Sunlight Planet Targets Energy Project Financing

VENICE, CA-Sunlight Planet, a specialist in financial and advisory services for solar and wind energy projects, has just played a key role in the completion of a new 100KW wind turbine project on Long Island in New York that “represents the future of commercial wind and solar energy in the US,” in the words of Paul Le Blanc, Sunlight’s president and co-founder. Sunlight, which Le Blanc established in 2009, acted as lead legal and regulatory adviser to Eastern Energy Systems in connection with Eastern’s development and installation of a wind turbine for the 1,200-acre Half Hollow Nursery in Riverhead, NY.

The Long Island wind turbine is just one example of the types of wind and solar power projects for which Venice-based Sunlight can either help developers secure financing, provide legal and regulatory advisory services―or both, according to Rachael Wexler, Sunlight CEO and co-founder. Wexler is a former partner at the Century City office of law firm Goodwin Procter who stepped into the CEO role at Sunlight in November. She tells GlobeSt.com that Sunlight’s mission―which includes a focus on the solar potential of commercial and industrial buildings―aims to turn the hype of renewable energy’s promise into reality. “We believe the best way to do that is to facilitate more financing for renewable energy projects,” the Sunlight CEO says.

Before establishing Sunlight, Le Blanc was the CEO/president of October Financial, a financial advisory firm, and before that was a vice president of Kane & Co., an investment banking firm. Wexler specialized in private equity, venture capital, mergers and other corporate finance-related matters at Goodwin Procter, where she also advised clients in the alternative energy and recycling industries. Before that, she was an SVP at US Bancorp Libra, an investment banking and brokerage firm. In addition to its expertise in finance, legal and regulatory advisory services, Sunlight has assembled a team of advisers with expertise in solar technology, environmental consulting services and sustainable building practices. The company has also established preferred relationships with lenders and is pursuing additional such relationships.