Projects taken from raw land
to energised assets.
Hodson Development is a renewable energy developer and service provider with a team carrying over 80 years of combined experience across origination, interconnection, permitting, structured debt, EPC and commissioning - on both sides of the world.
- US solar + storage
- 650MW
- US projects sold
- 400MW+
- US capital raised
- $55MM+
- India capital raised
- $3MM
- India as-built
- 20MW+
- Team experience
- 80yrs+
A developer that has also been the EPC, the lender's counterparty and the asset owner.
Working continuously since 2015, Hodson Development operates across the full development chain - site control and interconnection through permitting, financing, construction and commissioning. That range comes from having done each part for our own balance sheet before offering it as a service.
In the United States, the team has developed approximately 650 MW of solar and storage, funded by over $55 million of private capital. In India, the team built and operates a C&I rooftop and ground-mount portfolio, structured one of the country's earliest corporate solar PPAs with a major steel manufacturer, and co-founded candi solar - now a leading C&I solar and storage developer, owner and operator in India and South Africa.
Utility-scale development
Greenfield origination through to notice-to-proceed on utility-scale solar and storage in Virginia, Indiana and Pennsylvania, plus data centre power in permitting.
C&I solar, built and operated
20 MW across 30 systems, half ground-mount and half C&I rooftop, built and operated through Rockford Solar, candi solar and Hodson Renewables - designed, delivered and monitored in-house.
Services to developers
Owner's engineering, EPC and I&C commissioning for other solar and storage developers who need delivery capability on the ground.
$55MM of private capital behind roughly 650 MW of solar and storage.
Hodson US Development has raised over $55 million to originate and develop a utility-scale solar and storage pipeline of approximately 650 MW, backed by private debt from Great Bay Renewables (“GBR”) - an Apollo- and Altius-backed capital provider - and development capital from Leyline Renewable Capital. More than 400 MW of developed projects have been sold on to owners and independent power producers.
Capital provider backed by Altius Renewable Royalties and funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, supporting build-out of the US pipeline.
Press release · 29 July 2022 Great Bay Renewables announces $40 million royalty investment in Hodson Development’s 1.8 GWac solar plus battery storage portfolio ↗Early-stage development funding partner for solar and storage projects through permitting and interconnection.
Press release Leyline Renewable Capital - transactions and announcements ↗- Arvonia Solar100 MW · Buckingham County, VA
- Surry Solar100 MW · Isle of Wight County, VA
- New Jay Solar60 MW · Jay County, Indiana
- Boyles Run32 MW · Northumberland County, PA
Data centre power projects with Truss Energy are in permitting in Virginia, Wyoming and Georgia.
US projects
Arvonia Solar
One of the largest solar projects developed in the Commonwealth of Virginia, sited in Buckingham County.
Surry Solar
Utility-scale solar in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, taken through site control, permitting and interconnection.
New Jay Solar
Utility-scale solar in Jay County, Indiana, taken through site control, permitting and grid studies.
Boyles Run
Utility-scale solar in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, developed inside the PJM interconnection footprint.
Data centre projects
Developing and permitting data centre power projects in Virginia, Wyoming and Georgia, in partnership with Truss Energy.
The projects that set the precedent.
India's C&I solar market was still being written when these were built. Net-metering rules changed mid-construction, corporate PPAs had almost no precedent, and international lenders had barely touched the sector. Hodson built through all three.
Jindal Saw - 5 MW rooftop, Kosi Kalan & Nashik
One of the largest solar rooftop projects in India at the time of construction, spread across Jindal Saw's Uttar Pradesh and Nashik facilities. The team executed on genuinely difficult terrain - live heavy-industrial roofs, spiral and seamless pipe mills, cold mill and API sheds - against a net-metering policy that was still emerging as the plants were being energised.
The project also delivered one of the first corporate solar PPAs signed with a major steel manufacturer in India. It was financed on Hodson's own balance sheet through Hodson Renewables, with senior debt from responsAbility / the Global Climate Partnership Fund (GCPF) - an early example of international climate debt reaching Indian C&I rooftop solar.
- Capacity
- ≈5 MWp
- Sites
- Kosi Kalan, UP & Nashik, MH
- Offtake
- Long-term corporate PPA
- Debt
- responsAbility / GCPF
Ghatge Patil Industries - 1.2 MWp across six systems
A multi-phase build-out for one industrial group across its Kagal and Mudshingi works: core shop, machine shop, fitting shop and paint shop rooftops, followed by a ground-mount array and a solar carport. Delivered under long-term energy supply contracts with generation guaranteed against modelled yield.
- Total capacity
- 1,199 kWp
- Systems
- 6 (roof, ground, carport)
- Inverters
- Huawei string
- Status
- Operational
Urban rooftops, schools and offices
Alongside the heavy-industrial work, the team built out a dense urban portfolio under candi solar - the C&I platform Rahul Gill co-founded in 2017 - across Chandigarh, Mohali and Gurgaon. It includes The Tribune newspaper's 182 kWp office array and a residential scheme, the Novus Tower office building, the Chandigarh Club, and seven school campuses.
These are the hardest sites to build on: occupied buildings, restricted access, ballasted and poured-concrete foundations on ageing flat roofs, and net-metering approvals negotiated one utility at a time.
- Urban systems
- 11 across 3 cities
- Capacity
- 744 kWp
- Segments
- Media, office, education, clubs
- Status
- Operational
Muktsar, Punjab - 10 MW ground mount
Half of the India installed base sits on the ground rather than a roof. The team developed and built 10 MW of ground-mount solar at Muktsar, Punjab - land assembly, grid connectivity with the state utility, civil and structural works, and full installation and commissioning through to energisation.
Ground mount changes the problem set: land title and conversion, levelling and drainage across the array, pile design for the local soil, evacuation to the nearest substation, and module cleaning regimes suited to the dust and stubble season in western Punjab.
- Capacity
- 10 MW
- Location
- Muktsar, Punjab
- Mounting
- Fixed-tilt ground mount
- Scope
- Development, EPC, I&C
- Muktsar, Punjab10 MW ground mount
- Kosi Kalan, UPJindal Saw - 5 MW rooftop
- Nashik, MHJindal Saw - 5 MW rooftop
- Chandigarh & Mohali11 systems - 744 kWp
- Delhi NCR5 systems - 1,218 kWp
- Pune & Chakan6 systems - 1,294 kWp
- Kolhapur2 systems - 252 kWp
India as-built portfolio at a glance.
The team has built and operated 20 MW across 30 systems in India through Rockford Solar, candi solar and Hodson Renewables, split evenly between ground-mount and C&I rooftop. Work has been continuous since 2015. The state and sector detail below covers the 24 C&I systems recorded in the as-built technical tracker, 3,506 kWp of the rooftop half.
Systems delivered
Ground-mount arrays, industrial rooftops, flat roofs and carports, all commissioned and operational.
Installed capacity
Built and operated in India through Rockford Solar, candi solar and Hodson Renewables since 2015.
Ground mount
Developed and built at Muktsar, Punjab - half of the India installed base by capacity.
C&I rooftop
Industrial and commercial rooftop, flat-roof and carport systems for corporate offtakers.
| Region | Sys. | kWp | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra | 8 | 1,545.1 | 44.1% |
| Rajasthan | 2 | 1,008.1 | 28.8% |
| Chandigarh UT | 8 | 497.8 | 14.2% |
| Punjab | 3 | 245.7 | 7.0% |
| Haryana | 3 | 209.4 | 6.0% |
| Total | 24 | 3,506.1 | 100% |
| Type | kWp | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ground mount - Muktsar, PB | 10,000 | 50.0% |
| C&I rooftop & flat roof | 10,000 | 50.0% |
| Total | 20,000 | 100% |
| Sector | Sys. | kWp | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 13 | 2,883.6 | 82.2% |
| Education | 7 | 327.1 | 9.3% |
| Media & office | 2 | 217.7 | 6.2% |
| Hospitality & residential | 2 | 77.7 | 2.2% |
| Total | 24 | 3,506.1 | 100% |
Technology mix across the documented systems
Huawei string inverters
2,918 kVA of the 3,581 kVA portfolio inverter capacity, across 13 sites and 69 units.
Inverters commissioned
Seven manufacturers - Huawei, Zeversolar, Sungrow, Delta, Growatt, Schneider and SolarEdge.
Module suppliers
Vikram, Jinko, Longi, Trina, Talesun and Waaree - 1,808 kWp of Vikram alone.
Average DC/AC ratio
Portfolio-weighted, with average system size of 146 kWp and string voltages to 1,100 Vdc.
What we do for other developers.
Hodson takes on defined scopes for developers, IPPs and owners who need execution capability - as owner's engineer, as EPC contractor, or as the commissioning team that gets the plant energised and accepted.
Origination & development
- Site identification, land assembly and site control
- Interconnection applications and queue management
- Permitting and local approvals
- Grid feasibility and connectivity with state utilities
- Detailed project reports and captive / group-captive structuring
Design & owner's engineering
- Plant layout, single-line diagrams and as-built documentation
- Yield assessment - PVsyst and Helioscope energy modelling
- Structural design for roof, flat, ground-mount and carport
- Bill of materials, technical specification and vendor selection
- Design review and independent engineering for lenders
EPC & construction
- Turnkey EPC for rooftop, ground-mount and carport systems
- Civil works, foundations, earthing and lightning protection
- Module mounting - ballast, rail, poured concrete and fixed-tilt
- DC and AC cabling, combiner boxes, ACDB and HT interface
- Construction supervision and QA/QC on live industrial sites
I&C commissioning & handover
- Installation & commissioning (I&C) of complete AC/DC systems
- Pre-commissioning testing, string IV and thermography
- Net-metering approval and utility liaison
- Practical completion, provisional and final acceptance
- Performance-ratio verification against modelled yield
Financing & structuring
- Corporate PPA and energy-supply contract structuring
- Offtaker credit assessment and diligence
- Project financial modelling and lender models
- Debt raising - development capital, private credit and climate funds
- Escrow, facility agreement and drawdown administration
Asset management & O&M
- Remote monitoring platform deployment and integration
- Preventive and corrective maintenance, module cleaning regimes
- Generation reporting, invoicing and PPA administration
- Soiling, availability and weather-corrected PR analysis
- Warranty management and technical asset transfer support
EPC and I&C commissioning across four regions.
Hodson is currently undertaking EPC and installation & commissioning work in Punjab, Haryana & NCR, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, with crews and supervision resourced locally in each state.
Mohali & Chandigarh region
Gurgaon, Delhi NCR & Rewari
Pune, Kolhapur & Nashik
New delivery region
Bring us a qualified lead. We will build it.
Hodson works with channel partners - consultants, equipment suppliers, electrical contractors, IPPs and developers - who have the relationship but not the crew. If you can put us in front of the decision maker, we take on the EPC or the I&C sub-contract and you are paid a referral fee on award.
What counts as qualified
A named site with a defined scope, a budget owner who has agreed to meet, and a capacity above roughly 100 kWp for rooftop or 1 MW for ground mount. Anything in Punjab, Haryana & NCR, Maharashtra or Andhra Pradesh moves fastest.
What we need from you
The introduction and the context - who decides, what has already been quoted, and when they intend to award. Register the opportunity before the meeting and it is protected against a second partner bringing us the same site.
What you get
A referral fee on contract award, and the option to stay across delivery. We quote, mobilise, commission and carry the performance obligation. Your relationship with the client stays yours.
Send the details and we respond within two working days.
Include the site and state, approximate capacity, scope (EPC, I&C or O&M), the decision maker and their role, and the expected award date. That is enough for us to price it.
Companies the team founded, funded and ran.
candi solar
Co-founded in 2017 by Rahul Gill and members of the Hodson team, candi solar is now one of the leading C&I solar and storage developers, owners and operators in India and South Africa.
www.candi.solar ↗Rockford Solar
Hodson's sister company, Rockford Solar has built and operated over 20 MW of rooftop and ground-mount solar projects in India for leading commercial and industrial establishments.
Hodson Renewables
The India balance-sheet vehicle that financed and owns the Jindal Saw portfolio, funded with senior debt from responsAbility / the Global Climate Partnership Fund.
The people who have done this before.
More than 80 years of combined experience across development, engineering, construction, project finance and operations - built at Goldman Sachs, General Electric, KPMG, NRG, 8minute Energy / Avantus, Holcim, Schlumberger and Staten Solar, and applied across the United States and India.
Rahul S. Gill
Co-Founder & CEO Lead on strategy & financingDeveloper and financier of over 1.5 GW across a 20-year career, with experience at Goldman Sachs, NRG and 8minute Energy / Avantus focused on project finance, development and due diligence. Co-founded candi solar in 2017. Began his career as a geophysicist at Schlumberger.
Sukhin Bhandari
Co-Founder & COO Lead on strategy, site selection & developmentOver 30 years across developed and emerging markets in infrastructure, with deep networks in the energy sector. Business Development Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at Garanti Koza Energy, Project Development Leader at General Electric, executive at Holcim South Africa and Director of Corporate Finance at KPMG.
Shyam Sundar
SVP Operations & EPC Lead on operations, EPC, investor & vendor managementSixteen years in the energy industry. Developed 3 GW of solar in the United States and over 300 MW in India with Hodson Development and Rockford Solar, first as Director of EPC and later as SVP. Began his career as an engineer at Staten Solar. His engineering and project-management background shows in team management, resource coordination and delivering to programme and budget.
Khushwant Gill
SVP Land Lead on land acquisitionA highly experienced real estate acquisition and development professional who has acquired and onboarded land across Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, the Midwest and the South East.
Sourabh Chauhan
Senior Manager, Engineering & Design Lead on engineering, design & technologyOver six years in renewable energy, specialising in the design and development of data centre, utility-scale solar and battery storage (BESS) projects. Particular strength in desktop studies, interconnection processes, pre-design feasibility assessment and modelling simulation - a detail-oriented approach that keeps interconnection applications moving and execution efficient.
Aman Brar
Manager, Permitting Lead on permitting & outreachA permitting and development professional specialising in energy projects across complex regulatory environments, advancing large-scale projects from early-stage feasibility through entitlement and permitting. Began as a Research Analyst before moving into Junior Developer and Permitting Lead, working with cross-functional teams on zoning, land use and regulatory approvals.
Bring us a project, a scope, or a problem on site.
Whether you need a development partner, an owner's engineer, an EPC contractor or a commissioning team, tell us the stage the project is at and we will tell you plainly whether we are the right people for it.
Industrial Area Phase I, Chandigarh 160002 +91 8427 383 466