Renewable Energy Leader's Forum: Michael Boches, Geoscape Solar

Solar power is one of the fastest growing renewable energy technologies in the world.  Within the United States' burgeoning solar industry, New Jersey is the second-largest solar market.  Through its innovative business practices, Geoscape Solar is emerging as a leading company in New Jersey's booming solar market.

Here is our interview with Geoscape Solar's CEO and co-founder Michael Boches:

PROFILE

Where are you headquartered?

Short Hills, New Jersey.

Number of Employees?

10.

How long has your company been around?

Approximately two years.

Public or Private?

Private.

Sales and operating revenues last fiscal year?

Not to be disclosed.

Profits last fiscal year?

Not to be disclosed.

Company website:  www.geoscapesolar.com
Contact info:  1-8779GEO-SUN1 or info@geoscapesolar.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/geoscapesolar
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/geoscapesolar

INTELLIGENCE

Tell us about your company's main technology/service?

Geoscape Solar delivers innovative solar consulting, design, and installation services.  the company is taking solar energy mainstream with New Jersey's first residential solar leasing program and creative financing solutions for businesses.

Geoscape Solar handles each step of the solar energy system design and installation process, including:  financing; site engineering; permit and incentive applications; professional installation; coordination of municipal, state, and utility inspection; and system activation and management.  In addition, the company offers maintenance and monitoring as well as SREC brokerage services.

What is unique about your technology/service?

The founders have a proven history of building successful companies and launched Geoscape Solar with the mission of bringing professionalism and high standards to a fragmented solar market.  The company brings a unique investment and consultative approach to the solar market and was the first in New jersey to offer residential solar leases. Geoscape Solar is self-funded and works with banks to back its leasing and financing programs.

How will your technology/service transform the energy sector?

Geoscape Solar is intent on greening New Jersey, the region and eventually the entire nation, one home and one business at a time. The company is reshaping the East Coast’s environmental landscape by taking solar energy mainstream with New Jersey’s first simple method for residential financing and creative business financing for deploying effective solar paneling solutions.

How does your company compare to its main competitors?

Geoscape Solar rises above a fragmented solar market by bringing professionalism and high standards.  With an emphasis on education, honesty, and simplicity, the company works closely with every customer, so that they have the right energy solution to meet the needs of each installation.  Geoscape Solar believes that consumers should have a choice, and that the industry needs to adopt standards of quality and professionalism.

Geoscape Solar provides turnkey solutions and helps customers benefit from the incentives and energy savings that make it simple for them to create sustainable homes and businesses.

The management team has decades of experience in building successful companies. They are committed to exploring and leveraging new financing and technology solutions. This is evident by the launch of the first residential financing program in New Jersey and the company’s use of micro-inverters on their solar panel systems, which increases uptime and allows the panels to work independently of each other, thus decreasing chances of system failure when a panel is shaded.

VISION

What are the guiding principles of your company?

Geoscape Solar believes solar energy and other clean technologies should be affordable and simple to implement for all.  By stressing the importance of education and cutting through the complexity of financing and incentive jargon, the company helps consumers and businesses reap the investment and environmental benefit from solar power.

This consulting approach helps customers understand alternative, get educate on solar energy, choose a program, have site surveys and get their questions answered carefully and completely.

With the current pricing of solar panels, the federal tax rebates in place and the concern over environmental issues, right now is the perfect storm for consumers to switch to solar energy. However, it is difficult to understand how solar works, and the process for getting approvals and rebates could prove to be a hassle.

What do you think is the role of government when it comes to growing the renewable and clean energy sector?

The government should continue to subsidize clean and renewable energies by providing a range of incentives and benefits. Though the price of alternative energy systems has come come down, they still cannot compete directly with the low-cost of our subsidized fossil fuel industry.

Government incentives are crucial to making the economics work for alternative energy customers and need to be long-term, stable, and reliable.  Government-led clean energy policy is good public policy and leads to a range of benefits from economical (industry and job growth) environmental.

People are sometimes reluctant to change and up-front costs can add to the challenge and make it more difficult to justify clean energy investments.  That is why the government should continue to help with a push and incentives.

When it comes to your business/product, what inspires you?

The ability to combine helping the environment at the same time as helping customers make money is remarkable. There are very few industries where everyone wins – in solar, we win by selling great clean energy systems, our customers win by making money and feeling good about their actions, and the planet wins with the proliferation of a sustainable clean energy source.

What is your overall outlook of the renewable energy sector over the next 3 years? Is it: very positive -- positive -- neutral -- negative -- very negative? Please elaborate if you would like.

Very positive. With rising public awareness of carbon emission issues and recent fossil fuel tragedies like the BP Gulf incident, the future of renewables has never looked brighter. Green energy and technologies are going to be the industrial boom of the next 20 years.

Micael Boches Bio

As co-founder and CEO of Geoscape Solar, Michael Boches is responsible for planning and implementing the company’s business strategy, including financing, system design, administration, marketing and operational strategy.

Mr. Boches has over 20 years of experience in media, telecom, investment banking and solar industries. Prior to founding Geoscape Solar, he was vice president of corporate development for Verizon, where he led a team of more than 14 professionals in assessing and structuring strategic opportunities. Mr. Boches also held senior roles at Bear Stearns, Smith Barney and Chemical Bank, where he executed billions of dollars of mergers, IPOs and debt financing for corporate and private equity clients in a wide range of industries.

Mr. Boches is an active member of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the American Solar Energy Society (ASES). He received an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Image credit: Wayne National Forest via Flickr

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