Cleanleaf Energy has announced a major new agreement with Heelstone Renewable Energy to provide operations and maintenance (O&M) services for solar projects totaling 350 MW. This partnership significantly enhances Cleanleaf's utility-scale portfolio, which focuses on managing solar and battery energy storage (BESS) projects. The portfolio under this agreement includes five solar projects—four located in Georgia and one in Pennsylvania—all owned by Heelstone Renewable Energy.
CleanLeaf Energy and Heelstone in Renewable Power
Cleanleaf Energy was formed around June 2022 when Borrego O&M announced the spin-off and sale of its solar and energy storage development business to maximize its focus on engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and operations and maintenance (O&M) work.
Heelstone was launched in 2012 initially with projects in North Carolina. By 2016 the company had expanded its development into California and in 2019 received an investment from Ares Infrastructure and Power, to help develop its utility-scale solar projects across the United States. In January of 2024, Heelstone was acquired by Qualitas Energy, at which time the developer reportedly had a portfolio of 20 GW of solar and storage assets.
New Utility-Scale Projects
The new portfolio involves the signing of agreements to provide operations and maintenance (O&M) services to new utility-scale projects totaling 350 MW in Georgia and Pennsylvania. The O&M agreements, set for five years with automatic renewals, will cover the projects scheduled to become operational within the next 30 to 90 days. This expansion underscores Cleanleaf Energy's growing role in the renewable energy sector, particularly in the management and optimization of large-scale solar installations.
“We did our homework, and Cleanleaf stood out with the most advanced and competitive services and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship on these and future projects.” A representative from Heelstone Renewable Energy’s leadership team stated.
Support From Realtime Operations Center
Cleanleaf's state-of-the-art Realtime Operations Center (ROC) in Dallas will support the newly acquired projects. The ROC is central to Cleanleaf's dedication to delivering exceptional service and operational support. The center is primed to address client needs promptly, ensuring the highest standards of reliability and performance.
Cleanleaf's CEO, Mikael Backman, expressed enthusiasm about this development, stating, "This achievement underscores our capabilities and readiness to handle more utility-scale projects and the synergies of our large DG footprint in 27 states combined with a growing utility-scale portfolio creates an exciting future for effective, high performing O&M services to the solar industry. We are excited about the future and our role in making the energy transition a permanent reality.”
This development marks a substantial step forward in Cleanleaf's mission to support the energy transition and underscores its readiness to manage and optimize large-scale solar installations effectively.