Arena Renewables

Arena Renewables operates as a developer of community and distributed solar and storage projects across the United States. The company was established in 2023 by industry veterans Matthew Kozey, Geoff Johnson, and Patrick Grumley. The founding team combines approximately three decades of experience spanning the renewables, utilities, and real estate sectors.

CEO Matthew Kozey, President and CDO Geoff Johnson, and COO Patrick Grumley launched the venture to capitalize on opportunities presented by policies like the Inflation Reduction Act to accelerate the energy transition. Johnson previously led development and commercial strategies for 1 GW of community solar projects and was Head of Distributed Generation at Cypress Creek Renewables. Grumley's background includes roles as COO at Mint House, a VC-backed real estate operator, and as a consultant at Bain & Company in the Private Equity and Strategy practice areas. This blend of experience in project development, real estate, and strategic operations underpins the company's approach.

The firm’s business model centers on a "policy-led" strategy, identifying markets with favorable regulations for distributed energy resources. Arena Renewables develops solar and storage projects, with a particular focus on community solar and corporate offtake agreements. It manages the entire pre-construction development process, from site selection and land acquisition to navigating permitting and interconnection with utilities. Revenue is generated through the sale of these de-risked, construction-ready projects to long-term owner-operators. For landowners, Arena offers lease payments or upfront income for use of their land, handling all development and construction costs. The company's projects aim to provide lower power bills and clean energy access to local communities and businesses.

In May 2025, Arena Renewables completed the sale of a 40-megawatt portfolio of six solar projects in Illinois to Summit Ridge Energy. These projects are designed to power over 6,000 homes annually. Shortly after, in August 2025, the company entered into a significant partnership with CleanCapital, a diversified clean energy firm. Under this agreement, CleanCapital acquired Arena Renewables and will provide a combination of debt and equity to finance the development of a substantial portfolio of distributed solar projects in markets including Illinois and Maryland. This partnership enables Arena to accelerate its growth while CleanCapital will own and operate the developed assets long-term. At the time of the partnership, Arena had built a project pipeline exceeding 500 MW.

Keywords: community solar developer, distributed solar projects, energy storage development, solar project financing, corporate PPA, solar offtake agreements, renewable energy project sales, solar land lease, utility interconnection, renewable energy policy, distributed generation, solar asset development, Illinois solar market, Maryland solar market, clean energy infrastructure, energy transition, Matthew Kozey, Geoff Johnson, Patrick Grumley, CleanCapital partnership, Summit Ridge Energy transaction, solar project pipeline