to assist SolRiver in evaluating and structuring modern solar projects for success.”
The platform is already actively acquiring solar projects. Recently it closed on the first round of acquisitions, totaling approximately 25 MW across seven projects in four states. It is expected to acquire a total of 150 MW of solar projects over the next twelve months. “Our goal is to build long-term relationships with the developers and installers we work with,” Gazzolo added. “That begins with a competitive offer, but it also means working collaboratively with our partners if issues arise. The repeat business we’ve seen confirms that our development partners trust us to get the job done at a good price.”
About Rockland Capital
Rockland Capital (www.rocklandcapital.com) is a private equity company that was formed in early 2003 in order to acquire and develop selected investment opportunities in power and energy infrastructure markets. Rockland is currently investing Rockland Power Partners III, LP, a $454 million private equity fund with investors that include U.S. endowments and foundations, funds of funds, pension plans and family offices. The firm also manages Rockland PJM Partners, LP, a $200 million private equity fund, Rockland Power Partners II, LP, a $425 million fund and, Rockland Power Partners, LP, a $333 million fund. Investments have been located throughout the United States and the United Kingdom, ranging from 1,875 MW to 5 MW, fueled by natural gas, coal, biomass, oil, energy storage, wind and solar power.
About SolRiver Capital
SolRiver Capital (www.solrivercapital.com) is a solar investment fund dedicated to financing the development, construction, and acquisition of DG, C&I, and utility scale projects. SolRiver owns and operates solar projects across the US from Oregon to New York. Founded in 2016, SolRiver’s team combines top-tier developers, financial professionals, and operational experts with over 10 years’ experience each. The group has developed and managed over $400 million of solar totaling 180 MW of capacity from 300 projects.