DSD Renewables Funding, Investors & Competitors

DSD Renewables has raised $770M across 4 funding rounds, most recently a $250M strategic investment round in November 2023.

Last DSD Renewables funding round

$250M

Strategic investment · Nov 2023

Cumulative funding DSD Renewables raised

$770M

across 4 funding rounds

Key investors in DSD Renewables

DSD Renewables Overview

About DSD Renewables

DSD Renewables is a developer, constructor, and operator of solar, wind, and energy storage projects across the United States. Denver-headquartered since 2010, the firm has delivered over 500 MW of capacity, including utility-scale solar farms in Texas and California. DSD handles permitting, financing, and long-term ownership for commercial and municipal clients like schools and factories. Recent projects include a 50 MW solar array in Colorado partnered with local utilities.


Founded

2019

HQ

United StatesSan Francisco, CA

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2B & B2G

Revenue model

Services

DSD Renewables Funding History

DSD Renewables has raised a total of $770M across 4 funding rounds.

DSD Renewables' first fundraising round was a $250M undisclosed-stage round in October 2019. The most recent completed round was a $250M strategic investment round in November 2023.

DSD Renewables funding rounds

DSD Renewables funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Nov 2023Strategic investmentCox Enterprises (lead)$250MDSD Renewables, based in Schenectady, N.Y., develops and deploys distributed solar, energy storage, and EV charging solutions for businesses, communities, municipalities, and organizations nationwide. The company originated from a GE Solar partnership with BlackRock Real Assets in 2019, with BlackRock's Climate Infrastructure business becoming and remaining the majority stakeholder after investing $250 million initially. On November 14, 2023, DSD Renewables received a $250 million strategic investment from Cox Enterprises, its largest to date and Cox's biggest cleantech deal, to fuel growth, expand its project pipeline, and solidify its position in the distributed renewable energy sector. BlackRock retains majority ownership post-investment, with Cox gaining a minority stake alongside. Since 2019, DSD has raised over $2 billion in project capital to develop and deploy more than 600 MW of solar and storage projects across the U.S., including rooftop solar for corporations, community solar, and installations on sites like retirement homes. Cox Enterprises, a global firm with $22 billion in annual revenues spanning communications, automotive, and media, highlighted DSD's innovative approach to benefiting business and the planet. DSD's CEO Erik Schiemann noted the investment as a pivotal milestone advancing its cleantech leadership, while BlackRock's David Giordano affirmed the growing solar accessibility opportunity, and Cox's Will Thorburn praised the management team's impressive business. The deal aligns with booming U.S. solar investments boosted by the Inflation Reduction Act, despite challenges for public solar firms from high interest rates. Subsequent developments include DSD securing $238 million in long-term financing in August 2024 from First Citizens Bank, MUFG, and Nomura for 188 operational distributed generation and solar-plus-storage projects totaling 233 MW.
May 2022Undisclosed stageMorgan Stanley (lead)$70MDSD Renewables secured a $70 million tax equity investment from Morgan Stanley Renewables Inc. on May 4, 2022, to support the development of more than 87 megawatts of distributed solar and storage systems placed in service that year. This financing enabled DSD to capture full tax attributes of the systems and marked the second partnership with Morgan Stanley, following their contribution to a $250 million fund in 2019 for similar projects. The funds supported commercial power purchase agreements, feed-in-tariff, and community solar projects, primarily in New York, New Jersey, and California. This transaction followed a $200 million preferred equity investment from Ares Management Corporation one month prior, aimed at fueling strategic growth. DSD Renewables, focused on distributed solar and storage, develops projects for commercial, industrial, and community applications using its DSD Connect platform. Subsequently, DSD continued raising capital, including a $155 million debt financing via asset-backed securitization in December 2022 and over $2 billion total by 2025, supporting growth to 957 MW deployed capacity and a significantly expanded project pipeline.
Mar 2022Undisclosed stageAres Management (lead)$200MDSD Renewables, a commercial and industrial (C&I) solar developer, financier, asset owner, and operator, secured a $200 million preferred equity investment from a fund managed by Ares Management's Infrastructure and Power strategy on March 3, 2022. The capital supports DSD's expanding pipeline of future C&I projects, growth of its Developer Network, corporate needs, and asset acquisitions. DSD spun out of General Electric in mid-2019 with backing from BlackRock Real Assets, expanding into community solar and asset acquisition in 2020, and launching its Developer Network and DSD Connect platform in 2021. Ares Management, the lead investor, highlighted DSD's potential as a market leader in C&I solar and storage, aiming to accelerate renewable energy transition. DSD's CFO Greg Fabso noted the investment validates their platform and enables scaling with continued BlackRock support. Prior financings included $85 million tax equity from Bank of America in May 2021 for distributed generation solar projects and a $300 million debt facility from Credit Suisse in January of the prior year for 2021-2022 projects. Subsequent developments include a $155 million ABS debt financing in December 2022 for C&I solar assets, a $238 million financing in 2025 for 233 MW across 188 projects, and over $1.5 billion in total funding raised by late 2022, with 206 MW community solar deployed by 2024 and 1.1 GW solar and storage in operation.
Oct 2019Undisclosed stageFifth Third Bank (lead); Morgan Stanley (lead); Silicon Valley Bank (lead)$250MDSD Renewables, originally founded as GE Solar in 2012 and rebranded in 2019, specializes in customized solar PV energy and energy storage solutions for commercial, industrial, and municipal clients, offering services from evaluation and permitting to design, engineering, and installation. In late 2019, the company, backed by BlackRock Real Assets’ Global Renewable Power platform and GE Renewable Energy, closed a $250 million fund financed by Morgan Stanley, Silicon Valley Bank, and Fifth Third Bank to support a portfolio of distributed generation projects through 2020. This debt financing aimed to fuel projected solar growth amid increasing demand from commercial and industrial clients for clean energy, positioning DSD for significant expansion while underscoring the business case for renewables. The 2019 transaction marked an early endorsement of DSD's vision to make distributed solar more accessible, with CEO Erik Schiemann highlighting partnerships with leading financial institutions as validation of alternative energy's role in business and environmental goals. Morgan Stanley's Managing Director Jorge Iragorri emphasized excitement in supporting clients and advancing U.S. renewable energy growth. BlackRock's involvement began around this period, later becoming the majority stakeholder, which fueled subsequent scaling. By 2023, DSD had raised over $2 billion in project capital since 2019, developing and deploying more than 600 MW of solar and storage projects nationwide, including on retirement homes, municipal power, community solar, and corporate sites. This growth trajectory led to a $250 million strategic investment from Cox Enterprises in November 2023—its largest cleantech deal to date—while BlackRock retained majority ownership. Additional financings, like $140 million in pre-NTP credit facilities earlier in 2023, supported a 205 MW late-stage pipeline across multiple U.S. states, reinforcing DSD's role in accelerating efficient renewable deployment amid rising corporate climate goals.

Who has invested in DSD Renewables?

5 investors have backed DSD Renewables across its funding rounds, including Morgan Stanley, Silicon Valley Bank, Ares Management, Cox Enterprises and Fifth Third Bank.

Lead investors include Cox Enterprises, Morgan Stanley, Ares Management, Fifth Third Bank and Silicon Valley Bank.


DSD Renewables Investors

Investors in DSD Renewables by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Morgan StanleyUnited StatesNew York City, NY2LeadOct 2019
Cox EnterprisesUnited StatesAtlanta, GA1LeadNov 2023
Silicon Valley BankUnited StatesSan Jose, CA1LeadOct 2019

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Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples

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DSD Renewables Competitors

DSD Renewables competitors include listed companies like Iberdrola, China Yangtze Power, Constellation Energy and Vistra, and private ones like Adani New Industries and Helion Energy.

Public and private companies comparable to DSD Renewables
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
IberdrolaSpainSpainPublicly listed$51B$17B$158B4.3x
China Yangtze PowerChinaChinaPublicly listed$13B$11B$104B11.3x
Constellation EnergyUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$26B$5B$93B3.8x
Adani New IndustriesIndiaAhmedabadPrivate--$50B-
VistraUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$18B$5B$48B3.3x
Helion EnergyUnited StatesSeattle, WAPrivate--$16B-

DSD Renewables Public Comps

DSD Renewables is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Aramco, ExxonMobil, Chevron, PetroChina, Shell, GE Vernova, TotalEnergies, NextEra Energy, ConocoPhillips and Iberdrola.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Aramco$446B$213B3.9x3.7x8.2x7.1x
ExxonMobil$324B$68B2.2x1.8x10.5x8.0x
Chevron$184B$41B2.4x2.0x10.8x7.2x
PetroChina$427B$70B0.8x0.7x4.7x4.4x
Shell$267B$55B1.2x1.0x5.8x4.5x
GE Vernova$38B$3.2B6.2x5.4x73.5x43.5x
TotalEnergies$182B$38B1.3x1.2x6.3x5.0x
NextEra Energy$27B$16B10.5x9.6x17.9x16.2x

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Common questions about DSD Renewables

When was DSD Renewables founded?DSD Renewables was founded in 2019.
Where is DSD Renewables headquartered?DSD Renewables is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, United States.
Is DSD Renewables publicly listed?No, DSD Renewables is a private, VC-backed company.
How much funding has DSD Renewables raised?DSD Renewables has raised $770M across 4 funding rounds.
What was DSD Renewables' last funding round?DSD Renewables' last funding round was a $250M strategic investment round in November 2023, led by Cox Enterprises.
Who are DSD Renewables' investors?DSD Renewables' investors include Morgan Stanley, Cox Enterprises, Silicon Valley Bank, Fifth Third Bank and Ares Management.
Which companies are comparable to DSD Renewables?Companies comparable to DSD Renewables include Iberdrola, China Yangtze Power, Constellation Energy, Adani New Industries, Vistra and Helion Energy.

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