Mark A. Barnett
As Co-Chair of Foley Hoag’s Energy Technology and Renewables Practice, Mark Barnett has a business law practice with a special focus on renewable and advanced energy technology companies and projects. He represents advanced and renewable energy technology companies in general corporate matters, venture capital and other equity and debt financings, merger and acquisition activity, intellectual property transactions, joint ventures and partnerships and energy-specific regulatory matters. His client and industry experience includes companies involved in biofuels, solar photovoltaics, wind energy, wave energy, biomass gasification, anaerobic digesters, hydrogen generation and fuel cells. Mark also advises on the commercial application of efficiency technologies, advanced lighting, alternative vehicles and other emerging technologies.
Mark also advises project developers in all aspects of development, including debt and equity financing, joint ventures and partnerships, supply and off-take agreements, and regulatory matters. His work includes helping clients contract for the purchase and sale of renewable energy credits and other attributes associated with renewable energy generation. Mark also represents investors with respect to fund formation and closings and company-specific transactions that focus on the energy industry.
Mark also has substantial background and experience in assisting non-profit organizations. Much of this work involves organizations with an environmentally responsible emphasis. His pro bono clients include the Energy Access Foundation; Green Markets International; Occupational Knowledge International; Root Capital; Red Tomato; and Oke USA Fruit Company.
Immediately prior to his time at Foley Hoag, Mark served as Counsel to the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, a quasi-public agency receiving $20 million per year to invest and support clean energy projects, technologies, and education. Prior to that, Mark was Strategy Group Director for 4charity.com, a provider of web-based charitable giving solutions for internet portals and non-profit organizations. Mark also co-founded and served as lead consultant for Nesta Advisors & Capital, an international strategic consultancy in the areas of environmental technology, aquaculture, and marine biotechnology, and worked in Israel as a researcher and project liaison for a USAID-sponsored Joint Israeli-Palestinian Water Research Project.
Bars and Court Admissions
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
Representative Experience
The following is a brief summary of Mark's experience and accomplishments:
- Guided a solar energy project investor in negotiating an agreement for the sale of capacity in the ISO-New England’s Forward Capacity Market initiative
- Counsels a developer of projects gasifying municipal solid waste and construction and demolition debris
- Represents a large utility in contracting for purchases of offsets for compliance under the Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
- Assists a leading cellulosic ethanol technology development and commercialization company in consummating multiple transactions including equity and debt financings, technology licensing arrangements (in U.S. and abroad), project-related contracting and joint venture agreements
- Advises a leading solar project development company on development and operation of project entities, power purchase agreements, joint development agreements, reseller arrangements, and debt and equity financings
professional / civic involvement
- Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), Board Member
- Environmental Leadership Project, Boston Advisory Board Member
- Northeast Energy & Commerce Association, Renewables Committee
- Boston’s Future Leaders participant, 2007, Boston Chamber of Commerce
- American Bar Association, Member
- Boston Bar Associations, Member
SPEECHES AND CONFERENCES
- Presented on "Venture Capital Term Sheets" to participants in Derby Managment Entrepreneurship Boot Camp on October 17, 2007
- “2006 Ignite Clean Energy Business Presentation Competition,” Chair of the Semi-Finals Event, held at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell on April 11, 2006
- “Getting Projects Financed & Built in a Restructured Market,” Moderator; presented at the Northeast Energy and Commerce Association (NECA) conference entitled “Successful Renewable Energy Project Development In New England,” held on March 1, 2006
- “Developing a Financeable Renewable Energy Project in the Northeast,” presented at the Law Seminars International Conference entitled “Energy in the Northeast,” October 20-21, 2005
publications
- Mark Barnett and Cameron Brooks, Moving fuel cells forward - new incentives in the US, COGENERATION AND ON-SITE POWER PRODUCTION (March/April 2006)
- Mark Barnett and Cameron Brooks, Priming the pump, ENVIRONMENTAL FINANCE (March 2006)
- Mark Barnett, Ari Bessendorf, and Don McCauley, 2005 Year in Review Report, submitted by the Renewable Energy Resources Committee (2006)