Meet Our Board of Advisors
Mike Trahan
Executive Director, Connecticut Solar & Storage Association
Mike is the point person at Connecticut Solar & Storage Association, representing member company's business interests before state regulators, the Connecticut General Assembly, state agencies and the Connecticut Green Bank. In recent years, Mike has led passage or defeat of legislation that strengthen or threatened the state solar market. He worked with Energy Committee chairs to write the law that exempts commercial solar from property tax. He secured lawmaker support to create the new General Assembly Clean Energy Caucus to better educate lawmakers on new renewable technologies and related legislation. Mike rallied solar and efficiency contractors to initiate a lawsuit v. State of Connecticut to return $150M raided from ratepayer funds; worked with State Building officials to rewrite draft fire code proposals on setbacks and pathways; won approvals from PURA to update interconnection guidelines for home solar, lower the commercial ZREC cap, and expand CT's voltage variation regulation saving SolarConn members hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment upgrade costs. Mike also proposed new statewide solar policy concepts as an appointed member to Connecticut Governor-Elect Dannel Malloy (2012) and Governor-Elect Ned Lamont (2018) Transition Team Energy Working Groups. And he conceived the concept and was co-winner of a DOE grant to pursue multi-state partnership of solar associations representing more than 500 solar businesses in the Northeast U.S. designed to create solar policy harmony across state lines.
Jeffrey J. Macel
Founder, Lodestar Energy
Before founding Lodestar Energy, Jeff founded and built ALTRU Energy to develop and finance solar DG and utility–scale projects. During his time with Lodestar and ALTRU, Jeff successfully developed projects from New England to the Southeast, with a particular focus on assisting underserved communities.
Community advancement has been a core value of Jeff’s philosophy for his entire career. His goal with impact investing has always been to support community economic development, revitalization, growth and sustainability. Since founding 2009, the vast majority of Jeff’s projects have benefited underserved communities by providing below–market, renewable energy to those in need.
Before founding Lodestar Energy and ALTRU Energy, Jeff worked with public and private companies in industries for clean technology, alternative energy, and technology. Jeff also has extensive experience with corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, and portfolio management.
Jeff has an AB from Bowdoin College and a JD from Duke University.
Mike Farrell
CT Sales-Operations Manager, Trinity Solar
Mike Farrell started his solar career in 2008 after a 22 year career in Law Enforcement. Starting with residential sales in Connecticut for Trinity Solar, Mike then moved between New Jersey and Massachusetts for Trinity for over three years working in both residential and commercial sales segments. Mike returned to Connecticut as Trinity's Residential Sales Manager and currently holds the position of CT. Sales-Operations Manager. Trinity Solar is Connecticut's leading installer of residential systems serving over 6000 CT. residences.
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In addition to serving on the advisory board of Solar Connecticut, Mike has served on the Board of Trustees for Roxbury Congregational Church and other volunteer organizations. Mike is married, has four adult children, and three grandchildren.