vice president of development. florida solar energy ...in the summer of 2012, i took another summer...

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FLORIDA SOLAR ENERGY INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION 2018-2020 TERM DIRECTOR NOMINATION

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION FORM The FlaSEIA Nominating Committee will be meeting in the future to establish the slate of directors for the 2018-2020 term. If you are interested in serving as a FlaSEIA director for the 2018-2020 term, please complete and submit this form, along with a current photo of yourself, to the FlaSEIA office for inclusion on the FlaSEIA 2018 Ballot no later than Monday, July 2. If additional space is required, please feel free to utilize a separate sheet of paper. Name: __________________________________________________________________________

Member Company: ________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address: __________________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: ___________________________________________________________________

Phone: (____)_____________________________ FAX: (____)__________________________

E-mail Address:

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Please list your title with the member company and your responsibilities: _________________________________________________________________________________

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Please list any associations that you have been a member of: _________________________________________________________________________________

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Please list any associations that you have been a director of along with the number of years you served: Association Name Number of Years Served _________________________________________________________________________________

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Engineers Without Borders, Florida State University Chapter - Advisory Board Member 3

UNHCR's Energy & Environment Unit - Advisory Board Member 2

IDEAS For Us - Board of Directors 3

Human Commission for Refugees (UNHCR); and IDEAS For Us.

Young Professional in Energy; Solar Energy Industries Association; Engineers Without Borders; United Nations

acquisition, local and state-level permitting, interconnection process, community relations and contract negotiation).

go-to-market strategy, and project-level development (including the management of customer acquisition, real estate

As a commercial, industrial and utility-scale solar development company, my responsibilities include market development,

Vice President of Development.

[email protected]

n/a658-4531954

Lake Mary, Florida 32746

108 Commerce St | Suite 105

Renergetica USA Corporation

Justin Vandenbroeck

DocuSign Envelope ID: 260B962D-2E7F-4911-B570-DDCCB1021913

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Please list any association that you have been an officer of along with the number of years you served and the position held (i.e., President, President Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past President): Association Name Number of

Years Served Position held _________________________________________________________________________________

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Please list any associations= committees that you have served on along with the number of years you served and your position on the committee (i.e., chairman, co-chairman, member): Association Name Number of

Years Served Position on the Committee

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Have you ever been found guilty of an ethics violation by an association or convicted of a felony while serving on any of these boards? Yes _____ No _____ If yes, please explain: _________________________________________________________________________________

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IDEAS For Us - Fundraising Committee Co-Chairman 3

IDEAS For Us - Secretary of the Board of Directors 1

IDEAS For Us - Vice President of the Board of Directors 2


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Please give a brief description of your educational background which relates to the solar industry: _________________________________________________________________________________

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Please give a brief description of your past job experiences which relates to the solar industry: _________________________________________________________________________________

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Please give a brief description of any other career accomplishments that would further highlight a candidate=s worth which relates to the solar industry: _________________________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________________ Please give a brief description of why you would like to serve on the FlaSEIA Board of Directors and how you feel you can help the Board of Directors: _________________________________________________________________________________

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By submitting and signing this application for nomination to the FlaSEIA Board of Directors, you agree to abide by the By-Laws, Articles of Incorporation and Code of Ethics of the association. You also agree that your are giving FlaSEIA permission to disburse, publish or reprint the above information to its members through e-mail, mail, publication in the newsletter, etc. I attest that the above information is true and correct. __________________________________ ____________________________________ Name (Signature) Date __________________________________ Name (Printed)

Please see attachment.



Please see attached.


Justin Vandenbroeck

7/2/2018 5:37:35 AM PDT

Please give a brief description of your educational background which relates to the solar industry:

Question

Truly, my educational background which relates to the solar industry has largely been through experiential learning. In the Summer of 2010, while studying engineering at Florida State University, I walked up my stairs with an arm full of textbooks to kick off the first day of the Summer Classes. Unexpectedly, a random individual in a Prius pulled aside my apartment building to inquire as to what I was studying. When I told him I was studying engineering, he asked me if I could help him put together a layout for a residential solar installation using “that drafting software” (AutoCAD). That inquiry transformed my life. Long story short, the very next day I dropped all my summer classes, joined ProSolar Systems, and spent 60-70 hours a week for 14 weeks straight, installing solar panels on residential and commercial buildings in Tallahassee, Florida before the $4/Watt Solar Energy System Incentive Program expired. Four years later, I graduated with a B.S. in Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering at FSU; and was one of the youngest in the U.S. to have passed the North American Board of Certified Energy Practioners (NABCEP) PV Installation Professional Exam. As you’ll see in the next section, my “educational background” in solar has largely been experiential.

Question

From the Summer of 2010 until the Spring of 2014 when I graduated college, I worked for ProSolar Systems. What started as a “PV Installation Assistant”, led into becoming the “Manager of Engineering, Procurement and Construction” where I served in a lead installation role in roughly 50 installation, electrically engineered 30 project (up to a 130 kW) and brokered $10M+ of solar equipment for the organization. During my tenure at ProSolar, I took the Summer of 2011 off to join SolarWorld Americas in Camarillo, California at the oldest solar module manufacturing plant in the country. At SolarWorld, I was an Engineering Intern, supporting the development and testing of their single axis tracker; along with the engineering of an outdoor solar module testing facility so they could gain module level data (IV Curve, Cell Temperature, Voc, Isc, etc.) on their competition. SolarWorld is where I learned to appreciate the history of solar. In the Summer of 2012, I took another summer off from ProSolar and went to Washington D.C. to work in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). At EERE, I was a Communications Intern where I coordinated with Grantee’s of President Obama’s Economic Stimulus Act and helped quantify the measureable impact ( kWh’s produced, $’s saved, jobs created, economics impact, etc.) and took that data to create State Fact Sheets for the U.S. Congress so they may understand the impact this funding was having in their districts.

Please give a brief description of your past job experiences which relates to the solar industry:

Please give a brief description of your past job experiences which relates to the solar industry (Continued): Fast forward to May 2014, when I graduated from FSU, I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to join SunEdison in a two-year leadership development rotation program at their headquarters in San Francisco, CA. At SunEdison, I did three rotations:

1. Financial Planning & Analysis: where I spent six months learning the ins and outs of accounting and financial planning for a solar energy company (budget vs. actuals, financial forecasting, MW forecasting, etc.). That was painfully educational.

2. International Off-Grid Solar: where I spent six months in East Africa, India and Nepal, working with off-grid communities, Ministries of Energy and non-profit organizations to develop solar-powered micro-grids.

3. Utility-Scale Solar: where I spent 14 months working as a Project Development Manager for a 18 MW DC project in Henderson, Nevada, just outside Las Vegas’ city limits. (Photo on Pg. 11)

In late 2016 when SunEdison filed for Bankruptcy, I left California and returned to Florida to join ESA Renewables (ESA) as a Project Developer. At ESA, I supported the development and permitting for six, 5 MW DC solar projects in North Carolina. Additionally, I originated a 60 MW DC solar project for Tampa Electric Company one of the only non-utility led projects to become part of the Florida Investor Owned Utilities’ Solar Base Rate Adjustment Settlement (SoBRA). Notably, this project is sited on land largely owned by Republican Senate Majority Leader, Wilton Simpson, who I’ve developed a strong relationship with. In early 2018, myself and a couple others formerly at ESA Renewables helped open the USA office for an Italian solar energy company known as Renergetica. At Renergetica, I am the Vice President of Development.

Please give a brief description of any other career accomplishments that would further highlight a candidates worth which relates to the solar industry:

While a significant amount of my career accomplishments were highlighted in the last question, I’m most recently proud of a 3 kW system that I had the honor to work with FSU administration on approving and subsequently leading the fundraising for, engineering and installation on Florida State University’s campus in 2017. The system is located just outside Doak Campbell Stadium. During the Ribbon Cutting, we had over fifty students, faculty, staff and administration present where I had the opportunity to speak to the audience and emphasize the importance for Universities in the Sunshine State to be leading in solar energy deployment and innovation. Notably, Florida Public Service Commissioner, Donald Polmann, attended the ribbon cutting and I was able to have a thirty minute meeting with him to build a relationship and advocate for a fair, just and equitable solar market here in the Sunshine State. We have since met twice to continue these discussions.

Please give a brief description of why you would like to serve on the FlaSEIA Board of Directors and how you feel you can help the Board of Directors:

Question

I want to start by saying that a portion of my success can be attributed to the Florida solar industry, notably FlaSEIA, who has been helping cultivate a solar market since the late 1970’s. By being a part of FlaSEIA’s Board of Directors, I’m standing on the shoulders of giants who dedicated their life to this industry. For that I’m humbled by this opportunity. Per the question of why, I firmly believe in the power of public policy in not only shaping but protecting markets. Furthermore, I recognize that in order to have a powerful advocacy group, it is critically important that we have strong relationships and a mutual level of respect for the various stakeholders involved in Florida’s energy landscape. As someone who has dedicated their entire 20’s to the solar industry with a start in Florida, I believe it’s my duty work with FlaSEIA on shaping and protecting our solar market. Per the question of how, I believe that the diversity of my experiences in solar, my relationships and my age are three key ways in which I can help the Board of Directors. Having worked in installation, engineering, procurement, manufacturing, government, finance, and development, across residential, commercial and utility-scale solar, I believe that I can truly empathize and understand the challenges that our constituents may be facing. I also believe that transforming that understanding into action is an area in which I may be able to leverage my relationships across the State in order to advance our cause (continued on next page).

Please give a brief description of why you would like to serve on the FlaSEIA Board of Directors and how you feel you can help the Board of Directors (Continued):

Question

Specifically, I feel as if I can strongly support FlaSEIA with stakeholder engagement, partnerships and advocacy in not only Tallahassee but across the State, especially here in Central Florida. In Central Florida, I am on the Board of Directors of IDEAS For Us, a non-profit organization that develops and funds local sustainability actions. This group has chapters at Valencia College, University of Central Florida, Seminole State, University of Florida and several other key institutions. I believe this young constituency of millennials who are passionate about solar energy and sustainability is an important group to have access to as we develop policies and programs. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, in order for FlaSEIA to continue to innovate, it is critically important that FlaSEIA’s leadership becomes inter-generational. Given that the average age of the Board of Directors is beyond 40 years old, our ability to convey the needs of millennial’s who are entering the solar workforce is limited. As we seek to grow the Florida solar industry and advocate for policies that create jobs in the clean energy economy, it is important that we can have millennial representation as many of my peers are beyond eager to participate in the solar industry.

Notable Projects

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River Mountains Solar in Henderson, Nevada | 18 MW DC; served as Project Development Manager

Notable Projects

Question

95 kW and 130 kW Commercial Projects in U.S. Virgin Islands. Led electrical engineering, procurement and construction.

vice president of development. florida solar energy ...in the summer of 2012, i took another summer...

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