Renewable Energy & Storage Projects Tax Equity Financing and Structuring

James F. Duffy is a partner in the Boston office of the national law firm, Nixon Peabody LLP.  He serves as the Co-Chair of the firm’s Renewable Energy Tax Credit Team and concentrates his practice on structuring and closing transactions involving federal income tax credits and other significant federal and state income tax incentives, including Production Tax Credits and Investment Tax Credits for renewable energy.  His practice also covers New Markets Tax Credits.  He has represented numerous developers, investors, syndicators and lenders in structuring and closing renewable energy and other transactions.  He serves on the Board of Directors and is the Secretary of the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA), as well as the Board of Directors of Windustry.  He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, B.A. and The Harvard Law School, J.D.

Tony Grappone is a partner in the Boston office of Novogradac & Company LLP, where he specializes in providing accounting, tax and consulting services to developers, syndicators and investors of projects that qualify for federal and state tax credits such as renewable energy tax credits.  He serves as a technical editor of the firm’s Renewable Energy Tax Credit Handbook.  Prior to joining Novogradac & Company LLP, Mr. Grappone worked at Ernst & Young LLP specializing in partnership taxation within the affordable housing industry and servicing many of the nation’s largest tax credit syndicators and investors.  In addition, he served several leading venture capital firms as well as commercial real estate developers and investors.  He earned a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University in Boston, Mass.

Forrest David Milder is a partner in the Boston office of Nixon Peabody LLP.  He has more than 30 years’ experience in the tax aspects of project finance, particularly renewable energy (including solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels), housing, historic rehabilitations, and new markets, as well as many other related fields, including partnerships and limited liability companies; tax-exempt organizations and unrelated business income; business formation, operation, and disposition; qualified opportunity funds and deal structures.  Mr. Milder is the author of more than 80 published articles on tax advantaged investments, and he has appeared many times on the front page of The Wall Street Journal (in the weekly Tax Report column), as well as in Bloomberg, and many other publications with comments on tax legislation.  He received his SB (Phi Beta Kappa) and SM from MIT, his JD from Harvard Law School, and a masters in taxation from Boston University School of Law. 

Carmen Awad is a Financial Forecasting Manager in the North Andover office of Novogradac & Company LLP, where she specializes in providing financial forecasting, cost segregation studies, and consulting services to developers, syndicators, and investors of projects that qualify for federal and state tax credits in the renewable energy sector. Prior to joining Novogradac & Company LLP, Ms. Awad worked for renewable energy developers such as Origis, tax equity banks such as MUFG Union Bank, and lenders such as CIT Bank.  She earned a BBA degree in Finance and a minor in Accounting from The University of Toledo and an MBA degree in Investments and Corporate Finance from University of Notre Dame.