K2 Clean Energy Capital
CSLB General & Electrical Licenses: #1016040
CA Finance Brokers License: #60DBO 103797
K2 Clean Energy Capital is an experienced leader in Commercial PACE financing and a proven track record of projects closed in almost all asset classes. The company focuses on the multi- family, hospitality, industrial, and renewable energy sectors and works primarily in the Western US. The company’s engineering and construction expertise enable it to provide a higher level of support and efficiency for Developer’s projects. The company’s network of over twenty C- PACE funding sources and its strategic partnerships with K2 Capital Finance and Abacus Property Solutions enable it to provide complete capital stack solutions for developers across the US.
Stephen Tsu
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Steve has over 20 years executive management experience in the semiconductor and the commercial solar PV construction industries and has over 8 years experience in Commercial PACE financing. Steve Co-founded K2 in 2012 and is the Managing Partner of the firm where he has developed and managed some of the largest C-PACE projects in the hospitality, multi-family, industrial, and retail industries. Previously he was the President of K2 Solar, Inc., a commercial solar EPC firm and brings an extensive background in renewable energy, energy efficiency technologies, and construction management. He still holds both a General and Electrical Contracting License. Before starting K2 Solar, he was the Chief Marketing Officer o f a division at Applied Materials, the General Manager of EcoSys, and an Engineering Manager at Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.
Steve earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA and an MBA from Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. He is a licensed Finance Broker in the state of CA. Steve is an East coast native, but is a long time resident of the San Francisco bay area and can often be found hiking on mountain trails.
Jonathan Pickering
Co-Founder & Senior Partner
Jonathan has over 25 years’ experience in the Solar and Semiconductor industries. Prior to co-founding K2 Clean Energy Capital, he was the President of JA Solar America & VP JA Solar Holdings and established JA’s modules sales in the Americas. He is an expert in solar module products and manufacturing. Jonathan had a 20 year career at Applied Materials, most recently as the VP for Business Development of the Solar Business Group working on marketing and M&A. He held senior global management positions in the semiconductor business units. He holds a BSc from the University of Surrey, UK and Masters of Materials Science & Engineering, with a scholarship from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg, PA. He has published several technical papers, patents and is an active participant in the national PACE organization.
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Abacus Property Solutions (“Abacus”) is a woman-owned real estate advisory firm, specializing in the development and financing of clean energy projects in commercial buildings. As the East coast partner of K2, the firm provides integrated technical and financial solutions that maximize building value and performance from a truly independent perspective. Abacus specializes in using Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing to fund 100% of upfront project costs that an owner repays through a special assessment on the property tax bill. Abacus is an innovator in the PACE marketplace, advising localities on establishing and developing C-PACE programs, opening up new markets for institutional investors, and educating contractors, lenders and property owners on the business case for C-PACE.
Abby Johnson
President & Founder
Abby leads Abacus in helping its commercial real estate clients develop tailored clean energy real estate strategies, and then procuring the funding to execute these strategies. She works with clients ranging from affordable housing developers to commercial REITs to identify sources of capital, with a focus on Commercial PACE financing (C-PACE). Abigail has been working for the past eight years in C-PACE and is considered one of the industry’s few national experts with both project financing and program design experience. In Virginia, she is also known for her policy chops where she was instrumental in creating one of the most expansive C- PACE laws in the country that allows resiliency and stormwater measures as eligible costs. Prior to specializing in C-PACE, Abigail worked for over 15 years as an originator and financial underwriter of commercial real estate as well as an architect in Italy and as a building science consultant. She has a Bachelor of Architectural History from the University of Virginia and a Master’s in Business from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.