NorthStar Clean Energy

What NorthStar Clean Energy does

NorthStar Clean Energy is a Michigan-incorporated, privately held independent power producer and wholly owned subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS), founded in 1987 and headquartered in Ann Arbor. The company develops, owns, and operates a diversified clean energy portfolio spanning utility-scale and distributed solar PV, onshore wind, battery energy storage, natural gas generation (including combined-cycle with carbon capture), and biomass energy, with over 2 GW of operating capacity across 11 independent power plants in Michigan, Ohio, Arkansas, Texas, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, plus a 1+ GW development pipeline.

Its product surface is organized into four core solution lines — Renewable Energy (utility-scale solar, wind, hybrid, and storage plus onsite decarbonization), Carbon Management (Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage/BiCRS targeting ~468,000 CDR credits/year starting 2028 at Filer City, plus combined-cycle gas with up to 95% carbon capture), Thermal Energy (~1,128 MW natural gas plus ~128 MW biomass, including the 770 MW Dearborn Industrial Generation cogeneration facility serving Ford's Rouge Complex), and Energy Management (retail/wholesale energy management, RTO bidding, congestion management). Project Investment Services layer in tax equity structuring and capital syndication for institutional investors via relationships with Marathon Capital, BNP Paribas, MUFG, and SMBC.

NorthStar monetizes through long-dated power purchase agreements (typically 15-25 years) with industrial, commercial, institutional, and municipal counterparties — anchor offtakers include General Motors (15-year PPAs for Newport Solar and Northwest Ohio Wind), Ford Motor Company, AK Steel/U.S. Steel, Duke Energy (Craven County biomass), Lansing Board of Water & Light, Michigan Public Power Agency, and Nexteer Automotive. Revenue streams span subscription/recurring (PPAs, thermal energy sales), transaction fees (CDR credits), managed services (O&M, energy management), professional services (tax equity and capital advisory), and asset ownership returns. The company employs 101-250 people and operates a B2B enterprise field sales motion backed by relationship-driven origination and CMS Energy's balance sheet.

Name

NorthStar Clean Energy

Legal name

NorthStar Clean Energy Company

Website

https://northstarcleanenergy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

NorthStar Clean Energy is a CMS Energy subsidiary that develops, owns, and operates over 2 GW of wind, solar, biomass, natural gas, and carbon capture projects across the U.S., serving industrial, commercial, municipal, and institutional customers under long-term power purchase agreements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Renewable Energy Generation and Carbon Management

NAICS

Electric Power Generation (22111), Wind Electric Power Generation (221115), Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (221330)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991), Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Energy & Renewables Specialty Contracting (Solar PV, Storage, EV Charging) (IMAFALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Onsite Low-Carbon Heat & CHP (Electrified CHP, Fuel Cells, Renewable CHP) (EUABAJAI), Hybrid Renewable Systems & Co-Optimization R&D (Solar+Wind+Storage, Multi-Resource Plants, Controls) (EUAMAOAI), Renewable Distributed Generation (Rooftop/Onsite Solar, Small Wind, Small Hydro) (EUACALAJ)

Keywords

• Clean energy generation
• Utility-scale solar
• Wind energy development
• Carbon capture storage
• Power purchase agreements

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs): Long-term contracts to supply renewable electricity to customers, typically 15-25 years, providing stable recurring revenue. Energy and renewable energy credits (RECs) are sold under these agreements.
2. Thermal Energy Sales: Sale of steam and electricity from natural gas and biomass cogeneration facilities to industrial customers and utilities. Provides baseload and dispatchable power.
3. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Credits: Sale of carbon removal credits from BiCRS facilities into voluntary and compliance markets. Expected to generate ~468,000 credits/year starting 2028 at Filer City.
4. Asset Management and Operations Services: Full-service operations and management (O&M) for solar, wind, and thermal assets, including energy management services, market bidding, compliance, and performance tracking.
5. Tax Equity Financing and Advisory: Structuring tax equity deals including 45Q carbon credits and other evolving incentives; capital syndication, joint ventures, and strategic asset sales for institutional investors.
6. Project Investment and Ownership: Develop, own, and operate clean energy projects generating long-term asset ownership returns from power generation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NorthStar Clean Energy develops, owns, and operates utility-scale renewable energy projects (solar, wind, energy storage), biomass and natural gas thermal generation, and carbon management solutions including Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS). The company delivers decarbonization solutions and long-term power purchase agreements to industrial, commercial, institutional, and municipal customers across the United States.

Product overview

NorthStar Clean Energy is a subsidiary of CMS Energy providing integrated clean energy and carbon solutions. The company operates a diversified portfolio of renewable energy projects including utility-scale solar (Newport Solar, Branch Solar, Genesee Solar, Hart Solar, Delta Solar), wind farms (Aviator Wind, Northwest Wind Ohio), and thermal assets (natural gas and biomass plants). Core offerings include Renewable Energy Solutions (solar, wind, hybrid, and storage), Carbon Management Solutions (BiCRS and carbon capture), Thermal Energy Solutions (natural gas and biomass generation), and Energy Management Solutions (retail and wholesale energy management). The company also offers Onsite Decarbonization for commercial/industrial facilities and Project Investment Services for institutional investors. The portfolio spans over 2 gigawatts of generating capacity across the United States, with a development pipeline exceeding 1 gigawatt.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Renewable Energy Solutions Utility-scale and onsite solar, wind, hybrid, and storage projects designed to help customers decarbonize large portions of their energy use, including end-to-end project development, financing, construction, ownership, and operations.
• Carbon Management Solutions Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) and natural gas with carbon capture and storage to enable safe, permanent carbon sequestration at scale for net-zero strategies.
• Thermal Energy Solutions Natural gas and biomass power plants providing consistent baseload and dispatchable power to meet modern energy consumer needs, including approximately 1,000 MW of natural gas and 128 MW of biomass facilities.
• Energy Management Solutions Retail and wholesale energy management programs including energy contract management, market bidding, RTO bids and offers, congestion management, energy scheduling, and load management services for municipalities, schools, commercial enterprises, and industrial facilities.
• Project Investment Services Investment opportunities in existing operating power plants, early and late construction projects, and development-stage projects, offering tax equity structuring, capital raising, and strategic sell-downs for institutional investors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Powers over 260,000 homes annually with clean energy
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CMS EnergycoreOthers · 26 March 2026CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS) is the parent company of NorthStar Clean Energy. NorthStar operates as a wholly owned subsidiary, leveraging CMS Energy's financial strength, utility relationships, and 100+ years of energy industry experience. CMS Energy provides capital resources and operational support.
• WoodchuckcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025AI-powered climate-tech startup that diverts wood waste from construction sites into biomass for NorthStar's clean energy production. Partnership at Hart Solar Farm diverted nearly 500 tons of wood waste. NorthStar Clean Energy is part of Woodchuck's investor syndicate (NorthStar Clean Energy, Mason Fink, Beckett Industries, Alloy Partners).
• Barton MalowcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025101-year-old construction enterprise partnered with Woodchuck and NorthStar to divert wood waste from Hart Solar Farm project into clean energy production. Barton Malow provides sustainable construction services while Woodchuck handles waste logistics and NorthStar provides biomass-to-energy conversion.
• CAMS (Competitive Asset Management Services)minorOthersCAMS provides multi-service contract for Aviator Wind farm (525 MW in Texas), including asset management, balance-of-plant operations, maintenance, 24/7 remote operations, NERC compliance, and operational technology services.
• General MotorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGM is the offtaker under 15-year renewable energy purchase agreement for Northwest Ohio Wind (105 MW) enabling GM to power 20% of facilities globally with renewable energy. Also signed 15-year PPA for Newport Solar (180 MW) for GM facilities in Michigan and Missouri.
• Carbon Removal AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthStar Clean Energy is a proud partner of the Carbon Removal Alliance, supporting industry advocacy for carbon removal and CDR credit standards.
• Duke EnergyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDuke Energy purchases electricity from Craven County Wood Energy (50 MW biomass) under power purchase agreement. Craven County is Duke Energy's largest supplier of poultry renewable energy credits in North Carolina.
• EDF Renewables Distributed SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDF Renewables Distributed Solutions (formerly groSolar) partnered with NorthStar on Flambeau Solar (2.5 MW in Wisconsin) and Delta Solar (24 MW in Michigan) projects, providing development and EPC services.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Apex Clean Energy:
• Invenergy: Invenergy is a privately-held US-based developer, owner, and operator of sustainable energy solutions including wind, solar, natural gas, and energy storage. Directly comparable to NorthStar as a multi-technology independent power producer serving utility and industrial customers with long-term PPAs across multiple US geographies.
• EDF Renewables North America: EDF Renewables (which partnered with NorthStar on Flambeau Solar and Delta Solar projects) is a major North American renewable energy developer and operator. Directly comparable in wind, solar, and storage development plus an existing partnership relationship with NorthStar on distributed solar projects.
• Clearway Energy: Clearway Energy owns and operates a large-scale renewable energy portfolio including wind, solar, and thermal assets across the US. Comparable to NorthStar's contract-based renewable generation model with long-term PPAs serving utility and corporate customers, though Clearway is publicly traded.

Broad incumbents

• NextEra Energy Resources: NextEra Energy Resources is the world's largest generator of wind and solar energy and a wholly-owned subsidiary of NextEra Energy. It develops, owns, and operates utility-scale renewable projects with multi-technology capabilities (solar, wind, storage) directly comparable to NorthStar's renewable energy platform, though at much larger scale and with battery storage leadership.
• AES Corporation: AES is a Fortune 500 global energy company with significant renewable energy operations (AES Clean Energy) developing utility-scale solar, wind, and storage plus energy management services. Comparable in multi-technology approach and serving corporate/utility customers with PPAs, but operates at much larger global scale.
• ENGIE North America: ENGIE is a global energy company with significant North American renewable energy operations including solar, wind, and storage development. Comparable in multi-technology renewable platform and enterprise customer focus; ENGIE's North American CCO previously employed at NorthStar, indicating industry talent overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northstarcleanenergy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about NorthStar Clean Energy