- (650) 796-4979
- 412 Olive Avenue, PMB 531, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Fontana Energy Associates creates value by bringing our experience to bear where needed in your development cycle—and by flowing with the opportunities and challenges that arise.
Our track record speaks for itself, with a proven ability to get projects approved, financed, and built. We were part of the development team that secured the required approvals for the Desert Sunlight project, a 550 Mw PV facility located in the California desert. We also supported Macquarie Energy in developing a 600 Mw natural gas combined cycle power plant in the eastern US.
Our clients look to us to focus our skills and experience on the hard problems that can make-or-break project economics. We worked closely with a client to identify and secure economic emission credits to secure an air permit for a natural gas generation facility. We have represented projects in stakeholder outreach where it was necessary to consider a wide range of competing interests to advance project approvals.
Our clients include us in their project teams to manage and navigate complex development issues that require experience and dedicated effort. We have significant experience in California and other states where complex regulatory frameworks exist. We have managed large generation projects where a joint federal and state environmental document was prepared (EIS/EIR). This work included coordination not only with the respective lead agencies but with a large number of cooperating agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, Historic Preservation Office, and US Fish and Wildlife Service. Our project management oversight includes the interconnection process, project mitigation, and monitoring plan development.
Fontana Energy Associates becomes a full, integrated partner in its clients’ projects.
Clients often engage us in strategic planning well before beginning a project. In today’s highly competitive and fast-paced energy market, these early activities often make the difference between success and failure—whether it’s through the choice of geographic region, the selection of technology, or target pricing.
Once development begins, Fontana Energy Associates often leads focused investigations on selecting the optimum site, manages critical activities such as preparing permit applications, directs environmental and legal consultants, and manages the overall development.
We offer the following specific services and often act as the lead developer, integrating these activities seamlessly into projects on your behalf. This flexibility to do what you need most sets us apart.
Strategic and informed selection of sites and routes is the critical first step for every project. We have a series of relationships with local real estate experts in a wide range of geographies that we leverage to find the best possible deals for each of our clients and to meet each project’s requirements. We analyze biological issues, slope and terrain, incompatible zoning or land use issues, and other site characteristics using a variety of tools to screen for fatal flaws. We partner with experts in transmission planning and Geographic Information Systems to review large geographic regions quickly. We conduct site visits early and prioritize opportunities quickly. Many factors influence site selection, and we understand them thoroughly. Much of the value we bring to this task is the intuition of knowing which site is the “right” site.
Fontana Energy Associates selects and manages the teams of experts needed to apply for and receive permits. We’ve led permitting efforts many times, ranging from 5,000-acre solar farms to 40-acre new-generation natural gas plants to multi-state transmission lines, and involving federal, state, and local agencies. We design and guide environmental surveys and manage the preparation of Environmental Impact Report/Statement documents working with teams of biologists, hydrologists, cultural resource specialists, and other experts. We manage biological and cultural resource consultations and negotiate mitigations. We are keenly aware of the need to involve both agency and public stakeholders so that all parties feel secure in the transparency of the permitting process.
Through extensive experience and key relationships with suppliers, Fontana Energy Associates has developed a unique ability to conduct the EPC search and analysis for a solid fit. We routinely represent our clients in the supplier and EPC contractor selection process. We have detailed knowledge of pricing for photovoltaic panels and for a wide range of energy supplies. The ability to find and negotiate appropriate prices for equipment is essential to making projects viable.
Fontana Energy Associates advises clients on the projected needs of investor-owned utilities and on the trajectories of prices for renewable and clean power. We have analyzed winning and losing price bids and can help clients work backward to calculate profits and equipment costs—and determine which projects are price and market competitive. We also have long-standing relationships with the procurement staff of several utilities, as well as with brokers active in securing project offtake.
412 Olive Avenue, PMB 531
Huntington Beach, CA 92648