BEGINNINGS
Geronimo Energy was originally founded in 2005 as part of The Rahn Group by Noel P. Rahn, Geronimo’s Chairman. In the few short years that followed, The Rahn Group developed its first two wind farms, the Odin and Marshall Wind Farms in southwestern Minnesota, and rebranded itself as Geronimo Wind Energy.
The Odin Wind Farm is sited solely on land owned by Noel, giving Geronimo a great appreciation for the landowners and communities that host our projects.
Geronimo sold the power from both Odin and Marshall to Missouri River Energy Services, a joint action agency that serves over 60 municipalities in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, and worked with John Deere Renewables to bring Marshall to fruition.
RAPID GROWTH
Realizing the need for capital strength to deliver on its growing pipeline, Geronimo entered into a strategic partnership with Enel Green Power (EGP), a global leading generator of renewable energy in 2009. The first project completed under the EGP and Geronimo partnership was the Prairie Rose Wind Farm, a 200 MW project located in Pipestone County, Minnesota.
In 2013, Geronimo Wind Energy was renamed Geronimo Energy in order to encompass its growth into the broader renewable energy industry as a developer of both wind and solar energy projects. That same year, Geronimo secured its first solar projects, including a multi-store big box retailer and the 100 MW Aurora Solar Capacity Project. In 2014, Geronimo was awarded over 700 megawatts of long term power purchase contracts for both wind and solar projects throughout the United States.
In 2015, Geronimo expanded its solar developments exponentially with a significant Community Solar Garden portfolio and multiple large-scale solar projects throughout the Midwest.
Since its inception, Geronimo has developed over 1,600 megawatts of renewable energy projects that are either operational or will be under construction by the end of 2016. Additionally, Geronimo maintains a 2,000+ MW wind and solar project development portfolio.
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
Built upon its success over the past decade, Geronimo has gained the experience and expertise necessary to bring renewable energy projects from conception to completion. Since its modest beginnings, Geronimo has invested aggressively in its business, which has paid off for both investors and customers.
Development Process
Keeping in line with our farmer friendly practices, Geronimo develops our projects with integrity, transparency and honesty.
We have found that a project has a much higher probability of success when community support is established from the onset of the project. We start each project with a community meeting to educate the footprint landowners and invite them to be involved. We keep our landowners updated on the project’s progress through quarterly or, in some cases, monthly meetings, as well as via update letters and newsletters.
Key aspects of the Geronimo development process include:
- Building a relationship with landowners and their communities
- Measuring the quality of the energy resource
- Gaining access to transmission
- Procuring, permitting and siting
- Selling the power
Partners
Geronimo stands out because we believe in the value of our relationships with everyone in the chain of development. We are proud of the strong partnerships we’ve built with our landowners, utilities, corporations, local governments, communities, construction and manufacturing partners. The mutual respect derived from these relationships affords us the ability to work with customers of all sizes to develop environmentally-friendly projects and to bring the benefits of renewable energy to rural communities across the United States.
Construction and manufacturing partners
Geronimo works with the most recognized and renowned construction and manufacturing companies in the renewable energy industry. We only work with the best: technologically advanced, hardworking and committed to excellence.
Construction
Carstensen Contracting
Mortenson Construction
Wanzek Construction
Turbine Manufacturing
Suzlon
Vestas
Panel Manufacturing
Renesola
First Solar
Jinko
GameChange
RBI
SMA
ABB
Soltec
Bonfiglioli
Finance partners
Geronimo has strong relationships with major capital providers across the industry, including leading tax equity investors, commercial banks, life insurance companies and other financial investors. Our relationships with these providers, as well as our own honed market knowledge, allow Geronimo to access the correct and lowest cost capital for each project, which in turn drives down the cost of our energy and increases project viability. Past project finance partners for Geronimo projects include CIBC, GE Capital, JPMorgan, Met Life, Santander and Wells Fargo, among others. Our project equity partners include Algonquin Power & Utilities, BHE Renewables (a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy), Edison Mission Group (asset sold to NRG), Enel Green Power, John Deere Renewables (now a part of Exelon), and Sempra U.S. Gas & Power (a subsidiary of Sempra Energy).
Power purchase partners
Our power purchasers range in size, scale and location. Geronimo works with leading utilities, corporations and government agencies on a variety of renewable energy projects. As a premier solar and wind developer, our portfolio includes small to large projects in a multitude of geographies and offers power purchasers flexibility in achieving their renewable energy needs and goals. Geronimo has worked with world-class power purchasers, including:
Minnesota Municipal Power Agency
Missouri River Energy Services
Muscatine Power and Water
Omaha Public Power District
U.S. Federal Government, General Services Administration
Xcel Energy
Project ownership partners
The project owners Geronimo has worked with are some of the most renowned and respected in the industry. Nationally and globally recognized for their success in owning and operating renewable energy projects, these project owners not only run efficient and top-performing facilities, but they also keep the welfare of our projects’ host communities top of mind.
Algonquin Power and Utilities Corporation
BHE Renewables
Enel Green Power
NRG
Sempra U.S. Gas and Power
Other partners
Geronimo works with the industry’s top consultants and advisers in fields such as legal, engineering, permitting and environmental work.