Northern Power & Light

What Northern Power & Light does

Northern Power & Light (NP&L) is a privately held Community Distributed Generation (CDG) operator headquartered in Saranac Lake, New York. Founded in 2018 by brothers Ethan and Emmett Smith and Louise Gava — emerging from the Smith and Foley families' decades-long involvement in Adirondack hydroelectric projects — the company connects National Grid residential and commercial customers in New York's North Country region with small local hydroelectric producers through the state's regulated CDG framework administered by NYSERDA. NP&L acts as an intermediary: customers contract directly with a specific named local generator, the electricity output is credited on the customer's National Grid bill as a Transfer Credit, and NP&L bills the customer separately for the same amount, leaving total cost unchanged.

NP&L's core product is its CDG enrollment and billing platform. Customers self-enroll online via npandl.com/intro using a National Grid account number, with phone and email support for complex accounts; each month, NP&L reconciles generator output against customer allocation, manages the Transfer Credit on the National Grid side, and issues its own bill. The underlying proprietary technology is light — the regulated CDG/net-metering infrastructure does the heavy lifting — and NP&L's value-add sits in enrollment, billing reconciliation, multi-producer portfolio coordination, and customer service. Optional Auto-Pay and a 2.9% credit-card pass-through fee are layered on top of the standard subscription product.

The revenue model is recurring monthly: NP&L monetizes via a producer-paid administration/facilitation fee or modest spread on electricity flowing through the platform rather than customer markup, because the model is explicitly 'no change in cost' to subscribers. The company currently coordinates three primary facilities — Sissonville Hydro (3.1 MW, Potsdam), Schroon River Paper Mill Dam / Warrensburg (3.0 MW), and the founding family's Azure Mountain Power (0.75 MW, St. Regis Falls) — collectively 6.85 MW powering approximately 4,900 homes and offsetting 22,656 metric tons of CO2 annually, with >90% of facility capacity subscribed. Customer segments span individual residential customers and local SMBs as primary, with municipal anchors (City of Glens Falls at ~30% of Warrensburg output) and higher-education institutions (Paul Smith's College at 100% of electricity needs) as larger concentrated accounts. NP&L is profitable-looking but micro-scaled, with 1–10 employees, no institutional capital raised, founder/family-only ownership, and a 2025 merger with Solar Simplified that consolidates the customer portal while retaining the NP&L brand. A primary producer-counterparty relationship is with Boralex Hydro Operations, which owns Sissonville and Warrensburg. Geographic footprint is bounded to New York's North Country service area: Saranac Lake, Glens Falls, Potsdam, Canton, St. Regis Falls, Warrensburg, and Rainbow Lake. C

Name

Northern Power & Light

Legal name

Northern Power & Light Inc.

Website

https://npandl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Northern Power & Light is a Saranac Lake, NY-based Community Distributed Generation operator that connects National Grid customers in New York's North Country with local hydroelectric producers through the state's CDG program, enabling direct local contracting at no change in customer electricity cost.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Distributed Generation Services

NAICS

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Green Tariffs & Utility Renewable Supply Programs (EUAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

C&I Renewable Supply & Green Tariffs (Bundled RE, Sleeves, Utility Green Tariffs) (EUAGACAE)

Keywords

• Community distributed generation
• Local renewable electricity
• Hydroelectric power supply
• Energy subscription service
• Renewable energy coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Saranac Lake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Renewable Electricity Subscription: NP&L acts as an intermediary between local renewable energy producers (hydro facilities) and community customers. Customers contract directly with a specific local producer. Each month, electricity generated by the customer's chosen facility is credited on their National Grid bill (Transfer Credit). NP&L then bills the customer directly for that electricity at the same rate, with no change in total cost. The revenue stream is recurring (monthly), derived from the difference or fee structure within this billing coordination model. Auto-Pay is recommended and a 2.9% credit card processing fee applies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Northern Power & Light operates a Community Distributed Generation (CDG) platform under New York's Community Renewables program that connects National Grid customers in the North Country region directly with local hydroelectric producers such as Boralex Hydro Operations (Sissonville, Warrensburg) and the Smith family's Azure Mountain Power. Customers contract with a specific local hydro producer, receive a Transfer Credit on their National Grid bill for the electricity generated by their chosen facility, and are billed separately by NP&L for the same amount at no change in total cost.

Product overview

Northern Power & Light operates a community distributed generation platform that connects National Grid customers in New York with local renewable energy producers. The core offering is the CDG Program, which enables customers to purchase electricity directly from local hydropower facilities including Azure Mountain Power (750kW), Sissonville Hydro (3.1MW), and Schroon River Paper Mill Dam (3MW). Customers receive the same electricity at no change in cost, with billing split between NP&L for local power and National Grid for balance. Add-on services include Auto-Pay for convenient payment management and a Transfer Credit system for bill synchronization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Distributed Generation (CDG) Program A subscription platform connecting National Grid customers in New York's North Country directly with local renewable energy producers through the state Community Renewables program. Customers contract with a specific local hydro producer, receive a Transfer Credit on their National Grid bill for electricity generated by their chosen facility, and are billed separately by NP&L for the same amount at no change in total cost. Available to residential customers, local businesses, municipalities, and educational institutions.
• Azure Mountain Power electricity subscription Subscription to electricity from the 750 kW Azure Mountain Power run-of-river hydro station in St. Regis Falls, NY, owned by the Smith family. This was NP&L's first community hydro project, available to National Grid residential and small commercial customers in the North Country.
• Sissonville Hydro electricity subscription Subscription to electricity from the 3.1 MW Sissonville Hydro facility on the Raquette River in Potsdam, NY, owned by Boralex Hydro Operations. Available to National Grid customers in the broader North Country region, including the Potsdam area, and currently supplies 100% of the electricity needs of Paul Smith's College.
• Glens Falls Community Hydro Project A community hydro project centered on the 2.9 MW run-of-river Warrensburg Hydro facility on the Schroon River, in partnership with the City of Glens Falls and Boralex Hydro Operations. Powers City Hall, street lights, the water treatment plant, and other municipal facilities, alongside local businesses and residents. Includes a 25% electricity discount for low-income customers through the City of Glens Falls Community Development Program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22,656 metric tons of CO2 offset annually across all facilities (Sissonville: 11,904 t; Schroon River: 8,985 t; Azure Mountain: 1,767 t)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of Glens FallscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 October 2023City of Glens Falls serves as the anchor customer for the Warrensburg hydro facility community hydro project, consuming approximately 30% of the project's output to power City Hall, street lights, water treatment plant, and other municipal facilities. Mayor Bill Collins and Economic Director Dr. Jeffrey Flagg championed the initiative publicly.
• Mountain Spirit DistillingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2020NP&L partnered with Mountain Spirit Distilling in Plattsburgh, NY to produce and distribute free hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic. NP&L's hydropower operators contributed to the effort. The sanitizer used locally-made high-purity ethanol and was distributed to medical/emergency services and community organizations.
• Paul Smith's CollegeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2020Paul Smith's College (College of the Adirondacks) has been an NP&L customer since March 2020, initially subscribing to Azure Mountain Power in St. Regis Falls. The college subsequently expanded to the Sissonville facility to meet 100% of its electricity needs. Sustainability Coordinator Kate Glenn led the initiative.
• Boralex Hydro Operations, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoralex Hydro Operations, Inc., a Glens Falls-based hydroelectric operator, is the owner of several hydro facilities (Sissonville, Warrensburg) in NP&L's producer portfolio. Erik Bergman serves as Operations Manager. Boralex provides the generating infrastructure while NP&L handles customer acquisition, contracting, and billing. This is the primary partnership enabling NP&L's CDG business model.
• Warrensburg Hydro Facility (Boralex)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 2.9 MW run-of-river Warrensburg Hydro facility on the Schroon River is the anchor of the Glens Falls Community Hydro Project. NP&L coordinates customer enrollment and billing for this facility. Capacity exists for approximately 300 additional customers beyond the anchor City of Glens Falls commitment.
• ADK ActionminorOthersADK Action received remaining hand sanitizer stock from the NP&L/Mountain Spirit Distilling COVID-19 response initiative to include in emergency food packages for families in need during the pandemic.
• EDC Warren CountyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEconomic Development Corporation of Warren County partnered with NP&L and Boralex on the Glens Falls Community Hydro Project. EDC Warren County President Jim Siplon participated in the project announcement.
• City of Glens Falls Community Development ProgramminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIn partnership with the City of Glens Falls Community Development Program, low-income customers of the community hydro project can qualify for a 25% discount on their electricity from NP&L, enabling broader accessibility to local renewable energy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Constellation Energy: Constellation is a large competitive electricity supplier with renewable products serving C&I and residential customers in deregulated markets including New York. Comparable as a retail renewable electricity provider, but at vastly larger scale.
• EnergySage: EnergySage is a consumer marketplace for rooftop solar and clean energy products. While broader in scope, it operates a comparable online enrollment model that helps customers find and switch to renewable energy, including community solar options.
• Direct Energy: Direct Energy is a major retail electricity provider with renewable supply offerings in New York. Comparable as a competitive supplier, though not focused on community-driven local producer matching like NP&L.
• Arcadia: Arcadia operates a national clean energy marketplace connecting customers with community solar, wind, and renewable utility programs. Comparable as a broader clean-energy community/retail platform with overlapping CDG functionality in New York.
• Green Mountain Energy: Green Mountain Energy is a national retail electricity provider specializing in renewable supply. Comparable as a renewable electricity retailer, though its scale and ESCO-style model differ from NP&L's community-focused CDG approach.

Direct peers

• Solar Simplified: Solar Simplified has merged with Northern Power & Light and provides a unified community solar/CDG customer portal in New York. Directly comparable as a community distributed generation platform operator serving similar residential and SMB customers under NY's CDG framework.
• PowerMarket: PowerMarket operates a community solar/CDG platform that connects distributed renewable projects with subscribers in New York and other states. It is a direct competitor in the CDG subscriber acquisition and management model.
• Neighborhood Sun: Neighborhood Sun is a community solar subscriber acquisition platform serving low-to-moderate-income customers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US. Comparable in its CDG-style community distributed generation model targeting residential subscribers.

Others

• Boralex: Boralex Hydro Operations owns the Sissonville and Warrensburg hydro facilities in NP&L's portfolio and is a core producer partner. Comparable as the upstream renewable asset owner whose generation NP&L markets to end customers.
• Uplight: Uplight provides software that enables utilities and energy retailers to manage customer enrollment in renewable and demand-response programs. Comparable as enabling infrastructure for CDG-style programs serving utility customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/northernpowerandlight
• Instagraminstagram.com/northernpowerandlight
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northern-power-light

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Northern Power & Light