Overview
Edward (Ed) Zaelke is the global co-head of the Firm’s Energy & Project Finance Group. He focuses his practice on project finance and private equity in renewable energy transactional matters. With more than 35 years of experience, he advises clients on all elements of alternative energy development and finance, including equity and debt financing, merger and acquisition transactions, equipment purchase and sale agreements, and power purchase agreements.
A prominent leader in his practice, Ed has served as lead counsel on many of the largest and most significant transactions in the renewable industry.
He also authors and speaks prolifically about various topics in the renewable energy industry. Ed is the former president of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and was a board member of AWEA for 12 consecutive years. He is also a founding board member of the Wind Solar Alliance (now a part of the American Council on Renewable Energy) and an adjunct professor at UCLA law, teaching “Renewable Energy Development and Project Finance”.
Results
Project finance and tax equity
- Chestnut Carbon, a nature-based carbon project developer, on a carbon removal unit purchase agreement with Microsoft and the project financing of a $210 million loan to develop that project
- Enfinity Global in a $400 million financing transaction which is tranced to repay certain existing debt and to provide development financing for US solar and battery storage projects, including features which allow the loan to grow as the borrowing base increases with new development projects
- Cypress Creek Renewables in multiple tax equity investment matters involving: (i) a single solar project in Washington state with an aggregate capacity of approximately 104 MWdc; (ii) 11 solar energy generation facilities across New York and Illinois with a combined capacity of approximately 65 MWdc; and (iii) three solar generation facilities in Pennsylvania with an aggregate capacity of approximately 76 MWdc
- A leading tax credit purchaser in the purchase of investment tax credits generated by three biogas digesters using dairy manure and food waste
- Franklin Park in the tax equity investment in a portfolio of solar projects and renewable natural gas facilities
- TerraForm Power (a subsidiary of Brookfield Renewables) in the construction financing for the repowering of the Steel Winds and Cohocton wind projects in New York state
M&A
- Enfinity Global Inc., a US-based leading renewable energy and sustainability services company, and its affiliated companies, in the acquisition of a 400 MW operational utility-scale solar portfolio, marking a milestone in the expansion of the company in the US. The project includes 28 solar projects across three states from certain affiliates of Capital Dynamics, Inc.
- A clean energy infrastructure company in multiple transactions including (i) the acquisition of two separate portfolios of community solar projects in Illinois (ii) the acquisition of a portfolio of community solar projects in Maryland and (iii) the acquisition of a portfolio of community solar projects under development in New York and to be built by the selling developer’s affiliate EPC Contractor and (iv) the acquisition of a portfolio of community solar projects in Delaware
- Algonquin Power & Utilities in the acquisition of a 51% interest in four wind farms totaling 845 MW of capacity in Texas from RWE, two of which were operating and two were under development in Texas. Representation included full diligence on the assets, assistance during competitive bidding process, acquisition documentation, negotiation of LLCA with RWE, and structuring liability sharing issues relating to tax equity and other investors
- Hanwha Q-Cells in the purchase of several portfolios of battery storage projects under development in New York
- Hanwha Renewables in its sale of four separate solar or solar plus storage projects located in La Paz County, Arizona
Project development
- A German energy company in a series of build-transfer agreements (BTAs) with multiple Midwestern utilities for large-scale solar and energy storage projects
- Represented Hanwha Qcells in the negotiation of power purchase agreements in numerous states in the US
- Represented numerous corporate offtakers in power purchase agreements to secure power renewable energy credits from green power producers
Recognitions
- Chambers USA, Band 2 in Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy (2007-2025) and Projects: Power & Renewables: Transactional (2022-2025)
- Legal 500, Energy: Transactions – Oil and Gas (2015-2016, 2025), Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power (2015-2025), Energy Transactions: Electric Power (2025)
- Best Lawyers in America, Project Finance Law, 2007-2026
- Best Lawyers in America, Lawyer of the Year: Project Finance Law, 2015
- Los Angeles Daily Journal and the San Francisco Daily Journal Top 100 Lawyers in California, 2009, 2010, 2011
- A Word About Wind Top 100 Legal Power List, 2018
- Who’s Who Legal – Project Finance, 2018
- The Best Lawyers in America, “Lawyer of the Year” in Los Angeles for Project Finance Law, 2015
- LMG Clean Technology & Renewable Energy “CleanTech 100”, 2013
- Who’s Who Legal International Project Finance, 2010, 2012 and 2014
- Chambers Global – The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business (- United States: Projects, 2010 to 2018
- Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal Top 25 Clean Tech Lawyers in California, 2011
- Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Project Finance Lawyers Project Finance Law, 2008
- The Best Lawyers in America, Project Finance and Southern California’s Best Lawyers, 2007 to 2019
- Who’s Who: California, Project Finance, 2009
- The Global Directory of Who’s Who, Project Finance, 2009 to 2010
- Southern California Super Lawyers Leading Project Finance Lawyer, 2006 to 2018
- Martindale-Hubbell, AV peer review rating
Community
- American Wind Energy Association, former board member and former president
- Wind Solar Alliance, founding board member
Credentials
Education
University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, JD, Order of the Coif, 1983
California State University, Long Beach, BA 1980
Admissions
California
