SMP 212: How Tigo Is Powering the Next Wave of Smarter Solar

Solar Maverick Podcast

Episode Summary:

In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, Benoy Thanjan speaks with JD Dillon, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at Tigo Energy. This conversation dives into how Tigo is transforming residential solar with a smarter, service-driven approach. JD shares insights from his unique career journey — from West Point and semiconductors to helping lead the turnaround at Enphase, and now steering Tigo’s growth as a public company.

The discussion explores the growing importance of software and service in solar, the booming market for repowering legacy systems, and why bipartisan support makes solar a winning issue across the political spectrum. JD also highlights lessons from semiconductor manufacturing, the value of veteran leadership in clean energy, and how Tigo’s open ecosystem and installer-first mindset are setting the company apart.

Key Topics Covered:

• Tigo’s evolution from MLPE to full energy solutions
• Why service and software will define the next era of solar
• Repowering as a high-growth opportunity for residential solar
• How open ecosystems and rapid install feedback drive innovation
• The intersection of military leadership and renewable energy
• U.S. vs. global rooftop solar adoption rates — and how to catch up
• What the solar industry can learn from semiconductors
• Why solar transcends political divisions and continues to scale
• Trends in storage, energy independence, and grid resilience

Benoy Thanjan

Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy and he is also an advisor for several solar startup companies. He has extensive project origination, development, and financial experience in the renewable energy industry and in the environmental commodities market.

This includes initial site evaluation, permitting, financing, sourcing equipment, and negotiating the long-term energy and environmental commodities off-take agreements. He manages due diligence processes on land, permitting, and utility interconnection and is in charge of financing
and structuring through Note to Proceed (“NTP”) to Commercial Operation Date (“COD”). Benoy composes teams suitable for all project development and construction tasks. He is also involved in project planning and pipeline financial modeling. He has been part of all sides of the
transaction and this allows him to provide unique perspectives and value.

Benoy has extensive experience in financial engineering to make solar projects profitable.

Before founding Reneu Energy, he was the SREC Trader in the Project Finance Group for SolarCity which merged with Tesla in 2016. He originated SREC trades with buyers and co-developed their SREC monetization and hedging strategy with the senior management of SolarCity to move into the east coast markets.

Benoy was the Vice President at Vanguard Energy Partners which is a national solar installer where he focused on project finance solutions for commercial scale solar projects. He also worked for Ridgewood Renewable Power, a private equity fund, where he analyzed potential investments in renewable energy projects and worked on maximizing the financial return of the projects in the portfolio. Benoy also worked on the sale of all of the renewable energy projects in Ridgewood’s portfolio.

He was in the Energy Structured Finance practice for Deloitte & Touche and in Financial Advisory Services practice at Ernst & Young. Benoy received his first experience in Finance as an intern at D.E. Shaw & Co., which is a global investment firm with 37 billion dollars in investment capital. He has a MBA in Finance from Rutgers University and a BS in Finance and Economics from the Stern School of Business at New York University. Benoy was an Alumni Scholar at the Stern School of Business.

James (JD) Dillon

CHIEF MARKETING & CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OFFICER at Tigo Energy

JD leads branding, demand generation, and communications functions in addition to the technical service and support teams at Tigo Energy. His experience spans the U.S. Armed Forces, semiconductors, solid-state drives, as well as solar hardware and software solutions. His functional leadership has impacted pricing, new product introduction, customer experience, and communications at all levels. Prior to joining Tigo in 2020, JD spent over 3 years as the VP of Marketing and Pricing at Enphase Energy.

Stay Connected:

Benoy Thanjan

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: Benoy Thanjan

Website: https://www.reneuenergy.com

JD Dillon

Website: https://www.tigoenergy.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jd-dillon/

Summer Solstice Fundraiser

Join Reneu Energy, Positive Deviancy, and the Solar Maverick Podcast for the 2025 Summer Solstice Fundraiser!

Celebrate the warm weather with us at the Summer Solstice Fundraiser, hosted by Reneu Energy, Positive Deviancy ,and the Solar Maverick Podcast. This special evening will take place on Thursday, June 5th, from 6 PM to 10 PM at Hudson Hall in Jersey City, NJ. We'll also be raising funds for the Let's Share the Sun Foundation, which aids impoverished communities in harnessing solar energy.

Event Highlights:

-Venue: Hudson Hall, a Czech biergarten and smokehouse co-owned by Benoy, CEO of Reneu Energy.

-Time: 6 PM to 10 PM, with delicious food throughout the evening.

-Tickets: $50

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/reneuenergy/1653652