Orion Renewable Energy

What Orion Renewable Energy does

Orion Renewable Energy Group LLC is an independent, employee-owned developer of utility-scale wind, solar, and battery storage projects founded in 1998 and headquartered in Oakland, California. The company operates across the full project lifecycle, including site identification and resource assessment, community engagement and landowner lease negotiation, environmental review and permitting, interconnection, power marketing, financing, construction, and ongoing asset management for owned projects. Orion has brought nearly 10,000 MW of renewable energy projects to commercial operation, including flagship assets such as Dunns Bridge Solar (700MW solar plus 75MW battery storage in Indiana, owned by NIPSCO) and Clearwater Wind (776MW in Montana), with cumulative landowner payments and local tax contributions exceeding $2.6 billion across its operating portfolio.

Orion's business model combines three revenue streams: long-term power purchase agreements with utilities, commercial and industrial customers, or power marketers for electricity generated by owned projects; one-time asset sales or build-transfer agreements where utilities purchase fully developed or constructed projects; and ongoing asset management services for projects Orion continues to own and operate, such as Camp Grove Wind. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, as each contract is custom-negotiated on a project basis. Orion differentiates itself through manufacturer independence, allowing selection of the most competitive wind turbines and solar panels for each site, and through a relationship-intensive go-to-market focused on direct engagement with utilities, public officials, and rural landowner communities rather than digital or broad-market channels.

The company serves four primary customer segments: investor-owned and public utilities seeking renewable energy procurement to meet clean energy mandates; commercial and industrial buyers pursuing corporate sustainability goals through corporate PPAs; landowners and farmers providing land leases for project siting; and rural county governments receiving tax revenue and economic development from project construction. Notable offtaker relationships include NIPSCO, CenterPoint Energy, Portland General Electric, and Microsoft, the last of which signed one of the earliest corporate PPAs for the Pilot Hill Wind Farm in 2014. Orion remains a privately held, founder-led LLC with 11-50 employees and no disclosed institutional investors.

Name

Orion Renewable Energy

Legal name

Orion Renewable Energy Group LLC

Website

https://orionrenewables.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Orion Renewable Energy is an independent, employee-owned developer of utility-scale wind, solar, and battery storage projects founded in 1998, serving utilities, corporations, landowners, and rural communities across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Renewable Energy Project Development

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Wind Electric Power Generation (221115), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Renewable Energy Industrial Facilities Construction (Solar, Wind, Storage) (IMAFADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB), Wind Farm Ownership & Operations (IPP/Utility-Owned Asset Operations) (EUACAFAF)

Keywords

• Utility-scale wind development
• Solar project development
• Battery storage projects
• Power purchase agreements
• Renewable energy development

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Power Sales Agreements: Orion enters into long-term power purchase agreements with electric utility companies, commercial and industrial customers, or power marketers who purchase the electricity generated by projects.
2. Asset Sales and Build-Transfer Agreements: Orion negotiates Asset Purchase Agreements or Build-Transfer Agreements with utilities, where the utility purchases project development assets or fully constructed projects. Orion has completed sales to Portland General Electric, investor-owned utilities, and CenterPoint Energy.
3. Project Ownership and Operations: Orion develops, builds, finances, manages operations, and owns wind and solar projects, generating ongoing revenue from electricity generation and asset management services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Orion Renewable Energy is an independent developer of utility-scale wind, solar, and battery storage projects in the United States. The company develops, finances, builds, owns, and operates these projects across the full lifecycle—from site identification, resource assessment, and community engagement through construction and ongoing operations—and monetizes them through long-term Power Purchase Agreements with utilities and corporate buyers or through Asset Purchase and Build-Transfer Agreements with utilities.

Product overview

Orion Renewable Energy is an independent renewable energy development company offering a portfolio of utility-scale wind and solar energy projects. The company's core offerings include developing, building, financing, and operating wind farms (Clearwater Wind, Camp Grove Wind) and solar farms (Dunns Bridge Solar, Troy Solar). Orion's services span the entire project lifecycle from site identification and resource assessment through community engagement, lease negotiation, interconnection, environmental review, permitting, power sales, financing, equipment procurement, construction, and ongoing operations and asset management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dunns Bridge Solar A utility-scale solar plus battery storage project — 700MW of solar generation paired with 75MW of 4-hour battery storage — developed by Orion in Jasper and Starke Counties, Indiana, and sold/owned by NIPSCO.
• Clearwater Wind A 776MW utility-scale wind farm developed across Rosebud, Custer, and Garfield Counties, Montana, and described as the largest wind energy project in Montana.
• Troy Solar A 50MW utility-scale solar project in Spencer County, Indiana featuring single-axis tracking systems, sold to and now owned by CenterPoint Energy (formerly Vectren).
• Camp Grove Wind A 150MW utility-scale wind farm in Marshall and Stark Counties, Illinois, operational since 2007 and partially owned and operated by Orion.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 MW of wind and solar projects operational or in construction
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• MicrosoftflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Orion negotiated one of the first power purchase agreements with Microsoft, for the Pilot Hill Wind Farm in Illinois in 2014, demonstrating Orion's ability to secure corporate PPA relationships early in the market.
• Portland General ElectriccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Portland General Electric purchased Biglow Canyon Wind Farm from Orion - representing Orion's first sale of renewable project development assets to a utility. The final phase (450 MW) was completed in 2010.
• Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIPSCO owns the Dunns Bridge Solar project (700MW Solar + 75MW 4-Hour Battery Storage), the largest solar project in the Midwest, representing a $1 billion investment in Jasper and Starke Counties, Indiana.
• CenterPoint Energy (formerly Vectren)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenterPoint Energy owns Troy Solar (50MW), Orion's first sale of solar assets to an investor-owned utility. Orion has a long relationship with CenterPoint dating back to 2008 when they began purchasing electricity from Orion's Benton County Wind Farm.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Apex Clean Energy: Independent U.S. renewable energy developer focused on utility-scale wind, solar, and storage projects. Apex is a closely comparable peer to Orion: similar OEM-agnostic development model, similar geography, and similar customer base of utilities and corporates.
• Invenergy: Independent U.S. renewable energy developer and operator of utility-scale wind, solar, and storage. Invenergy shares Orion's full-lifecycle developer/owner/operator model and competes for the same utility-scale RFPs and PPA opportunities.
• EDF Renewables North America: Developer and operator of utility-scale wind, solar, and storage projects across North America. Directly comparable to Orion in technology mix, project scale, and customer types, though backed by EDF group's balance sheet.
• ENGIE North America (Renewables): Develops, owns, and operates utility-scale wind, solar, and storage in North America. ENGIE competes with Orion on utility RFPs and corporate PPAs across overlapping U.S. geographies.
• EDP Renewables North America: Global renewable energy developer with significant North American utility-scale wind and solar operations. Comparable to Orion in project types, customer base, and OEM-agnostic development model.
• Clearway Energy Group: Owns and operates utility-scale wind and solar generation in the U.S. Clearway competes with Orion in utility-scale renewable development and operates/owns comparable asset types across overlapping geographies.
• Cypress Creek Renewables: Independent U.S. solar and storage developer. Cypress Creek is comparable to Orion on the solar and storage side of the portfolio, although its historical focus is more solar-heavy than Orion's wind-led base.

Broad incumbents

• NextEra Energy Resources: Largest U.S. renewable energy developer and operator, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy. Competes with Orion for utility-scale wind, solar, and storage projects and PPAs but at materially greater scale and with a broader portfolio across multiple technologies.
• RWE Renewables Americas: Develops and operates utility-scale wind, solar, and storage in the Americas as part of RWE's global renewables portfolio. Comparable to Orion in technology and customer set, though backed by a large European utility parent.
• AES Corporation (AES Clean Energy): Global power company with a large U.S. utility-scale renewables development business. AES Clean Energy competes with Orion for utility-scale wind, solar, and storage projects and corporate PPAs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Orion Renewable Energy