An established team of solar experts

At Adapture Renewables

Thomas Houghton is the CEO and President of Adapture Renewables, responsible for Origination, Project Finance & Execution, along with strategic planning and ensuring alignment across departments behind the company’s goals and ambitions. He serves as the company’s RMO holding contractor’s licenses in California, Oregon, North Carolina and Tennessee and is a rotational member of the corporation’s Board of Directors.

Previous Experience

Thomas’s career in solar spans fourteen years, covering international markets as well as the U.S. Prior to joining Adapture Renewables, he founded and ran a residential and small-commercial solar installation company in northern California. Thomas then joined Trina Solar, where he supported project development, product management, utility sales and strategic development efforts spanning APAC and the Americas. As an original member of the Adapture Renewables team since its inception in the United States, Thomas has taken on growing responsibility over the years culminating in his current role as CEO and President.

Outside of work Thomas can be found travelling with his family, working on home improvement projects or increasingly rarely, staying current under his Private Pilot’s License flying Cirrus aircraft.

At Adapture Renewables

Donald Miller is responsible for all business and asset operations, ensuring that Adapture Renewables has the resources and processes to meet its goals. As General Counsel he is in charge of the structuring, execution and closing of all Adapture Renewables’ transactions and oversees all general corporate legal, compliance, and human resources matters. He is also a shareholder and is currently a member of the Board of Directors.

Previous Experience

Don has been active in the solar energy industry since 2005. Previously he served as General Counsel Americas for Conergy where he established the region’s legal department and managed all transactional work, corporate governance matters and litigation. Don served on both active and reserve duty in the U.S. Army, Military Intelligence branch, first as a Russian linguist and then as a Military Intelligence officer. He is a member of the State Bar of California and the Association of Corporate Counsel. He earned a Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, an M.B.A. (Finance) from Golden Gate University, an M.A. (Linguistics) from San Jose State University, and a B.A. (English Literature and Spanish) from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Don spends his spare time reading, traveling with family and doing all kinds of outdoor activities—road biking, running, swimming, golf, snowboarding and kayaking.

At Adapture Renewables

Patrick Schaufelberger is responsible for Adapture Renewables project-financing efforts, including raising tax equity, debt and construction capital. Prior to joining the company, Patrick was Director of Capital Markets at Spruce Finance, where he was a key member of the project-finance team that raised over $1 billion in tax equity and debt for residential solar portfolios.

Previous Experience

Previously he was a member of the project finance team at Tioga Energy, a commercial solar developer, successfully financing over $30 million in commercial solar projects. Patrick began his career in renewable energy as a partner of Emergent Energy Group, a Boston-based wind and solar consulting start-up that was voted “Top 25 under 25” by Businessweek in 2009. He has also worked at Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas. Patrick earned a Bachelor of Science, cum laude, in Quantitative Economics and International Relations from Tufts University in 2009.

At Adapture Renewables

Zack Zoller is the head of Engineering at Adapture Renewables. His career in solar spans fourteen years, contributing to projects in the United States and abroad.

Previous Experience

Prior to joining Adapture Renewables, Zack led the engineering team for Sterling and Wilson, a leading, global solar EPC firm. At Sterling and Wilson, Zack set standards for North America, guiding the company’s entrance into the U.S. utility solar market. His career includes 14 years in design and construction roles that cover all aspects of the design, installation inspection, commissioning and operations stages of a solar photovoltaic (PV) plant. Zack is a licensed Professional Electrical Engineer. He earned a Masters of Science in Transportation, Technology and Policy, and Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis.

Outside of work Zack likes winemaking, hiking, sailing and DIY projects with friends and family.

At Adapture Renewables

Ivan Kwan is responsible for Adapture Renewables’ corporate finance efforts. In his role, Ivan has oversight responsibility for the treasury, controlling, taxes, audit and financial reporting activities for the company and all of its subsidiaries.

Previous Experience

Prior to joining the Adapture team in 2015, Ivan worked in the transportation and logistics industry, as well as in commercial real estate management. Ivan earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Outside of work Ivan enjoys travelling, riding his motorcycle and boxing.

At Adapture Renewables

Wyatt Hanson is responsible for providing legal and transactional support for Adapture Renewables’ development, acquisition, financing, execution and operational activities. He takes the lead on project acquisitions, real estate matters, project financing, and general corporate work.

Previous Experience

Prior to joining the renewable energy industry in 2013, Wyatt managed sustainable timber farms in Washington State. Wyatt earned a Juris Doctor, with honors, from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California, focusing on Corporate and Real Estate law. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Outside of the office, Wyatt enjoys spending time with his family outdoors, traveling, sea kayaking, and improving his Korean fluency.

At Adapture Renewables

Zach Lloyd manages and provides transactional legal services to Adapture Renewables’ business units, including project development and acquisition, project finance, equipment procurement, construction, and asset management. He also supports a variety of corporate initiatives including corporate finance, litigation and dispute resolution, entity formation and management, and compliance and reporting.

Previous Experience

Zach graduated from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, cum laude, in 2013, and worked in private practice for several years before joining the company in 2017. He earned a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Political Science and Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Outside of work, Zach enjoys cycling, traveling, reading and swimming at Aquatic Park in San Francisco.

At Adapture Renewables

Goran Arya is responsible for Adapture Renewables’ Mergers and Acquisitions, which consists of building and maintaining a pipeline of solar projects as well as further development of existing pipeline. He supports cross-functional teams including development, corporate and project finance, execution, and operations teams.

Previous Experience

Prior to joining the company, Goran worked with E.ON Climate and Renewables in the U.S. and Germany, focusing on solar, wind, and energy storage development Previously, he worked as a Project Engineer with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the Washington D.C. and San Francisco offices, with technical design and regulatory oversight of approximately 2 GW of hydropower projects in the Southwest, including pumped-hydro storage projects. Goran has also worked as a Geotechnical Engineer for the Michigan Department of Transportation, performing engineering studies, analyses and reports for design and implementation of civil projects throughout Michigan. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Michigan State University and Masters in Engineering and Energy Policy from University of Maryland, College Park.

He enjoys traveling, photography, basketball, backpacking and working on international poverty relief and development through implementation of clean water and energy projects.

At Adapture Renewables

Bryan Banke is responsible for the operational and financial performance of Adapture Renewables generation assets.

Previous Experience

Beginning in the natural gas industry and then transitioning to renewables, he has more than 30 years of experience in the management of energy assets. Bryan was an early adopter of standardized operating policies and procedures in the management of solar asset portfolios, and his ideas and extensive knowledge of real-world operations have been published and presented before numerous industry conferences and working groups. Prior to joining Adapture Renewables, Bryan managed NRG Energy’s Distributed Generation portfolios before assuming control of the solar and wind operations of Renewable Energy Trust Capital.

Outside of work, Bryan spends most of his time outdoors, hiking, biking and actively seeking solitude. Of course it can be a challenge with a family at your side, so it’s a good thing he loves them, and they all share a high tolerance threshold.

At Adapture Renewables

David FitzGerald is responsible for U.S. project execution at Adapture Renewables. He oversees installation of solar projects, managing the process from development through construction to operations and maintenance.

Previous Experience

David began his career in civil engineering and worked on a variety of high-profile infrastructure projects early in his profession. Before joining Adapture Renewables, he applied this construction experience in the prefabricated, green building, and renewable energy sectors. David earned a Master of Science in Organization Development from the University of San Francisco.

Outside of work, David enjoys biking (he rides his bike to work every day!), swimming, dabbling in music and finding humor in any situation (sometimes to a fault).

At Adapture Renewables

Craig Stager is responsible for developing and sustaining the Quality Assurance / Quality Control program at Adapture Renewables. His career in solar spans 18 years, many leading design and engineering efforts for residential, commercial and utility scale projects and as a project manager and owner of Stager Electric.

Previous Experience

Craig served in the California Army National Guard as a Field Artillery officer and recently retired to focus on his career in renewables. He received his C10 Electrical License in 2013 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Management from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Craig loves to spend time with his family—his wife of 20 years, twin boys attending college, daughter and new grandson. He also enjoys the adventure of the outdoors, including snowboarding, backpacking, mountain biking, swimming and golf.