Speakers

Preston Schultz, Senior Vice President - Development, Hecate Energy

Preston Schultz is Senior Vice President of Project Development at Hecate Energy, where he leads development of utility-scale solar and grid-scale battery energy storage projects across the U.S. With more than 20 years of experience in renewable energy, environmental consulting and clean technology, Preston has spent over 13 years at Hecate driving projects from early-stage development through commercial execution — overseeing permitting, EPC evaluations, contract negotiations and technical equipment selection.

At Hecate, Preston has played a central role in advancing the company's multi-gigawatt development pipeline and structuring competitive offtake solutions and Power Purchase Agreements in markets shaped by evolving policy, interconnection constraints and surging new loads from data centers and AI infrastructure. His work spans both utility-scale PV and storage-as-infrastructure, with deep hands-on expertise in solar componentry — particularly inverters and balance-of-plant systems.

Prior to Hecate, Preston was the second U.S. hire for REFUsol, a leading German commercial and utility-scale PV inverter manufacturer, where he helped design the company's North American market entry strategy and build its sales pipeline before the company was acquired by Advanced Energy. Earlier in his career, he worked as an environmental consultant implementing large-scale sustainability programs for institutional and commercial clients.

Preston holds a B.A. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia, a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. He is a frequent speaker and panelist on topics including utility-scale solar, energy storage, data center demand and clean energy investment.