In the ever-changing and increasingly competitive energy and environmental solutions marketplace, innovators and investors need every advantage, including creative, value-added, cost-effective legal support. Leveraging our energy and climate change team and private equity industry group, we launched McGuireWoods’ CleanTech Capital (CTC) group. The CTC group works exclusively with clients operating, serving or investing in the energy, clean technology, climate change and environmental solutions sectors. The CTC group provides the full array of consulting and transaction services to suppliers, developers, producers, investors and lenders engaged in the commercialization of the entire spectrum of energy and environmentally-focused technologies. The CTC group serves as a proactive partner throughout the process of sourcing, conducting due diligence on, and closing cleantech investment and other transactions.
McGuireWoods represents companies and investors in each subsector of the cleantech space. We have completed hundreds of financing, joint venture and merger and acquisition transactions in the cleantech sector. Our clients range from startup and emerging growth companies operating in all cleantech subsectors to Fortune 100 power producers and corporate investors in cleantech, and include private equity and venture capital funds, banks and mezzanine lenders, and investment banks. The CTC group maximizes client value by engaging our energy and environmental policy and regulatory lawyers early in the transaction process, providing front-end intelligence and transaction due diligence. Similarly, prior to being engaged to close a transaction, our private equity lawyers can assist with introductions to venture and private equity funds, strategic partners and others as alternative transaction opportunities are considered. McGuireWoods offers diverse experience in all types and phases of energy and cleantech finance and commercialization, including venture capital, growth and buy-out private equity, venture and mezzanine loans, project finance, strategic sales, joint ventures, and public offerings. Because we regularly represent private equity funds, lenders, utilities, developers and suppliers, the CTC group can envision and negotiate a transaction from all sides of the table, thereby increasing our effectiveness and efficiency.
While many law firms staff renewable energy or energy technology investment transactions with venture capital or private equity lawyers, McGuireWoods’ CTC group is led by lawyers with real-time business intelligence relating to energy and climate change policies and technology commercialization. We put the right lawyers with the right clients in the right cleantech subsectors, with the ultimate goal of leveraging our relationships and maximizing transaction efficiency and value. The CTC group is organized, based not only on individual attorney experience but also geographic location and investor relationships, across the following cleantech subsectors:
Clean Power Production – Wind, solar, biomass, advanced biofuels, coal gasification, geothermal, hydrokinetic, waste conversion, carbon capture and storage, landfill gas, and coal bed methane
Energy Efficiency – Supply chain management technologies and services, energy and carbon management software and IT, distributed generation, power storage (fuel cells, advanced batteries and hybrid systems), smart grid and meter, energy management and transmission technologies, high efficiency appliances, and advanced transportation and infrastructure technologies (structures, fuels, hydrogen highways, biofuel distribution, electric vehicles, vehicle sharing and charging stations, and V2G technologies)
Sustainable Materials – Green building products and materials (smart-glass, lighting and metals), HVAC systems, recycled products, advanced packaging, manufacturing process monitoring and control, and smart production
Alternative Energy Technologies – Energy production efficiency upgrade devices (waste heat), advanced materials (nano, bio and chemical), resource extraction upgrades, alternative fuels, combined waste and heat, shale gas, and waste-to-energy products
Environmental Solutions – Climate mitigation and adaptation technologies, financial risk mitigation products, emissions reduction and control technologies, biochar and agricultural remediation, advanced water treatment, desalinization and conservation, construction, logistics, infrastructure, waste treatment, and recycling
The CTC group is supported by 17 offices in each major region of the United States and two offices in Europe. The group has ready access to our lawyers focusing on technology and IP development, protection and commercialization, and corporate finance and taxation. The group is complemented by an active Energy Litigation Department and by McGuireWoods Consulting, a national leader in government relations services. The CTC group is further supported by lawyers focused in tax equity investments, tax credits, renewable energy credits, Department of Energy loan guarantees and grants, U.S. Treasury cash grants, interconnection and power purchase agreements, transmission, environmental and land use, real estate and construction, federal and state rate cases, and federal and state regulatory and compliance matters.