🔒New Greenskies CEO Singh eyes solar growth, storage expansion as federal tax credits phase out

The new CEO of North Haven-based renewable energy company Greenskies Clean Focus is Vijay Singh, but not the one known for playing golf. When asked about sharing a name with the longtime professional golfer from Fiji, Singh just chuckles. “I get asked that question a lot,” he said, “but I don’t play golf.” What Singh has done is spend more than two decades building and scaling renewable energy businesses, including managing multi-gigawatt energy portfolios. That includes launching the energy storage group at Florida-based NextEra Energy and helping grow it into a multibillion-dollar renewables and battery storage business. Now, Singh is tasked with leading Greenskies, which was founded in Westport in 2008 by Michael Silvestrini and former state Sen. Art Linares. They sold the company in 2017 to California-based Clean Focus Yield Ltd., and it was sold again in 2020 to JLC Infrastructure, a New York-based private investment firm focused on infrastructure projects. Singh succeeds Stanley Chin, who stepped down as CEO as part of a leadership transition, according to the company. Greenskies develops, finances and operates commercial and industrial renewable energy projects nationwide, with a focus on Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and California. Its clients include businesses, municipalities, schools, universities and hospitals. The company does not serve the residential market. Greenskies said its solar installations have generated about 2.35 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity — enough to power roughly 212,000 homes for a year. Most of its work involves rooftop solar installations, though the company also develops ground-mounted systems. It completed 82 projects nationwide in 2025. That includes a 2.32-megawatt system completed last June in Orange for Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, which is expected to save about $6 million in energy costs over 20 years.

In March, the company installed a rooftop solar array on the Department of Public Works’ building in West Hartford, replacing a system originally installed in 2012 that was removed during a roof replacement. Singh recently sat down with Hartford Business Journal to discuss his decision to join Greenskies and his vision for the company, including expanding energy storage and growing its geographic footprint.

Scaling the business

Singh said his two decades of experience in renewables — including wind, solar and energy storage — position him to lead Greenskies’ next phase of “thoughtful and disciplined” growth. He described the staff as experienced, with a track record of delivering projects, and noted that Greenskies not only develops and installs systems but also owns and operates them under long-term contracts that typically run 30 to 35 years. “It’s a very strong and disciplined platform,” he said of Greenskies. “The company has a clear focus on execution, and not just recently. They have been in business for over a decade.” Singh declined to provide revenue figures for the privately held company, but said it is positioned to expand beyond the four markets it primarily serves. “There is a large customer base and a lot of demand in other states as well, which we have not touched yet,” he said. While he expects growth across the U.S., Singh said he does not plan to expand internationally, citing the complexity of operating in foreign markets. “I don’t want to extend the footprint to jurisdictions where you cannot control the projects,” he said. Greenskies employs more than 120 people, including about 40 at its North Haven headquarters, with others working remotely or on construction sites across the country. Staffing will grow alongside the business, he said.

Seeking certainty

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges facing Greenskies is shifting federal energy policy under the Trump administration, particularly changes to incentives enacted last year under the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” The law reshaped the economics of solar projects by imposing new deadlines and phasing out key tax credits over time. For example, the 30% federal Investment Tax Credit for commercial solar remains available, but only for projects that begin construction by July 4, 2026, or are placed in service by Dec. 31, 2027. After that, the credit is scheduled to phase out — a change that has prompted a rush by businesses and developers to move projects forward. At the same time, the law eliminated the 30% residential solar tax credit for systems installed after Dec. 31, 2025, adding uncertainty for the broader solar market, though Greenskies operates exclusively in the commercial and industrial segment. Despite those changes, Singh said he does not expect shifting federal policy to materially affect the company’s growth. “There are always policy highs and lows,” he said. “Markets adjust, whatever the policies. What companies need is certainty. Once you have certainty, markets adjust and the company adjusts.” Greenskies continues to see demand from large corporations, real estate portfolio companies, and commercial and industrial customers, many of whom are grappling with rising energy costs, Singh said. “Our customers want cost certainty, as well as energy resilience with the grid,” Singh said. “So we’re leveraging a repeatable, scalable playbook and using that to grow across the nation.” Scaling that growth could include multisite projects, such as installations across big-box retail portfolios, he said. Singh also expects energy storage to play a larger role in Greenskies’ projects, building on battery systems already installed at some sites to provide resilience and backup power. “During peak times, you can store power in the battery and then discharge it in the evening when the sun is down,” he said. “So, I clearly see a role for storage and expect to include more and more storage going forward.”

CT is home

While looking to expand across the U.S. — Greenskies has satellite offices in New York City and Pleasanton, California — the company remains grounded in Connecticut, Singh said. Greenskies has no intention of relocating from its headquarters at 127 Washington Ave., in North Haven. “Our business is domiciled here,” he said. “It’s extremely important for us.” He noted that Greenskies participates in state-supported renewable energy programs that provide long-term contracts and incentives for solar projects. “We have a big opportunity to grow in this market, in Connecticut, for sure,” he said.