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NineDot Energy is a creative problem-solver for the urban electricity grid

Innovation in urban clean energy

We’re energy business innovators

NineDot’s name derives from the classic mathematical puzzle for sparking out-of-the-box solutions. David, Adam and Nalin combined their skills and experiences in clean-energy analysis, science and entrepreneurship to build exciting and important urban energy projects.

Founded in 2015, based at the NYU Urban Future Lab in Brooklyn and backed by Carlyle, we’re committed to providing clean energy solutions to the New York area and beyond.

Our mission and vision

Mission statement

At NineDot Energy, our team of creative collaborators share a passion to design and execute innovative solutions that leverage technology, policy, and markets to support a sustainable future. 

Vision statement

Climate change is the most critical issue of our time: as such, we aspire to have a positive impact on the environment and the society in which we live and work.

Our story – experience and expertise

When a chaos physicist, a finance professor and a clean-tech entrepreneur got together, good things happened.

The beginning - 2014

Before 2014, David creates SolarCity’s SolarLease®, driving a multi-billion $ industry; Adam joins the DOE after receiving his PhD in physics; Nalin publishes a breakthrough paper on residential solar risk.

So with a foundation in solar strategy, business, finance and physics, NineDot Energy’s co-founders (David Arfin, Adam Cohen and Nalin Kulatilaka) meet and begin their work together.

solar city logoUS department of energy logo Boston University logo

 

 

2015 - 2019

Our Co-founders create CertainSolar (the predecessor to NineDot Energy), self-funding its work while receiving a $490k matching grant from the SunShot Initiative of the Department of Energy; hone in on projects for community-scale energy; and lease its first sites in New York City.

2019 - 2021

As Certain Solar begins work on two fuel cell projects, the Company achieves first revenues and focuses on local distributed battery storage sites initially in Staten Island and the Bronx, to help NYC’s grid. NineDot receives growth capital from Carlyle to expand the team and our project pipeline while also announcing our V2G (vehicle-to-grid) pilot.

2022

Now NineDot Energy (reflecting the Company’s broader energy vision), the Company announces the first Tesla Megapack site in New York, a milestone in the city’s energy transition, and a harbinger of things to come.

By the end of 2026

We plan to develop, build, and operate more than 400 megawatts (MW) of clean energy systems that will strengthen the local power grid infrastructure and provide clean, reliable, and resilient power to tens of thousands of New York households and businesses, in support of New York State’s mission to achieve 100% clean energy by 2040.

Meet NineDot Energy

NineDot Energy’s DNA is all about anticipating market changes in pursuit of creating businesses that serve the greater good. We combine an entrepreneurial willingness to do new things, a businessperson’s understanding of project economics, and a project developer’s capacity to get things done, to deliver results that make a difference.

Founders

David Alter

David Arfin

CEO, co-founder
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David Alter

David Arfin

CEO, co-founder


David is CEO and co-founder of NineDot Energy, based in Brooklyn, NY. He is also the co-founder of Ener-Pacte (France) and SolarVento (Mexico), and has served on the Board of Directors of Simpa Networks (India) and WattzOn (Palo Alto), and as an Advisor to Everyday Energy (San Diego), United Wind (New York), Tigi Solar (Israel), and eMotorWerks (acquired by ENEL). Previously, David served as a Consultant to the US Department of Energy’s SunShot initiative and as Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Israel Cleantech Ventures. David has also been an emissary for the US Department of State in Angola, Israel, and Palestine.

David invented SolarCity’s SolarLease, the game-changing solar financing program that enabled over 1,000,000 American homeowners to have solar power in their homes. SolarCity was acquired by Tesla.

David loves building sustainable businesses that contribute to environmental wellness. He selects markets that are large and ripe for creative solutions and partners and with partners who are smarter than he is and have the highest integrity, and has an insatiable desire to explore new places and start new businesses.

David has a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, a Masters in Public Policy Analysis from the Claremont Graduate University, and an MBA from Stanford University. He is on the Board of the Friends of the Arava Environmental Institute for Environmental Studies and is a Member of the Cleantech Leaders Roundtable. He lives between New York and California.

Adam Cohen, PhD

CTO, co-founder
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Adam Cohen, PhD

CTO, co-founder


Adam B. Cohen, Ph.D., is leading the way to urban clean energy as the Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of NineDot Energy, building community energy sites to make the NYC metro grid cleaner, more resilient, more equitable and less costly. 

Projects in operation or under development that Adam has spearheaded include battery energy storage systems in Staten Island, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island and Westchester County. 

Adam developed his exceptional understanding of how complex systems interact and evolve in his academic work (Ph.D. from the Chaos Group at University of Maryland and B.S. in physics from Bucknell University); he now applies his findings to the interconnected dynamics of energy markets, technologies, regulations and grid economics. Adam was a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy (launching a research program applying social and behavioral science to scale up solar energy adoption) where Adam met his NineDot Energy co-founders. Adam is passionate about opportunities to modernize the urban electric system in a way that benefits all stakeholders. Recognizing the impact of Adam’s work, Crain’s New York Business selected Adam as an inaugural “2023 Notable Leader in Sustainability”.

Nalin Kalatilaka

Nalin Kulatilaka

Chief strategy officer, co-founder
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Nalin Kalatilaka

Nalin Kulatilaka

Chief strategy officer, co-founder


Nalin is Wing Tat Lee Family Professor of Management and Professor of Finance at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business where he also serves as the co-director of the Susilo Institute for Ethics in the Global Economy. Nalin’s current research interests include impact investing and financing distributed energy resources. Nalin has published extensively in top academic journals as well as influential managerial publications. His book, Real Options (HBS Press), has received wide acclaim. His honors include Bertil Danielson Chair (Stockholm School of Economics), Takang Chair (Tamkang University, Taipei), and the Association for Investment Management and Research’s Graham and Dodd Award. He has co-founded several companies including FirstFuel Software (energy data analytics), and NineDot Energy (community distributed generation for congested urban grids). He serves on the Board of Directors of Assette. Nalin holds a PhD from MIT

Team

Alex Foucault

Product associate
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Alex Foucault

Product associate


Alex Foucault is NineDot’s Product Development Associate, supporting the identification and development of new go-to-market strategies for NineDot’s next generation of distributed energy resource products.

Andrea Ferguson

Corporate marketing associate
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Andrea Ferguson

Corporate marketing associate

Andy Allbee

Engineering and planning senior manager
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Andy Allbee

Engineering and planning senior manager

Anthony Santamaria

Director, development engineering and planning
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Anthony Santamaria

Director, development engineering and planning

Becca Schofield-Cohen

Senior manager, data analytics
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Becca Schofield-Cohen

Senior manager, data analytics

Carlijn Goldberg

Manager, FP&A
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Carlijn Goldberg

Manager, FP&A

Dareo Mckenzie

Director, construction management
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Dareo Mckenzie

Director, construction management

David Romero Siekman

Financial Planning & Analysis Analyst
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David Romero Siekman

Financial Planning & Analysis Analyst

Emily Wheeler

Chief of staff
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Emily Wheeler

Chief of staff


Emily Wheeler is an engineer and clean energy and technology specialist committed to helping cities, companies, and the community. She is NineDot’s Chief of Staff.

Fred Polirer

Head of people operations
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Fred Polirer

Head of people operations

Gilles Guillon

Chief financial officer
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Gilles Guillon

Chief financial officer

Harold Barreto

Associate engineering manager
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Harold Barreto

Associate engineering manager

Hunter Prange

Project manager
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Hunter Prange

Project manager


Hunter Prange is a Project Manager at NineDot Energy, where he manages the construction of projects after the development work has been completed. This consists of managing contractors, construction, commissioning, closeouts, and setting the project up for long-term operation.

Hunter received his BSE in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University. He lives in Manhattan.

Jamaal Watkins

Project manager
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Jamaal Watkins

Project manager

Jean Jarrett-Davis

Accounting analyst
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Jean Jarrett-Davis

Accounting analyst

Jerneeka Sams

Senior talent acquisition specialist
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Jerneeka Sams

Senior talent acquisition specialist


As NineDot’s Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist, Jerneeka sources and recruits talent to join the team. Jerneeka lives in New York and has a Masters in HR from NYU.

Jimmy Alty

Director of procurement
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Jimmy Alty

Director of procurement

Joe Silver

Joe Silver

Senior product manager
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Joe Silver

Joe Silver

Senior product manager


In his role as Product Manager, Joe focuses on the development of NineDot’s EV charging strategy, which includes scaling up their vehicle-to-grid business and deploying charging at existing and future sites.

Jon Carbajal

Senior director, product development
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Jon Carbajal

Senior director, product development

Karen Alter

Chief marketing officer
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Karen Alter

Chief marketing officer

Linda Tatlow

Senior manager, NineDot Labs
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Linda Tatlow

Senior manager, NineDot Labs

Madeline Zdeblick

Senior product analyst
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Madeline Zdeblick

Senior product analyst


Maddie Zdeblick is a skilled researcher and analyst, excited to help build a greener electric grid. Maddie is the Senior Product Development Analyst at NineDot Energy, where she directs research and analyses into new product development and supports initiatives to optimize the deployment and operations of NineDot products.

Mac Anderson-Cooper

Development coordinator
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Mac Anderson-Cooper

Development coordinator

Martin Versaille

Associate director, project finance
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Martin Versaille

Associate director, project finance


Martin Versaille is the Associate Director of Project Finance at NineDot Energy, working on the development and financing of projects that are helping the energy transition.

Nick Lombardi

VP, project development
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Nick Lombardi

VP, project development


Nick Lombardi is the Vice President of Project Development for NineDot Energy, overseeing all project development activities for the company.

Olivia Booth-Howe

Project engineer
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Olivia Booth-Howe

Project engineer


Olivia Booth-Howe is a Project Engineer at NineDot Energy, where she oversees technical and environmental processes from project origination through permitting.

Preston

Preston Roper

Senior advisor, e-mobility
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Preston

Preston Roper

Senior advisor, e-mobility

Ray Lei

Project finance analyst
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Ray Lei

Project finance analyst

Roger Nehls

Executive assistant
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Roger Nehls

Executive assistant

Sam Brill

Director, strategic development initiatives
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Sam Brill

Director, strategic development initiatives


Sam Brill is the Director of Strategic Development Initiatives at NineDot Energy, where he oversees key public-private partnerships, policy development, and institutional clean energy collaborations in the greater New York area.

Sam McGarvey

Senior project developer
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Sam McGarvey

Senior project developer


Sam is a Senior Project Developer at NineDot Energy where he works on new projects across New York City, Westchester, and Long Island.

Shin Takiguchi

Controller
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Shin Takiguchi

Controller

Testa Nickle

Project development associate
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Testa Nickle

Project development associate

Victoria Foti

Head of the project management office
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Victoria Foti

Head of the project management office

Zach Tamen

Energy market analyst
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Zach Tamen

Energy market analyst

Board of Directors

Adam Cohen, PhD

CTO, co-founder
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Adam Cohen, PhD

CTO, co-founder


Adam B. Cohen, Ph.D., is leading the way to urban clean energy as the Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of NineDot Energy, building community energy sites to make the NYC metro grid cleaner, more resilient, more equitable and less costly. 

Projects in operation or under development that Adam has spearheaded include battery energy storage systems in Staten Island, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island and Westchester County. 

Adam developed his exceptional understanding of how complex systems interact and evolve in his academic work (Ph.D. from the Chaos Group at University of Maryland and B.S. in physics from Bucknell University); he now applies his findings to the interconnected dynamics of energy markets, technologies, regulations and grid economics. Adam was a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy (launching a research program applying social and behavioral science to scale up solar energy adoption) where Adam met his NineDot Energy co-founders. Adam is passionate about opportunities to modernize the urban electric system in a way that benefits all stakeholders. Recognizing the impact of Adam’s work, Crain’s New York Business selected Adam as an inaugural “2023 Notable Leader in Sustainability”.

David Alter

David Arfin

CEO, co-founder
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David Alter

David Arfin

CEO, co-founder


David is CEO and co-founder of NineDot Energy, based in Brooklyn, NY. He is also the co-founder of Ener-Pacte (France) and SolarVento (Mexico), and has served on the Board of Directors of Simpa Networks (India) and WattzOn (Palo Alto), and as an Advisor to Everyday Energy (San Diego), United Wind (New York), Tigi Solar (Israel), and eMotorWerks (acquired by ENEL). Previously, David served as a Consultant to the US Department of Energy’s SunShot initiative and as Entrepreneur-In-Residence at Israel Cleantech Ventures. David has also been an emissary for the US Department of State in Angola, Israel, and Palestine.

David invented SolarCity’s SolarLease, the game-changing solar financing program that enabled over 1,000,000 American homeowners to have solar power in their homes. SolarCity was acquired by Tesla.

David loves building sustainable businesses that contribute to environmental wellness. He selects markets that are large and ripe for creative solutions and partners and with partners who are smarter than he is and have the highest integrity, and has an insatiable desire to explore new places and start new businesses.

David has a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, a Masters in Public Policy Analysis from the Claremont Graduate University, and an MBA from Stanford University. He is on the Board of the Friends of the Arava Environmental Institute for Environmental Studies and is a Member of the Cleantech Leaders Roundtable. He lives between New York and California.

David Glick

David Gluck

Managing Director, Renewable and Sustainable Energy, The Carlyle Group
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David Glick

David Gluck

Managing Director, Renewable and Sustainable Energy, The Carlyle Group

Nalin Kalatilaka

Nalin Kulatilaka

Chief strategy officer, co-founder
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Nalin Kalatilaka

Nalin Kulatilaka

Chief strategy officer, co-founder


Nalin is Wing Tat Lee Family Professor of Management and Professor of Finance at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business where he also serves as the co-director of the Susilo Institute for Ethics in the Global Economy. Nalin’s current research interests include impact investing and financing distributed energy resources. Nalin has published extensively in top academic journals as well as influential managerial publications. His book, Real Options (HBS Press), has received wide acclaim. His honors include Bertil Danielson Chair (Stockholm School of Economics), Takang Chair (Tamkang University, Taipei), and the Association for Investment Management and Research’s Graham and Dodd Award. He has co-founded several companies including FirstFuel Software (energy data analytics), and NineDot Energy (community distributed generation for congested urban grids). He serves on the Board of Directors of Assette. Nalin holds a PhD from MIT

Pooja Goyal

Pooja Goyal

Chief Investment Officer, Infrastructure Group, The Carlyle Group
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Pooja Goyal

Pooja Goyal

Chief Investment Officer, Infrastructure Group, The Carlyle Group

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