At Greenbacker Development Opportunities Fund, a private‑equity vehicle that invests in middle‑market renewable‑infrastructure developers and operators, I worked on projects that accelerated the energy transition. I supported the investment team in evaluating new opportunities in distributed solar, small hydro, and battery storage. My principal project involved merging two portfolio companies and modeling returns under the new ownership structure. I also participated in the quarterly valuation of portfolio companies. On the fundraising side, I prepared materials for investors and built a database of potential limited partners. To improve portfolio management, I created a system for monitoring news about our portfolio companies. All of these efforts furthered GDEV’s mission to provide growth capital to businesses building the backbone of a clean‑energy economy.

Courses in Business and Climate Change, Climate Finance, private equity, and project finance at Columbia gave me the knowledge to evaluate renewable‑energy investments. They provided context on policy incentives, capital structures, and sector dynamics. Throughout the summer, I applied project‑finance modeling techniques to assess returns and risk, and I used sustainability‑investing principles to think about the long‑term impact of our investments. This academic foundation allowed me to contribute to both investment evaluations and fundraising communications.

The most challenging aspect was navigating the evolving United States policy environment. While I was at GDEV, the “Big Beautiful Bill” was finalized, updating the Inflation Reduction Act. New provisions on domestic content, prevailing wage, and foreign‑entity‑of‑concern restrictions required parsing legislative text and assessing how developers and investors would interpret the rules. Changes to tax‑credit transferability, bonus structures, and safe‑harbor guidance influenced deal structuring, cost of capital, and timing. Evaluating the impact of these variables across multiple subsectors and under tight deadlines tested my ability to synthesize complex policy into actionable recommendations.

This internship taught me how challenging it is to run a clean‑energy business. Early‑stage developers face capital constraints, policy uncertainty, and operational complexity. When regulations shift, companies often lack the legal or financial resources to adapt quickly. At the same time, the renewable‑energy industry continues to evolve, with new business models emerging in real time. Despite these obstacles, I saw our portfolio companies demonstrate resilience and creativity. The experience deepened my commitment to a career at the intersection of private equity, industrial innovation, and climate infrastructure, and it underscored the importance of policy fluency and adaptability in climate investing.