Grace Power began her career as legislative liaison for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. Since then, she has established herself as one of the state’s most respected lawyers — and leaders — in energy policy, serving as a partner at McCarter & English.
Last week, Power joined Asbury Park-based Solar Landscape, the nation’s leading commercial solar and community solar developer as general counsel and executive vice president for government affairs.
The move comes at a good time for both Power and Solar Landscape, as the company has nearly quadrupled in size over the last three years, jumping from 60 employees in 2021 to nearly 240 today.
“We’re thrilled to have Grace join the Solar Landscape team,” co-founder and CEO Shaun Keegan said. “She’s recognized nationally as a thought leader in clean energy, and her policy and political acumen will be valuable as we continue to expand our footprint across the country.”
ROI-NJ caught up with Power about the move and her vision for a sunnier future.
ROI-NJ: You’ve had leadership positions in clean energy for your entire career. What prompted this move?
Grace Power: This was a natural transition for me, having served as outside counsel for Solar Landscape over the past two years as a partner at McCarter & English. Just in that time alone, the company has more than doubled, has moved into new national headquarters in Asbury Park and has become the nation’s leader in developing solar on commercial rooftops.
ROI: Talk about your role at the company.
GP: I’m looking forward to advising on a variety of general legal issues and guiding our lobbying efforts nationally in close coordination with our policy team. Solar Landscape’s expansion into other states, such as Maryland, Illinois and Pennsylvania, is particularly exciting for me, as they open up entirely new marketplaces and opportunities for innovation in commercial solar and community solar.
ROI: Clean energy has been a big priority in the state in recent years. What clean energy lessons has New Jersey learned that can help the rest of the country?
GP: This is a great opportunity for New Jersey to take a victory lap that the rest of the country can learn from. That’s especially true when it comes to pairing commercial rooftops with community solar. As a state, we can be proud of what we’ve accomplished in solar energy.
New Jersey is truly a microcosm of the rest of the country, just more densely populated. By creating incentives for putting community solar on warehouse and logistics rooftops, we’re generating clean energy closer to where it will be used, reducing the burden on the grid and speeding up implementation.
By avoiding transmission and interconnection delays, it’s the nation’s most shovel-ready clean energy option. It’s happening in real-time in cities like Chicago and Baltimore, where we’re building and energizing projects right now.
ROI: You’re speaking at the upcoming New Jersey Business & Industry Association energy conference. What’s your message to the business audience about commercial solar?
GP: I’ll simply repeat what Solar Landscape hears from its clients all the time: Community solar on commercial rooftops is a win-win-win for commercial real estate businesses.
It generates rooftop revenue by enabling building owners to lease their rooftops. It strengthens ties with nearby communities. And, it can help advance sustainability goals, something investors frequently ask their partners about.
ROI: We’ll give you the final word on joining the company.
GP: I’ve been lucky to work with great people and visionary leaders in all of my jobs, and Solar Landscape is no different. The team’s commitment to the clean energy mission and vision are incredibly motivating.
