Birch Creek Development

What Birch Creek Development does

Birch Creek Development is a privately-held utility-scale solar and battery energy storage developer, financier, and independent power producer founded in 2019 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, with a secondary office in El Segundo, California. The company is organized around two operating entities: Birch Creek Development, which handles greenfield origination, late-stage project M&A, permitting, and financing; and Birch Creek Power, an independent power producer launched in March 2023 that owns and operates renewable energy assets under long-term power purchase agreements. Birch Creek develops projects across four major U.S. wholesale electricity markets (MISO, PJM, ERCOT, and the Southeast), with an active development pipeline of 14.2 GW and 1.7 GW developed since inception, of which 872 MW across 36 projects are currently operational.

The company's revenue model combines one-time development fees and asset sale gains from the development entity with recurring contracted PPA revenue from the IPP-owned portfolio, supplemented by tax equity partnership economics and long-duration land lease income (30-40 year terms). Since 2022, Birch Creek has secured over $530 million in cumulative debt and tax equity commitments from Fundamental Renewables, Foss & Company, KKR, Celtic Bank, West Town Bank & Trust, and Pathward, N.A., supporting the build-out of its develop-to-own platform. In March 2023, the company acquired Foundation Solar Partners, adding 7.5 GW of PJM and MISO pipeline and senior origination talent.

Birch Creek sells exclusively through direct enterprise relationships, targeting investor-owned utilities, cooperatives, large commercial and industrial energy buyers, agricultural and rural landowners, and capital partners. Key offtake relationships to date include Ameren Illinois and Ameren Missouri. The company ranked #3 on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing privately-held U.S. companies and #1 in Energy, reflecting 87,665% revenue growth over the 2019-2022 measurement window.

Name

Birch Creek Development

Legal name

Birch Creek Energy, LLC

Website

https://birchcreekdev.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Birch Creek Development is a privately-held utility-scale solar and battery storage developer and independent power producer with a 14.2 GW pipeline across MISO, PJM, ERCOT, and the Southeast, serving utilities, landowners, and large energy buyers through a develop-to-own model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Utility-Scale Solar & Energy Storage Development

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Utility-Scale BESS Project Development & Ownership (IPP/Developer) (EUAFAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

BESS Financing, Insurance & Contracting (Tax Equity, PPA/Tolling, Warranties) (EUAFAAAI), BESS Operations, Maintenance & Asset Performance Management (APM) (EUAFAAAG)

Keywords

• Utility-scale solar development
• Energy storage development
• Renewable energy project finance
• Independent power production
• Solar project origination

Headquarters

HQ city

El Segundo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Project Development and Sale: Birch Creek develops utility-scale solar projects from greenfield origination through permitting and financing, then sells late-stage or operational assets to third-party buyers, generating development fees and asset value capture. The company also develops projects for its own IPP entity (Birch Creek Power).
2. Independent Power Producer (IPP) Ownership: Through Birch Creek Power (launched March 2023), the company retains ownership and operation of select renewable energy assets, generating long-term contracted revenue from PPAs with utilities and grid operators.
3. Tax Equity Partnership Structures: The company enters tax equity partnerships (e.g., with Foss & Company) where investors provide capital in exchange for tax benefits, with Birch Creek receiving financing support and project economics optimization.
4. Land Lease and Site Control Agreements: Birch Creek enters long-term ground leases (typically 30-40 year terms) with landowners to host solar projects, converting property into stable contracted revenue generators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Birch Creek Development develops, finances, and owns utility-scale solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, operating across the full project lifecycle from greenfield site origination and development through financing, construction, and long-term asset ownership via its independent power producer (IPP) entity Birch Creek Power. The company originates projects, secures land control, arranges capital and power offtake agreements, and retains ownership of operating assets.

Product overview

Birch Creek Development operates a dual-entity structure comprising Birch Creek Development (the project origination and financing arm) and Birch Creek Power (the independent power producer for asset ownership and operation). Together they offer a 'develop-to-own' model covering the full lifecycle of utility-scale solar and energy storage projects. The development entity handles greenfield development, late-stage M&A, and project financing, while the IPP entity focuses on owning and operating completed assets. The company has developed 1.7 GW of solar projects and maintains over 14.2 GW of active solar and storage development pipeline across MISO, PJM, ERCOT, and the Southeast US markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Utility-Scale Solar Project Development
• Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Development
• Project Financing and Capital Structuring
• Birch Creek Power (Independent Power Production)
• Land Lease and Site Hosting Partnerships

Quantifiable outcome

• 87,665% revenue growth from 2019 to 2022, ranked #3 overall on Inc. 5000 and #1 in Energy (2023)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Habitat EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Habitat Energy announced its first U.S. co-located solar-plus-storage optimization project in ERCOT with Birch Creek. Solar commercial operations expected August 2026, battery operations October 2026. Habitat will provide optimization services for the co-located project under ERCOT's RTC+B framework.
• First SolarcoreTechnology or Integration · 30 April 2024Birch Creek ordered 547 MW of First Solar's advanced Series 6 Plus Bifacial thin film PV modules for deployment across its U.S. development pipeline. The agreement strengthens Birch Creek's domestic content strategy with pricing and supply certainty from the largest solar manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere.
• Foundation Solar PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 March 2023Birch Creek acquired Foundation Solar Partners, a Washington DC-based solar developer, on March 24, 2023. Foundation Solar brought 800+ MW of developed/sold projects and a nearly 5 GW pipeline, adding greenfield origination capabilities to Birch Creek's development platform.
• GivePowerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 July 2022Birch Creek Development funded a solar project for a rural school in Mangana, Colombia in partnership with GivePower, a nonprofit providing solar energy solutions to developing regions. The project provides electricity for computers, nighttime study, and food refrigeration. GivePower has provided solar power to 2,506 schools across 24 countries.
• FCMminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFCM is a full-service infrastructure management company providing value-adding products and services supporting developers and owners of utility-scale solar energy systems. FCM leverages decades of experience and a national network of partners to support renewable energy programs.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Strata Solar: Utility-scale solar developer with strong Southeast U.S. presence and full development, EPC, and operations capabilities. Direct overlap with Birch Creek's Southeast and MISO/PJM pipeline.
• Pine Gate Renewables: Developer, owner, and operator of utility-scale solar and storage projects across the U.S. Comparable develop-to-own strategy with a strong co-located storage focus.
• Cypress Creek Renewables: One of the largest U.S. utility-scale solar developers with a comparable develop-and-sell business model and project finance footprint. Directly competes for greenfield sites, PPAs, and tax equity in overlapping markets.
• Origis Energy: Utility-scale solar and storage developer and operator with similar geographies in MISO, PJM, and the Southeast. Direct competitor for greenfield origination, offtake agreements, and capital partners.
• Hecate Energy: Utility-scale solar and battery storage developer and IPP with multi-GW pipelines. Closely comparable on develop-to-own model, co-located storage, and C&I/data center load-pairing strategies.
• Avantus (formerly 8minute Solar Energy): Large-scale U.S. solar developer with multi-GW development pipeline and IPP capabilities. Highly comparable in scale, technology mix (solar+storage), and develop-to-own approach.

Broad incumbents

• NextEra Energy Resources: Largest U.S. renewable energy developer and operator. Sets competitive benchmarks on cost of capital, PPA pricing, and pipeline scale against which smaller developers like Birch Creek must compete.
• Lightsource bp: Global utility-scale solar developer and IPP backed by bp. Competes in similar U.S. utility-scale solar and storage markets with deeper balance sheet and broader geographic footprint.
• EDF Renewables: Subsidiary of EDF with significant U.S. utility-scale solar and storage development (formed in part from acquired National Grid Renewables portfolio). Larger, well-capitalized incumbent competing for similar offtake and sites.
• AES Corporation: Global utility-scale renewables developer and IPP with significant U.S. solar and storage pipeline. Competes for utility RFPs, large-load (data center) PPAs, and tax-equity capital across overlapping markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BirchCreek17
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100081508085987
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birch-creek-development
• Instagraminstagram.com/birchcreek333

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Birch Creek Development