WHY US
Our Brand Promise
Our brand promise is Turning Power into Positive Energy by Being Trusted Experts in Renewable Energy. We support that brand promise with operational pillars of Empowering Communities, Conception to Electrification and a Team of Passionate Experts. Our team has experience in developing everything from small 50MW projects up to 500MW.
Empowering Communities
PDE is focused on partnering with communities that have not been able to participate in the 21st century economy and, in particular, on Native American Nations and small rural communities in the Southwest. This has attracted a strategic partner, IsoCarbon Corporation (Iso), who has similar goals.
Through our work with Iso, we can partner with Native American communities to generate much needed revenue, with little to no impact on their land, and also housing/infrastructure, organic farming and jobs. Iso can act as an on-site consumer of the generated power to operate large data centers, a growing need in the U.S. The heat generated by these large data centers can then be used to operate organic green houses, providing much needed high-quality food for the Native American communities.
Conception to Electrification
We approach our projects with the end goal to build, own and operate the facility long term. This approach has attracted a valuable financing partner, Excelsior Energy Capital (EEC). EEC is one of the most respected financial partners in the renewable energy space. With our finance partner firmly in place, our projects are fully funded from day one. This, combined with a Team of Passionate Experts that understand every phase of solar projects, helps us deliver projects from Conception to Electrification.
The utility scale solar development industry is often very transactional, froth with companies typically working to achieve project milestones in an attempt to sell the project at some stage prior to build out of the solar facility. PDE has experts in all facets of the process; from Site Evaluation all the way to Interconnection and then on to Operation and Maintenance. Our expertise and partnerships give Native American Nations the confidence that their projects will not get derailed (or sold!) along the way.
Team of Passionate Experts
The team at PDE has invested the last 2 years in attracting the world-class talent and partnerships needed to deliver on our brand promise. PDE’s mission-driven approach has attracted a broad array of highly successful players from both inside and outside the solar industry. Our experts in solar development, engineering and utility-level interconnection are not only passionate about our mission-driven approach but also passionate about getting projects done on time and on budget.
Our Team of Passionate Experts has over 30 years of experience and expertise in utility-scale solar, having developed over 50 projects representing 2.5GW of power. Our Chief Strategy Officer, Tim Hennessy, has developed solar projects in South Africa, across Europe and here in the U.S. Our solar engineering team at Stellavise have engineered hundreds of solar projects here in the U.S. and our Interconnection Specialist and Board Member, Jack McDermott, has 25+ years with California’s PG&E; one of the nation’s largest utilities. This team is led by CEO Jon Schwartz, who is from outside the industry, with 25+ years of business success at ADP; working with Fortune 50 companies and helping them become even more successful. Our leadership team is rounded out by Doug McCorkle, Chief Branding & Culture Officer, who has 25+ years of marketing and branding success in the hospitality space with industry-leading companies like Marriott and Fairmont.
This team is passionate about the mission and brand promise of PDE, Turning Power into Positive Energy. PDE is a mission driven company and, at the end of the day, we are focused on partnering with communities. While there are certainly positive economics in our projects, financial return is not our sole focus. This mission creates a passion to succeed that we think is unique in our industry. That passion keeps us driving forward, even when we face obstacles that might stop a group that is only focused on financial return. For PDE, it’s more than that. It’s about the positive energy we can create to leave the planet…and its people…better off tomorrow than it is today.
Why are we called Painted Desert Energy?
Our first project as a new company is located right next to The Painted Desert on the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona. The Painted Desert is a national landmark that is unique among all other places in North America…and a fitting namesake for a modern solar energy company focused on preserving the planet and its unique archeological landmarks, like the Painted Desert. Ancient cultures of the Anasazi, Mogollon and Hohokam lived on these lands over varying periods of time. These ancient peoples were not considered specific Nations, but are ancestors to some of today’s Native American Nations such as the Navajo, Zuni and Hopi. PDE is focused on partnering with Native American Nations to participate in the 21st century economy through solar energy production…another good reason to take this one-of-a-kind landmark as our name. To learn more about the Painted Desert, click here.
