“The planet is changing. We need to work with urgency, at scale to counteract climate change and build resilient communities.”
our specialties
Project Ideation and Definition
Community Collaboration and Community Benefit Agreements
Site Selection and Technical Studies
Project Design and Engineering
Financing and Ownership Structure
Operations and Maintenance
our partners
The Compass advantage includes strategic partnerships with respected and experienced firms that are selected for their technical/development capabilities and to reduce project risk and optimize costs. Project teams are designed around project scope.
COMPASS IS…
A Partner. Our early-stage development efforts focus on desired outcomes, weighing immediate and long-term needs and opportunities to define the best path forward. We work to maximize project impact, often scaling the project through multiple stages while future-proofing against obsolescence. Our financing approach -- the P3 public/private partnership – offers multiple ways to share project ownership and control, if desired.
A Platform. Advanced energy projects require multiple skills, which is why we team with the best engineering, construction, operation and management firms to guarantee long-term project success.
Secure. Derisking projects is our speciality. Microgrids and distributed energy projects offer many opportunities, but the cross-disciplinary (and cross-asset) nature of project development adds significant complexity and risk. Engineering, construction and long-term operation must be managed carefully. Our financing and development approach is specifically designed to accept the transfer of substantial risk from project sponsors, reducing complexity and risk.
Aligned. Because Compass has an ownership interest in each project – and won’t see a return on its investment unless the project is successful – our interests are naturally aligned with our project counterparties. This make Compass very different from the standard fee-based developer, which often has no continuing stake in the future success of the project.
Community. Compass makes it a priority to directly benefit the economic well-being of the communities in which we work and the lives of the people in them. We create a specific “Community Benefits Agreement” for every project that defines and guarantees the quantifiable and tangible local benefits that will result from each project.
Rick Bolton, Chief Executive Officer
rick.bolton@compass.energy
Los Angeles, CA
Direct: 310.801.0076
Rick Bolton’s 25 years of experience within the energy and Internet industries have given him a deep understanding of the ways in which policy, financing and innovation can build new markets and fight climate change.
He is the CEO of Compass Energy Platform where he leads the company’s mission to develop and finance 21st century energy infrastructure, help cities fight climate change and build more resilient economies and communities. He leads the company’s work to define, assess and build locally-generated energy (including solar, wind, fuel cells, energy storage and biomass), microgrids, electric transportation and smart city assets.
Prior to his current position, he served as Director, New Projects at Navigant Consulting, serving as an “intrapreneur,” leading the effort to create Compass Energy Platform.
Previously, he was Lead, Project Origination at Energizing Co., a Los Angeles-based investment and development platform focused on community-scale grid modernization projects in Canada and the United States. He led origination related to the company's $250MM project financing fund with Stonepeak Investment Partners.