Atlanta, GA – In support of our company’s mission to deliver economic relief to low-income residents, Dimension Renewable Energy (“Dimension”) employees gathered for a day of community service to support local families in need this holiday season. Partnering with HOPE Atlanta, one of the city’s oldest and most steadfast agencies combating homelessness, Dimension employees packed over 16,000 pounds of food from the non-profit's East Point warehouse, helping to deliver 13,750 meals to 550 families across the metro Atlanta area.
“We are so grateful for this opportunity to give back to our community here in Atlanta over the holidays,” said Rafael Dobrzynski, Dimension’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Dimension is committed to building community solar projects that directly benefit the communities we invest in. Volunteering in the city where our employees live and work is an extension of that same commitment.”
“It was such a pleasure to collaborate with Dimension Energy,” said Amy Olvey, Director of Community Engagement at HOPE Atlanta. “One in nine people in our communities face food insecurity, and food boxes from HOPE Atlanta are a critical resource for families and individuals struggling to make ends meet. Our dedicated volunteers are our boots on the ground, and we could not do this important work without them.”
As a community solar developer, Dimension prioritizes partnerships with organizations like HOPE Atlanta who most understand the needs of our communities. This partnership model is the bedrock of our project development approach, and it enables us to localize the benefits of our projects to the greatest extent possible. Working with local community leaders ensures that capacity-building investments like electricity savings, workforce development opportunities, and educational programs are directed to those who need it most.
“Partnering with groups like HOPE Atlanta helps us achieve our shared goal of building strong, prosperous communities,” Dobrzynski added. “I’m proud of our employees for dedicating their time to this important cause. Thank you to HOPE and Ms. Olvey; we could not have worked with a better organization to make a positive impact for Atlanta families.”
About HOPE Atlanta
Founded in 1900, HOPE Atlanta is a nonprofit agency dedicated to preventing and fighting homelessness and hunger. Its mission is to help Georgians avoid homelessness and hunger through a comprehensive approach that equips them with the tools for lifelong stability.
About Dimension Renewable Energy
Dimension is a leading developer and operator of community solar solutions. For the communities in which we invest, our fleet of solar projects delivers clean energy, local jobs, tax revenue, and savings, alongside other benefits including workforce development and educational opportunities. We are a turnkey provider of these solutions: from site acquisition and development to construction and operation, we are a steady and reliable presence in our communities.
Newark, NJ – Dimension Renewable Energy (“Dimension”) joins its workforce development partners to congratulate the 18 Newark students who have completed a training program that will lead to internships and job opportunities in New Jersey’s growing solar energy economy.
“On behalf of the people of Newark, I would like to congratulate the 18 students in the graduating class of Solar One’s Solar Workforce Development Training,” said Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka. “The Community Solar projects are an ideal illustration of how we are moving Newark Forward: we enabled our residents to lead the growth of clean energy in our city and beyond, while simultaneously making it accessible and affordable. In doing so, we have lowered the energy burden of the community. I look forward to collaborating with Solar One and Community Solar partners on many more such investments in Newark’s future.”
As part of an award under New Jersey’s Community Solar Energy Pilot Program, Dimension created the training program with the clear purpose of working with local and community organizations to bring local jobs and workforce development benefits to compliment the clean, renewable solar power that will directly benefit the communities that they will serve across the state.
Prior to the creation of New Jersey’s Community Solar Program, the numerous benefits of solar energy were only available to homeowners with adequate roof space, sufficient financial ability, and a clear line of sight to the sun. Now, any customer of New Jersey’s regulated utilities – even renters – can subscribe to the energy produced by a shared, offsite solar facility and reduce their electric bills.
“Not everyone owns their roof or can afford the upfront cost of a solar array, and this program makes it possible for thousands of New Jersey families to participate and save money on their electric bills,” said Bryan Bentrott, who leads Dimension's Community Engagement team. “More than half the capacity of Dimension’s community solar projects are reserved for low- and moderate-income subscribers and the benefits to local communities don’t stop there.”
The solar industry and the wider green economy are poised for strong growth over the next decade, and Dimension and its partners are committed to communities that host our projects. The includes local workforce development programs that provide the opportunity for residents to learn the skills necessary to pursue an exciting career in solar energy.
Through its partnerships with New Jersey’s Community Colleges and organizations like Solar One, Dimension is working to bring the benefits of the fast-growing solar economy to New Jersey.
“The Dimension team is proud to support workforce development in New Jersey, and we are excited to see today’s certificate recipients take a big step into the solar economy that will secure our energy future,” said Sam Youneszadeh, Dimension’s Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer. “We believe in community solar. Our projects will result in the creation of hundreds of jobs and decades of sustainable energy savings to New Jersey families who need it most.”
About Solar One
Originally founded in 2004 to manage Stuyvesant Cove Park and a small environmental education center, Solar One quickly grew into an award-winning organization with a thriving array of programs promoting urban sustainability and education. Solar One’s programs reach across New York City and New Jersey. Working with over 600 public schools in NYC and New Jersey, the Green Design Lab program inspires the entire school community – students, teachers, custodians and administrators – to green their schools and innovate solutions to environmental challenges through emerging technologies.
About the Ironbound Community Corporation
Founded in 1969, Ironbound Community Corporation’s (ICC’s) mission is to engage and empower individuals, families, and groups in realizing their aspirations and, together, work to create a just, vibrant, and sustainable community.
We envision a safe, healthy, just, and nurturing Ironbound; a welcoming and fully inclusive community that supports equal and accessible opportunity and the quest for a better life. For us, revitalization means uplifting both people and place. Therefore, we aim to lead the transformation of Ironbound into a neighborhood where anyone might choose to live and current residents can remain in their homes, and their community, without fear of being displaced.
About Pfister Energy
Pfister Energy is a leading turnkey commercial, industrial, and utility-scale solar energy company and EPC contractor offering in-house project development, construction, and O&M services. Pfister Energy brings nineteen years of clean energy experience to every project with the first commercial solar installation in 2003, making us one of the most experienced solar firms in the Northeast. Solar installations include rooftop, carports, and ground mount arrays, as well as energy storage. Pfister Energy has installed more than 600 MW of solar projects for schools, hospitals, corporations, governments, community solar farms, and electric utilities across the United States. Pfister Energy was recently ranked the #1 commercial solar contractor in New Jersey by Solar Power World. For more information, please visit www.pfisterenergy.com
About Dimension Renewable Energy
Dimension is a leading developer and operator of community solar solutions. For the communities in which we invest, our fleet of solar projects delivers clean energy, local jobs, tax revenue, and savings, alongside other benefits including workforce development and educational opportunities. We are a turnkey provider of these solutions: from site acquisition and development to construction and operation, we are a steady and reliable presence in our communities.
Richmond, VA – Dimension Renewable Energy (“Dimension”) is proud to announce its partnership with Community Housing Partners (“CHP”), a leading Virginia-based affordable housing provider, to deliver the benefits of shared solar directly to thousands of low- to moderate-income (“LMI”) families in Virginia.
Before the Virginia General Assembly authorized the creation of the Shared Solar Program in 2020, the numerous benefits of solar energy were exclusive to homeowners with adequate roof space, sufficient financial ability, and a clear line of sight to the sun. Now any Dominion Energy customer – even renters – can subscribe to the energy produced by an offsite solar facility in order to reduce their electric bills.
“Not everyone owns their roof or can afford the upfront cost of a solar array, and this partnership will make renewable energy possible for thousands of Virginia families for whom it would otherwise be out of reach,” said Senator Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax), who carried the bill that created the shared solar program.
At a time when electricity and the general cost of living are on the rise, Dimension’s shared solar subscribers can expect to see a 10% decrease in their monthly electric bill when they enroll in the program. Across Dimension’s entire portfolio, that equates to approximately $20 million in savings for subscribers over the lifetime of their projects. Through its partnership with CHP, Dimension is making sure these savings will bring direct economic relief to those most impacted by inflation.
“The Dimension team is proud to lead the way for shared solar in Virginia,” said Sam Youneszadeh, Dimension’s Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer. “We believe in shared solar. Our projects will result in the creation of hundreds of jobs and decades of sustainable energy savings to Virginia families who need it most.”
Senator Surovell’s (D-Fairfax) and former-Delegate Jay Jones’ (D-Norfolk) 2020 legislation requires shared solar projects to enroll at least 30% of their subscribers from LMI communities.
By partnering directly with an affordable housing provider to subscribe LMI residents to shared solar, Dimension and CHP’s partnership goes beyond the letter of the law by actively working to lower the barriers to entry into renewables and reduce economic inequality. Instead of waiting for potential subscribers to seek them out, their innovative partnership prioritizes the low and moderate income residents that CHP serves.
“Shared solar is another way for us to help low-income families in a responsible, climate-friendly way,” said Janaka Casper, CEO of Community Housing Partners and a member of the Virginia Clean Energy Advisory Board. “We plan to work with Dimension and other partners to help bring the benefits of shared solar to our residents.”
Additionally, a number of CHP’s properties are located just a few miles away from the Dimension solar facility that will serve them. These projects create well-paying construction jobs in the area and also support the movement towards localized energy generation, matching clean power supply with local power demand.
The accessibility, affordability, and equity of shared solar represent a transformative moment in Virginia’s energy policy. Virginians are beginning to have choice over how they acquire their energy, and Dimension is thankful for Dominion’s coordination with developers and subscribers in administering the shared solar program.Without Dominion’s support, thousands of Virginians would have otherwise been excluded from the benefits of solar power, simply because of their income, address, or the fact they rent their house or apartment.
Youneszadeh continued, “We look forward to continuing to work with Dominion Energy to enable this program to achieve the maximum possible benefit to low-income families in Virginia. Dominion is putting in place a new customer interface for all their customers which will streamline the subscriber experience and support our efforts to make the benefits of solar available to more Virginians.”
From Chesapeake to Prince Edward, to Augusta and Dumfries, Dimension and CHP’s partnership will help to bridge the gap in clean energy accessibility.
Dimension is focused on originating, developing, financing and operating community solar and battery storage facilities across the US and has developed a deep pipeline of over 180 projects totaling over 800 MWs of solar capacity, and over 800 MWhs of battery storage across eight states. Dimension’s projects will serve residential, commercial, and industrial subscribers from the local community where the projects are located. Partners Group will work closely with co-founders Rafael Dobrzynski and Sam Youneszadeh to grow Dimension into a more than USD 1 billion platform and one of the largest community solar operators in the US.
Community solar benefits from several transformative trends driving the low-carbon transition, including the increasing environmental consciousness of consumers, a regulatory landscape facilitating the decentralization of the power sector to improve reliability, and broadening access to the benefits of renewable energy to historically underserved consumers and households.
Todd Bright, Partner, Head Private Infrastructure Americas, Partners Group, says: “Dimension represents an excellent fit for our transformational investing strategy given the scope to grow the platform into a leading independent power producer that will build, own and operate solar projects, capturing the benefits of scale in the distributed generation space. The highly fragmented nature of the community solar market in the US, as well as Partners Group’s extensive experience building platform assets, allows for significant potential to add to Dimension’s organic pipeline through project-level M&A.”
Rafael Dobrzynski, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Dimension Renewable Energy, comments: “Dimension is on a strong growth trajectory and we recognize that there is an even greater market opportunity to create an integrated developer, owner and operator of community solar projects in the US. We believe Partners Group’s focus on transformational investing, as well as the firm’s proven track record in renewable energy, significant resources, and operational expertise, make the firm the right partner for us as we expand the platform.”
Patrick Langan, Member of Management, Private Infrastructure Americas, Partners Group, adds: “Community solar is contributing to the low-carbon transition in the US, and Dimension creates broad, positive stakeholder impact by expanding access to clean, affordable energy for local residents and small businesses. We will work closely with Rafael, Sam, and the rest of the management team, to implement the value creation plan at Dimension, including growing the operating asset portfolio, expanding the team, and entering new community solar and battery storage markets.”
Since inception, Partners Group has invested in 20 energy transition assets globally, representing USD 23 billion in enterprise value.
Nexamp is acquiring a 10-project, 50-megawatt portfolio of community solar projects from Dimension Energy. The projects—representing some of the first developed after Governor Mills last year reinstated, expanded, and enhanced the state’s Net Energy Billing program—will enable residential customers of Central Maine Power and Versant Power to subscribe to a portion of a project’s output and receive savings through credits on their monthly electricity bills. Nexamp will build the assets and manage customer subscriptions with its in-house teams as the long-term project owner.
Dimension Energy’s development team started work on these projects by partnering with local landowners in early 2019. Having completed a holistic development approach that embraced state and local stakeholders, the first tranche of projects is fully permitted, with the remainder expected to receive final approvals by the end of 2020. Nexamp is actively developing more than a dozen additional projects of its own in Maine on similar timelines.
With hundreds of projects and thousands of subscribers around the country, Nexamp is a leading solar and energy storage provider that is growing rapidly through organic development as well as acquisition. The company offers a fully integrated suite of services ranging from development through construction, operation and subscriber management. As a long-term owner of all its projects, Nexamp works closely with communities to enhance local revenue, bring new job opportunities and deliver energy savings.
Solar Leadership in Maine
The Dimension Energy portfolio highlights the significant shift toward renewable energy under the Mills Administration. In June 2019, the Maine legislature amended the state’s Net Energy Billing program to reduce uncertainty and unlock value for households and businesses across Central Maine Power (CMP) and Versant utility service territories, and the state has quickly emerged as a solar energy leader.
“These projects will allow thousands of Mainers to support renewable energy while lowering their utility costs,” said Dimension Energy CEO Rafael Dobrzynski. “We applaud Maine legislators and Governor Mills for enacting policies that support the growth of clean energy investment and jobs across the state.”
Dimension Energy developed each of the 10 projects that will contribute millions of kilowatt-hours (kWh) of annual renewable electricity production toward the state’s goal of providing 80 percent clean energy by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050. The projects also contribute to Maine’s growing clean energy economy through local job creation and millions of dollars invested into energy infrastructure. Nexamp will begin construction of the projects in 2021.
“The leadership in Maine has taken a forward-looking approach to slowing climate change through the addition of much-needed clean energy resources such as solar,” added Nexamp CEO Zaid Ashai. “Between the projects we have underway with our own development team and the acquisition of this new portfolio from Dimension, we are well positioned to be a leading provider of community solar in Maine and help residents save money while protecting the beauty and sustainability of their great state.”
Solar Access for Mainers
Many residents are unable to install solar panels of their own because they don’t have the capital to make an upfront investment, don’t have a suitable roof, or rent their home or apartment. Community solar, via Maine’s Net Energy Billing program, enables any resident to support solar energy and save up to 15 percent on their annual electricity costs.
“The bold policymaking that attracts renewable energy investment and deployment is already producing results in the Pine Tree State,” noted John Murphy, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for Nexamp. “Making clean energy simple and accessible to all is core to our mission, and it’s rewarding to partner with experienced developers like Dimension to extend our leading community solar program to new consumers in Maine.”
Any residential Central Maine Power or Versant utility customer will be eligible to join one of the projects through Nexamp with no upfront cost, no long-term commitment and no cancellation fees. Residents interested in subscribing may start the enrollment process via Nexamp’s online solar platform at www.nexamp.com.
LOS ANGELES & NEW YORK – Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) and Dimension Renewable Energy announced today that Ares Infrastructure and Power is partnering with Dimension Renewable Energy on a portfolio of utility-scale battery energy storage projects located in New York State that are currently under development by Dimension. Upon completion of certain development milestones, funds managed by Ares Infrastructure and Power will acquire and construct the projects.
“Dimension is pleased to partner with Ares on this innovative opportunity throughout the state of New York that will help drive the energy transition. Together, Dimension and Ares will use their combined experience to bring this exciting portfolio to fruition”
“This transaction will provide our investors with access to an attractive growth opportunity in the utility-scale battery storage sector,” said Keith Derman, Partner and Co-Head of Ares Infrastructure and Power. “We are witnessing a historic transformation of the nation’s energy industry. Projects like these demonstrate that battery storage is not only an enabling technology for the continued growth of renewables, but also an investable sector in their own right.”
“We’re excited to partner with Dimension on this attractive portfolio and to help facilitate the rapid growth of renewables in New York,” added Steve Porto, Managing Director in Ares Infrastructure and Power.
The portfolio is the third battery storage investment for Ares Infrastructure and Power and adds to the strategy’s more than 60 investments in the climate infrastructure market, representing over $2 billion of invested capital.
“Dimension is pleased to partner with Ares on this innovative opportunity throughout the state of New York that will help drive the energy transition. Together, Dimension and Ares will use their combined experience to bring this exciting portfolio to fruition,” said Rafael Dobrzynski, Chief Executive Officer of Dimension.
About Ares Management Corporation
Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager operating three integrated businesses across Credit, Private Equity and Real Estate. Ares Management’s investment groups collaborate to deliver innovative investment solutions and consistent and attractive investment returns for fund investors throughout market cycles. Ares Management’s global platform had $144 billion of assets under management as of September 30, 2019 with approximately 1,200 employees in over 20 offices in more than 10 countries. Please visit www.aresmgmt.com for additional information.
About Ares Infrastructure and Power
Ares Infrastructure and Power seeks to provide flexible capital for cash-generating assets across the climate infrastructure, natural gas generation, and energy transportation sectors. Ares Infrastructure and Power leverages a broadly skilled and cohesive team of 24 investment professionals with deep domain experience and has deployed $8.3 billion of capital in over 150 investments and more than 200 different infrastructure and power assets and companies, as of September 30, 2019.
About Dimension Renewable Energy
Dimension Renewable Energy was founded in 2018 by leaders in the solar and energy storage industry. Since inception, Dimension has originated and developed over 200 MWs of solar and over 1 GWH of energy storage throughout the United States. Dimension’s first tranche of projects, comprised of solar and solar + storage projects in NY and battery energy storage systems in CA, will start construction in 2020.
