8minute Solar Energy is an American photovoltaic (PV) developer of utility-scale PV power plants and energy storage.
It was founded by Tom Buttgenbach and Martin Hermann in 2009.[1]
In 2014, Kern County Board of Supervisors approved development of Redwood Solar Farm which received investment of $30 million by Macquarie Capital.[2][3][4]
In 2018, it had raised $200 million through a joint venture with J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Upper Bay Infrastructure Partners for its pipeline of utility-scale solar projects.[5][6]
A 25 year pact was signed with Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in 2019.[7]
In July 2019, the company sold its Holstein solar project to Duke Energy.[8][9]
The Holstein project was the company's first completed development in Texas, with approximately 709,000 solar panels on 1,300 acres in Wingate, Texas.[10]
In early 2020, 8minute Solar Energy received investments from the University of California system, J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Upper Bay Infrastructure Partners to fund development of solar projects.[11]
In 2022, University of California filed a lawsuit against 8minute Solar.[12] The same year, 8minute Solar Energy announced they had secured $400 million in financing from institutional investor EIG.[13][14]
8minute Solar rebranded the company to the name Avantus in 2022.[15][16] [17] In March 2024, it was announced a majority stake in Avantus had been acquired by the US private equity company, KKR for an undisclosed amount.[18]
It has developed solar farms that includes Eagle Shadow Mountain Solar Farm which is a 420 MWp (300 MWAC) photovoltaic power station north of Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada.[19][20] Mount Signal Solar which is a 594 MWp (460 MWAC) photovoltaic power station west of Calexico, California,[21][22][23] a 137 MW Springbok Solar Farm and the 191 MW Springbok 2 solar project, both located in Kern County, California.[24][25]