Employee Spotlight – Ricardo Herrera Jimenez

Meet the newest teammate at Treaty Oak Clean Energy — Ricardo Herrera Jimenez, Senior Associate in Project Finance. We asked Ricardo to provide a brief bio, why he is interested in the industry, and what made Treaty Oak Clean Energy the right organization for him.

 

What is your professional background and other interests?

I am a renewable energy project finance professional with 3 years of industry experience in developing, contracting, financing (tax equity and debt), and selling/transferring projects. My primary experience to date has been solar and storage projects in the MISO, TVA, Florida, and South Carolina territories.

 

Prior to joining the renewable energy industry, I worked in banking under the risk management function. My work emphasized harnessing big data sets for analysis and risk modeling, using varying software and programing languages to develop data tools and reports.

 

I have a bachelor of science in economics from the University of Florida and a graduate certificate in Solar Energy from Penn State University.

 

Why are you interested in the renewable / clean energy industry?

When I started studying finance and economics, I was shocked by the global dependence on oil. My sense was that political tension and many economic downturns were the consequence of fossil fuels as the main commodity. This realization and the fact that renewable, clean energy will drive the new, green economy made it very attractive as my career focus.

 

I believe strongly that the work we are doing within the renewable energy industry is critical to reducing harms to our environment and ultimately supporting continued life on earth. This belief led me to further study sustainability and solar energy, which further confirmed my interests in dedicating my career to harnessing, sustainably and affordably, solar and other clean energies.

 

What made Treaty Oak Clean Energy the right organization for you? 

Treaty Oak Clean Energy first and foremost has the right people, every successful company and community is built by and with the right team. This is also reflected by the company’s culture and approach — to not focus on a large pipeline of projects, but rather focus on high-quality, economically viable projects. In addition, there is a healthy and purposeful drive for success, and success is collectively rewarded. In this new-era of our industry, Treaty Oak Clean Energy is an organization with people that clearly grasp the challenges and opportunities ahead and is well positioned to adapt and evolve to make valuable contributions to the overall energy transition. Because of this, I wanted to be and am happy to be part of the team.