Specialists in solar and storage development
Our team is developing over 500 MW of solar and storage projects in the United States.
Emilie Flanagan, Chief Executive Officer
Emilie Flanagan is the Chief Executive Officer at Carson Power where she leads the day-to-day operations of the business and guides the overall vision of the business. Prior to founding Carson Power in March 2021, she was the Director of Project Development for Emerging Markets at Borrego Solar, where she led the incubation of new solar and storage development businesses across the US, primarily DG in the Mid-Atlantic and utility-scale in New York. Prior to this role, Emilie was a community solar project developer for Borrego and originated over 200 MW (DC) of solar projects that have now reached PTO. Prior to joining Borrego, Emilie founded and led a business in Indonesia that focused on the development of small-scale waste-to-energy assets. Emilie has an MBA in Finance from HEC Paris and a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University.
Elizabeth Driscoll, Chief Operating Officer
Liz Driscoll is the Chief Operating Officer at Carson Power, where she leads the Development Operations team, including engineering, operations, estimating, and project execution. Before joining Carson Power, Liz was the Director of Engineering and Construction at Advanced Power. She led the development engineers team managing Utility Scale greenfield development projects through to financial close, including EPC negotiations. Liz primarily worked in ERCOT-TX (Solar and solar + storage), NM, AZ, MD, VA, and OH markets, managing a 1GW+ portfolio. Before joining Advanced Power, Liz worked at Borrego Solar for 7 years in development and operations as the Director of Products and Director of Pre-Construction focused on researching and evaluating a new technology as well as estimating and securing over 400 MWs of EPC Distributed Generation projects in MA, ME, NY, NY and OH. Liz is a Wentworth Institute of Technology graduate with a master’s degree in Construction Management and a bachelor’s in Construction Management and Fine Arts. Liz is passionate about the renewables industry and excited to deploy MWs of PV and storage across the USA.
Alex Berry, Director of Engineering
Alex Berry is the Director of Engineering at Carson
Power where he leads and grows the engineering team and manages project
designs from inception through NTP, ensuring that project deadlines are met, and
resources are allocated effectively. Alex comes to us with more than six years of
experience, having previously served as a Development Engineering Manager at
Aggreko and as a Design Engineering Manager at Nexamp. He has expertise in
system design, grid interconnections, and energy modeling. His accomplishments
have included overseeing the deployment of several hundred megawatts of
community solar and storage assets in New York. Alex received a bachelor's degree
in engineering from the University of Connecticut and a master's degree in
engineering management from Pennsylvania State University.
Mila Buckner, Director of Legal
Mila Buckner is the Director of Legal at Carson Power where she oversees all legal, regulatory and compliance matters. Mila comes to us with more than seven years of experience advising renewable energy clients in all aspects of project development. Previously, Mila counseled developers, utilities, and lenders regarding the legal and regulatory challenges associated with the development and acquisition of electric vehicle infrastructure, battery energy storage, and photovoltaic solar systems. Mila has also worked closely with developers in New York State in the areas of real property tax law, environmental law, municipal law, sustainable development and land use. Her accomplishments have included the successful permitting and siting of some of New York's first battery energy storage projects and effective advocacy leading to changes in law that streamline solar development and New York State's energy transition. Mila holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Richmond and a Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law. She is licensed to practice in California and New York. In her free time, Mila enjoys traveling, skiing and golf.
Andrew Gordon, Director of Project Development, New York
Andrew Gordon is the Director of Project Development New York at Carson Power where he leads the execution of all development activity including project origination, site control, interconnection, and permitting through Notice to Proceed. Before joining Carson Power, Andrew was a Development Manager at AES Clean Energy where he led the development of over 600 MWs of New York solar projects ranging in size from Community Solar through Utility Scale. Prior to his career in Solar Development, Andrew worked in Management Consulting supporting process improvement implementations for global financial institutions. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance degree from Penn State University with a minor in International Business.
Owen Hooper, Director of Development Operations
Prior to Joining Carson Power, Owen worked the last five years as an Operations Manager at Brookfield Renewable. In this role, Owen managed an operation and maintenance team for multiple hydroelectric plants throughout New York and Pennsylvania. Along with operations responsibilities, he managed multiple major repair projects and developed several projects to improve annual generation at the facilities he managed. Prior to Brookfield Renewable, Owen worked for GE Power for five years. At GE Power, Owen held various roles, including Operations Leader and Center of Excellence Leader, where he led several teams in the manufacturing and service of utility-scale steam turbines and generators. For the previous 11 years, Owen was a Nuclear Operator and Supervisor in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. Owen was stationed on the submarine USS Tucson and at the Naval Nuclear Training Unit in Ballston Spa, NY, Pearl Harbor, Hi, and Norfolk, VA. During Owen’s Naval service, he held roles from Mechanical Systems Technician to Propulsion Plant Supervisor and Division Leading Chief Petty Officer. When not at work, Owen enjoys running, hiking, coaching soccer, and spending time with his family.
Michelle Lemery, Director of Finance
Michelle Lemery is the Director of Finance and Accounting at Carson Power where she leads the accounting functions including the preparation of our tax filings, accounts payable and receivables, and managing the process to ensure a robust budgeting and planning function. Prior to Carson, Michelle spent the past 15 years in progressing roles in accounting and finance, most recently as the Vice President of Finance for a property management company. There, she oversaw all aspects of finance and accounting including leading and managing the budgeting process, process control and development, cash management and forecasting, and monthly financial reporting for 20+ companies. Michelle is a graduate of Siena College.
Stephen Simko, Director of Valuation & Policy
Stephen Simko is Director of Valuation and Finance, where he oversees valuation, modeling, and business development efforts. Prior to joining Carson, Stephen worked for New Leaf Energy's Project Valuation Group, where he participated in valuing and marketing DG-scale solar and storage assets across multiple markets. Stephen also worked for NYSERDA's Large-Scale Renewables group, where he led internal forecasting and valuation efforts for the authority's land-based and offshore wind programs. Before beginning his career in renewable energy, Stephen was Director of Energy Research at Morningstar, where he worked for more than 9 years. Stephen is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Nic Cunha, Senior Project Developer, New York
Nic Cunha is a Senior Project Developer at Carson Power where he leads projects to
NTP ready status. Nic comes to us with more than 6 years of experience, having
served in several roles developing projects in the technology and renewable energy
space. He has expertise in collaborating with various stakeholders to site, permit, and
zone unique projects. Most recently, Nic helped lead the buildout of a portfolio of
anaerobic co-digestion projects on dairy farms across the East Coast for a Boston-
based, RNG developer. Nic received a bachelor's degree in environmental public
health and a master's degree in business analytics from the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst. In his free time, Nic enjoys skiing and hiking.
Kayleigh Furth, Project Developer
Kayleigh Furth is a Project Developer at Carson Power where she assists in project site discovery, preliminary desktop due diligence, obtaining site control, and completion of interconnection applications. Her role also includes management of the project deliverables and timelines, communication with various key project stakeholders, and permitting through Notice to Proceed. Kayleigh recently graduated from Cornell University where she majored in Environmental Engineering and minored in Business. At Cornell, Kayleigh was captain of their Division I Women’s Track and Field team, where she primarily competed in the 400 meter dash. Prior to joining Carson, Kayleigh interned for Galehead Development, where she had a project developing role focused on researching commercial strategies for the West Coast solar and wind energy market. In her free time, Kayleigh enjoys hiking mountains and visiting national parks to enjoy nature’s beauty.
Tara Malone, Junior Project Developer
Tara Malone is a Junior Project Developer at Carson Power where she initiates project site discovery, landowner contact, manages site control, and completes interconnection applications. Tara comes to us with over 2 years of experience having served as a compliance benchmarking intern and an energy analyst at Bright Power. She has expertise in energy usage analysis and reporting for commercial and multifamily buildings in NYC. Her accomplishments have included submitting 300+ buildings for annual NYC energy compliance benchmarking, as well as managing the portfolios of 40+ clients, helping them to understand their buildings’ energy performance and achieve their sustainability goals. Tara received a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. When Tara has free time, she enjoys hiking, running, and playing volleyball.
Cameron O'Connor, Junior Project Developer
Cameron O’Connor is a Junior Project Developer at Carson Power where he leads project site discovery, preliminary desktop due diligence, initial landowner contact, site control, completion of interconnection applications, as well as works with fellow developers on various tasks to assist in large scale solar development. Cameron recently graduated from Binghamton University where he completed his Masters degree in Sustainable Communities. Prior to joining Carson, Cameron interned for a Network for a Sustainable Tomorrow, where he focused on community outreach and education for community solar and residential geothermal technologies. In his free time, Cameron enjoys being outdoors, visiting hiking trails and playing basketball.
Vardaan Gurung, Development Operations Manager
Vardaan Gurung is a Development Operations Manager at Carson Power where he oversees project development execution, working hand-in-hand with the development team to manage consultants and contractors involved in system design, civil and environmental permitting, interconnection, and real estate. He is the son of Nepali immigrants, born and raised in Northern Virginia, and has a technical background in both nuclear and mechanical engineering. Prior to joining Carson Power, Vardaan served in the US Navy for five years, leading nuclear power plant construction and maintenance projects. He led cross-functional teams focused on a broad range of topics including decommissioning system development, radioactive waste shipment, nuclear facility design, and heavy equipment disposal solutions. In addition to his project management roles, he supported day-to-day power plant field operations and was the departmental lead on nuclear criticality safety philosophy and implementation. Vardaan has a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a BS in Aerospace Engineering from MIT. He also holds a Professional Engineer license in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In his free time, he enjoys watching and playing soccer and taking his motorcycle to the track.
Tim Lee, Development Operations Manager
Tim Lee is the Senior Design Engineer at Carson Power where he designs the renewable energy systems for development projects, which includes drawing the system plans and diagrams as well as modeling the expected system production. Tim comes to us with more than 10 years of experience, having served as a Senior Design Engineer and Senior Development Engineer at previous organizations. He has expertise in photovoltaic and energy storage system design including PV only, DC coupled, AC coupled, and standalone energy storage systems. His accomplishments have included the completed development of hundreds of megawatts of PV and energy storage projects. Tim received a Bachelor's degree in Electronic Media Arts and Communication from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master's degree in Energy Engineering (Solar Option) from University of Massachusetts Lowell. In his free time, Tim enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, and skateboarding.
