'07 MRLS Alum Discusses Wind Energy in Boulder

Danny Splettstosser graduated from DU’s MRLS program in the winter of 2007. After working for 3 years as one of Electricite De France – Renewable Energy’s first utility scale solar project developers, he returned home to Colorado. Danny is currently the Manager of Business Development for juwi Wind based out of Boulder Colorado. Danny runs a small team of business developers which specialize in utility scale wind project mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, and renewable energy power sales.

Over the past two years, Danny has focused on diversification of juwi’s wind energy portfolio away from the uncertainties of U.S. renewable energy tax credits. In particular, Danny has been instrumental in beach-heading new markets the Canadian Maritimes provinces. Creation of this new market opportunity has included: working with Canadian corporate and tax counsel to create a viable and financeable corporate structure; leading acquisitions of more than a half dozen community wind projects; comprehensive coordination of project development activities with internal and external contract project developers; securing provincial and municipal permits; coordinating interconnection studies and interconnection agreements; leading the negotiation of four joint ventures with community wind project co-owners, three of which are with First Nations, and subsequently managing those joint ventures; leading a consortium of market participants in PPA negotiations with Nova Scotia Power under their Community Feed-In-Tariff including assisting in writing filings for Nova Scotia’s Utility Review Board; preparation of a portfolio of more than $65 million of wind energy projects for finance and construction in 2014; leading efforts for further diversification within the Canadian wind energy market.

Key elements of his course work at DU which have directly applied to his work experience are: Land Use Development Law, Environmental Law (particularly related to NEPA processes), Corporate Social Responsibility and  Renewable Energy Finance.

Danny shares, “The work is extremely challenging, but every day before I go to work, I get to tell my son that ‘Daddy is off to save the world’  and that’s a pretty good feeling.”