InfraRed Capital Partners and Navigant Form Microgrid Development and Finance Company: Compass Energy Platform

Two globally-recognized market leaders – InfraRed Capital Partners and Navigant Consulting — today announced the formation of a company, Compass Energy Platform, which will develop and finance microgrids and other forms of distributed energy.

Compass will focus on communities as they prepare for the grid of the future with microgrids, energy storage, solar, wind, fuel cells, combined heat & power, district heating and cooling, and other smart city assets.

“Our investment model is based on public/private partnership (P3), and our commitment to cities includes investment in schools, hospitals, commercial/industrial entities and other key verticals,” said Rick Bolton, CEO of Compass.

Compass combines InfraRed’s energy investment experience with Navigant’s energy advisory expertise to create a new kind of company, one particularly suited to the opportunities and complexities of 21st century energy infrastructure, Bolton said.

“Large-scale city energy projects are inherently complicated and risky. Our approach makes it easy for cities to undertake distributed energy projects,” added Ken Horne, chief operating officer.

Horne explained that Compass takes on the complexity and risk by providing stakeholder engagement, business modeling, offtake agreements, engineering and construction, financing, ownership, and operations and maintenance

“All too often, early-stage energy project development focuses on engineering design, putting the cart before the horse,” Bolton added.

Instead, the first step must be establishing financial viability, he said. This includes developing a project’s business and commercial models, finding a way to increase the role of renewable energy, improving air quality, fostering security, generating revenue, lowering operating expenses and creating local jobs.

“Only after these boxes have been checked can an engineering scope be defined that fulfills customer and community value propositions and their related financeability,” Bolton said.

Already working on a pipeline of projects, the company takes a team approach to development, tapping into the expertise of partners.

In addition to its founding partners, InfraRed Capital Partners and Navigant Consulting, Compass Energy Platform is working with Burns Engineering, Concord Engineering, PowerSecure, WXY Studio, Greener by Design, and Advanced Energy Group. The company plans to team with other firms as well, depending on project needs and stakeholder requirements.