Community Energy, Inc. (CEI) was founded in 1999 to ignite the market for fuel-free energy and develop solar and wind generation. CEI built the voluntary market for renewable energy, spurring the demand for hundreds of megawatts of new wind generation with retail customers ahead of state mandates. Now a leading solar developer, CEI has developed hundreds of MW of utility-scale solar across the country including two of the largest projects nation-wide in Georgia and Colorado. CEI also develops customer-sited and community-scale solar projects for businesses, universities, and residential customers. The company was awarded the American Wind Energy Association’s “Market-Maker” Award in 2002, and its Keystone Project received the Photovoltaic Projects of Distinction Award at PV America East in 2013. Those awards recognize what CEI does best—innovative marketing that builds new renewable generation. 

Community Energy is a clean energy company uniquely positioned on both sides of the supply-demand equation. We build solar and wind energy projects by engaging customers through products and services that make these projects possible. Since our founding in 1999, we've developed over 700 MW of wind and 650 MW of solar with the help of our more than 100,000 residential and commercial customers.

Company History

Community Energy, Inc. (CEI) was founded in 1999 to ignite the market and develop the supply of fuel-free energy. Under the leadership of its founders, CEI built the voluntary market for renewable energy, spurring the demand for hundreds of Megawatts of new wind generation ahead of state mandates. CEI currently delivers renewable energy to over 100,000 customers through direct sales and over 20 partnerships with electric utilities and suppliers. The company was awarded the American Wind Energy Association’s “Market-Maker” Award in 2002.

While leading the voluntary market for renewable energy, CEI also began developing wind farms. CEI was the lead developer and remains part owner of the high-profile 7.5 MW Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm in Atlantic City, NJ, the only wind farm in the state, in 2005. This project blends wholesale and retail electric markets by delivering half of its electricity output behind-the-meter directly to the facility that hosts the project and the other half to the grid. Also in 2005, Community Energy earned the Department of Energy’s “Green Power Supplier” Award.

CEI built a $1.5 billion pipeline of over 500 MW additional utility-scale wind farms before being acquired by Iberdrola Renewables, the world’s largest renewable energy company at the time. CEI continued to grow its renewable energy marketing business under separate branding while Iberdrola absorbed its development team and project pipeline. In 2008, CEI founders Brent Alderfer and Eric Blank oversaw the construction of over 700MW of wind projects.

In August 2009, CEI’s founders spun off the company from Iberdrola Renewables, returning the company to independent status to focus on the emerging solar energy market. In the winter of 2009-2010, CEI completed its first rooftop, behind-the-meter solar projects and began developing utility-scale solar projects. Community Energy has developed 40MW of solar and currently has a pipeline of  utility-scale solar projects in varying stages of development.

Throughout its strong development history, Community Energy has helped finance renewable energy projects by marketing the benefits of renewable energy to residential and commercial customers. For over ten years, CEI has collaborated with partners and customers to communicate the value of their commitments to renewable energy. Such partners include electric utility companies and leading corporate brands. CEI’s green power programs regularly earn notable rankings on the nation’s top ten green power programs lists.

COMMUNITY ENERGY SOLAR

A LEADER IN RENEWABLE ENERGY

Since its inception in 1999, Community Energy has led renewable energy development and the construction of more than 1,000 MW of wind and solar generating facilities across the U.S.  Community Energy has used a pioneering mix of utility off-take approaches, renewable energy marketing, new financing structures, development expertise, and public policy support to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy technologies at scale. Our management team has a proven track record of energy development, and is now focusing almost exclusively on solar photovoltaic technologies and projects.  With a large and growing national pipeline of solar projects, Community Energy is positioned to remain one of the most innovative and reliable developers of utility grade solar.