CS Energy, an integrated energy firm that designs and builds optimized projects in the solar, storage and emerging energy industries, has reached the milestone of completing the installation of 1 GW of solar energy projects.
According to Solar Power World’s Top Solar Contractors rankings, fewer than 10 EPCs on the list have installed 1 GW of solar as of 2020. The company closed 2018 with 650 MW of completed solar projects and ended 2019 with 820 MW. In 2020, CS Energy reached 1,000 MW, despite industry contractions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
CS Energy
“This is an incredible milestone, and one only possible because of the hard work and dedication of our team,” said Matthew Skidmore, CEO of CS Energy. “I am so proud of our talented workforce, which has completed CS Energy projects to the highest standards of quality and safety across the country. We’re excited to put our deep experience to work for our clients as we begin installing the next gigawatt.”
CS Energy has completed nearly 200 solar projects across 16 states, in a mix of utility-scale solar projects and energy storage projects. Much of the 1 GW has been completed in the last three years as the firm manages increasingly larger projects, such as a recent 29-MW solar project in New Jersey. The growth coincides with funds managed by the Infrastructure and Power strategy of Ares Management Corporation taking majority ownership of the company in 2018.
“We made a strategic investment in CS Energy knowing the firm had the capabilities to expand its impact on renewable energy projects across the country,” said Keith Derman, partner and co-head of Ares Infrastructure and Power. “We are thrilled that CS Energy has been able to achieve such a substantial milestone and consider it a testament to the company’s legacy of experience and reliability.”
The 1 GW accomplishment comes as CS Energy garners additional recognition from the solar industry. CS Energy was named the nation’s number-one commercial solar installer in 2019 by global research firm Wood Mackenzie. In 2020, CS Energy once again made Solar Power World magazine’s annual list of Top Solar Contractors, ranking in the Top 10 for national EPCs, and as the No. 1 solar contractor in both New York and New Jersey.
CS Energy specializes in landfill solar installations, having installed more than 160 MW on top of closed capped landfills. The company has installed more than 135 MWh of energy storage projects and is ranked as the No. 2 solar + storage installer on the Top Contractors List.
Starting with 12 employees in 2004, the company has grown to a highly skilled team of more than 160 people. CS Energy began in the solar industry as part of The Conti Group, a construction and engineering firm that has been operating for more than 115 years. Building on the organic success in the solar industry, the group branched out into Conti Solar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Conti Group, in 2017. Conti Solar was majority acquired by funds managed by the Infrastructure and Power strategy of Ares Management Corporation in 2018 the company rebranded as CS Energy.
“CS Energy is thriving from the roots planted at The Conti Group—roots in skilled construction, quality customer service, and an educated leadership group. It’s been a pleasure to see CS Energy deliver on our shared vision of creating a nation-leading integrated energy company,” said Kurt Conti, Chairman of the Board of The Conti Group.
