Greenleaf Power

About Greenleaf Power

Greenleaf Power, LLC, established in October 2010, operates as an owner and manager of renewable energy power plants across North America. The company's business model is centered on acquiring existing biomass facilities and enhancing their performance through operational improvements, strategic fuel procurement, and revenue optimization. This strategy aims to extend the economic lives of the plants. The company was founded by Hugh Smith, an industry veteran with nearly four decades of experience in electric generation, who served as its president. Greenleaf Power is backed by Denham Capital, a global private equity firm focused on energy and resources.

Greenleaf's core business involves converting residual biomass into carbon-neutral electricity. The company sources its fuel from a variety of industries, including agriculture, construction, timber, and landfills, diverting materials that might otherwise be burned openly or disposed of. This feedstock consists of urban wood waste, forest thinning, sawmill byproducts, and agricultural residues like tree prunings and fruit pits. The generated electricity is then sold to a diverse client base, including municipal, public power, and investor-owned utilities, often under long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs). For instance, its Desert View plant sells power to the Imperial Irrigation District, and its Honey Lake facility has a contract with San Diego Gas & Electric.

Since its inception, Greenleaf Power has grown its portfolio through a series of acquisitions. Its first acquisitions in 2010 included the Honey Lake and Scotia plants in California. Over the following years, the company continued to expand, acquiring the Desert View facility in 2011, the Tracy plant in 2013, and the Plainfield Renewable Energy plant in Connecticut in 2015. This has brought its portfolio to five operating facilities with a combined generation capacity of approximately 147-154 MW. Headquartered in Sacramento, California, the company employs over 120 people directly and supports hundreds of additional jobs in fuel collection and delivery. The company is now looking to further develop its sites by incorporating biochar, green hydrogen, and EV charging stations.