About Us
Otter Clean Energy Partners (“OCEP”) is a clean energy developer and investment fund manager that will facilitate the growth of the clean energy market in Canada by removing the upfront capital cost barrier to investment in distributed energy.
Our Mission
To facilitate the transition to a decentralized, carbon- free energy system by increasing awareness of the benefits of distributed generation technologies, removing upfront cost barriers and performance risk of these investments.
Our Vision
OCEP’s objective is to leverage its knowledge of the technical, economic, and financial aspects of distributed energy technologies, in particular solar PV, to provide customers with environmentally preferred electricity at or below grid costs through long term agreements, either leases or Power Purchase Agreements (“PPA”), while providing investors stable, predictable cashflows at a high risk- adjusted return.
Meet the Team
OCEP’s principals are renewable energy sector veterans, each with over 10 years experience related to the development, financing, construction and operation of solar PV in Canada and the U.S.
Tyler Blower
Director
Tyler Blower, President, Otter Energy Inc., is an Ontario renewable energy sector veteran that has been designing and building solar PV projects in Ontario since 2009. Since that time, Mr. Blower has lead the design and construction of over 200 projects representing over 75 MW. Mr. Blower brings a wealth of solar PV cost and construction experience to the OCEP team.
Peter Vogel
Director
Peter Vogel, Director Business Development, Otter Energy Inc., has been working in solar PV since 2011. He co-co-founded Tandem Solar Inc. which financed third party owned solar and battery storage projects throughout the southwest U.S. Since 2016, he has been originating solar PV projects in Ontario for several companies including Tandem Solar Systems Canada and Otter Energy Inc. Mr. Vogel has a very detailed and nuanced understanding of solar PV costs and economics and has developed 12 MW of solar PV in the US and Canada.
Jonathan Cheszes
Director
Jonathan Cheszes is the President of Compass Renewable Energy Consulting Inc. He has worked in the renewable energy sector in Canada since 2007, first working with the Ontario Power Authority, on the design and development of renewable energy programs in Ontario including the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program and the Feed-in Tariff program. Mr. Cheszes has been consulting to the renewable energy marketplace since 2010 and has advised on a variety of mergers and acquisitions in the utility scale market, led the development of over 140 solar PV projects under the FIT program as well as behind the meter net metering and battery storage projects for Panasonic Eco Solutions Canada Inc. and more recently has been originating and advising on the repowering of FIT 1 contracts in Ontario in collaboration with Otter Energy Inc. He has a detailed understanding of the economics of distributed energy technologies and is an investor in solar PV contracts in Ontario and in Saskatchewan totalling over 8 MW.
Removing Material Barriers To Solar Energy
Despite having crossed over the “holy grail” of grid parity, in most markets in Canada, there remain material barriers to the deployment of distributed solar PV and battery storage. As industry veterans who understand both the value and future potential of solar energy, the owners of Otter Clean Energy Partners set out to remove these barriers to make solar a viable solution for all businesses.
These material barriers include:
Upfront Capital Expenditures
There’s a lot of money needed up front, and those without experience in solar may have trouble taking the plunge. Instead, OCEP covers capital expense and you pay a predictable, monthly fee.
Perceived Operation and Performance Risk
Solar systems require proper design and engineering to maximize the value for each particular building and location. Working with the leading experts removes this performance risk.
Awareness: Distributed Generation economics
We understand that only early adopters so far have taken advantage of solar. The technology has come a long way in the past 10 years alone. We’re here to not only show, but prove the value of solar to your building, your community, and your bottom line.
Professional Builders And Expert Consultants
Otter Clean Energy Partners is the culmination of over a decades work by two major solar players in the North American market. Combining the consulting expertise of Compass Energy Consulting with the large construction portfolio of Otter Energy, the team has come together to create a full turnkey solution to solar energy as a service.