Tallahassee Reports has learned that the City of Tallahassee’s solar project is being financed and constructed by a private Belgium company that is registered in Cyprus, an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean.
This means that payments made by city residents, who have chosen to buy electricity from the solar project, will be leaving Tallahassee to support a foreign company.
When contacted by TR, city officials said that the location of Origis Energy Ltd., was not considered when pursuing the vendor.
City of Tallahassee public documents related to the popular project do not identify the foreign nature of the vendor. In fact, the names listed in public documents convey just the opposite.
The agenda for a September 28th, 2016 city commission meeting described the solar project vendor as Origis Energy USA.
In addition, the agenda stated the project name and contracting entity would be “FL Solar 1 LLC”.
A search of Florida business registrations reveals that “FL Solar 1 LLC” is a foreign registered limited liability company. There is no mention of Origis Energy USA in the their state of Florida registration.
The “FL Solar 1 LLC” registration shows that Guy Vanderhaegan and Samir Verstyn as managers.
Research indicates that Mr. Vanderhaegan is listed as a “Founder and Managing Partner” of Origis Energy Ltd.
Bloomberg financial reports that Origis Energy USA, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Origis Energy Ltd, a company founded in 2008 and is based in Limassol, Cyprus.
Further research indicates Origis Energy Ltd. originated in Belgium and recently received $100 million in funding from a European private investment firm named Baltisse. Baltisse is also located in Belgium.
TR also asked city staff where the solar panels for the project were being manufactured.
We were referred to an Origis company spokesman that stated in an email that the solar panels for the City of Tallahassee project are purchased from First Solar, headquartered in Phoenix, AZ.
However, the spokesman said that they “cannot comment on where they are specifically assembled or produced as they have manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and other countries.”
The First Solar website lists manufacturing locations in Malaysia, Vietnam, and Perrysburg, Ohio.
Payments from City’s Solar Customers Headed to Foreign Company added by Staff on
View all posts by Staff →
We are fighting Origis Energy and found this article helpful. Thank you. We are aware that Origis is based in the Republic of Cyprus.
They name their projects after the state they are located in … in our case, it is MD Solar 1 and MD Solar 2. They say they are registered in Delaware but based in Miami Flordia…not a word about Cyprus. In our first case, Origis is proposing to grade clear-cut 240 acres of high-value forest located in the largest remaining forest in Southern Maryland in order to provide “sustainable energy” to the Georgetown University campus. The MD Solar 2 is also proposed to be located in high-value forest.
We support solar but the location is critical…placement on already impervious surfaces is best…next, brownfields, landfills, and other previously disturved lands.
Worse than seeing farmland unused is seeing it covered with a ‘solar farm’. Expensive and inefficient, they are designed with one purpose: to shift tax dollars into private pockets. Same goes for ‘wind farms’.
Anyone with a computer and an open mind should realize these ‘green energy’ schemes are a scam and have NEVER delivered on their promises.
But, if you want to use them, put them on the roof of buildings where the ground is already covered and the infrastructure exists to distribute the pitiful amount of electricity they produce. Without taxpayer subsidies these schemes are not profitable and these scoundrels will return to honest crime.
LOL. Nice find.
My bet is if you dig long enough, somewhere in the country-spanning connections to Origis Energy Ltd., you’re probably going to find the fingerprints of Gillum’s puppeteer, George Soros. Soros (and thus Gillum) are avid proponents of the UN Agenda 21. I have no problem with solar energy use, but nothing is approved in a COT business connection by accident.
Why didn’t the city use that nice solar company that’s been on Tharpe for 30+ years???
Nice? LOL!!!!
Ask Devoe about that, if you want the ugly details.
Seems like a good idea at the time that we’ll be paying for the next 25 years.
You mean like SMART Meters?
Thanks Preston because I kind of lost my faith in the FBI actually being able to make a difference here in Tallahassee. But as I consider the Honeywell-Smart Meter-Former Mayor Marks historical malfeasance, the Howard Knowles- Former Mayor Marks-Airport Fence dirty dirt, and most likely many, many, many improper criminal issues spanning the years which the general public is unaware of I realize…man the FBI likely needs another FBI to help sort out all the worms in the big ‘ole can they opened here in the Capital City.
You have helped to restore my faith and I will be thankful and grateful the FBI is here and stop complaining about how long it’s taking to see some results!!!
S. Whiplash: Your comments are dead on ! It is absolutely amazing how taxpayers are left out of the loop when spending their money. Blueprint 2000 is another fine example. When oh when will voters clean house and bring some respect back to the City of Tallahassee ????
Let the State investigate and clear the matter up
I wonder how much more solar energy costs than fossil fuel?
Well, for the cost of the solar farm and the number of houses that will be solar powered, it’s a little over $10,000 per home. That’s to start it up.
I knew this whole recent solar COT initiative smelled to high heaven.
I just pity the Sheeple citizens who were foolish enough to support this latest COT scheme to “fleece the Sheeple”.
You Sheeple and your mindless “vote D” foolishness are the reason COT is such a viper filled pit of corruption.
Just more proof that our city officials are morons!!!
Strange. This is the first undercover financial fraud that did not start with…… Adam Cory… I’m sure he’s in there somewhere..
Cyprus is a well known tax haven for Russian Oligarch who use Cyprus to money launder their money. What a great safe way to do it thru a City owned utility. The next thing we will learn is that the Mayor was in collusion with the Russians.
Too bad they went with archaic flat stationary panels and didn’t look into newer High Concentrated PV panels, and then put them on dual axis solar trackers. Way more efficient; they would generate 2-3x the electric power from the same footprint.
Oh well, none of them are geniuses.
I wonder if this company or any of their associates contributed to the Mayor or City Comm. campaign fund. Sounds like their may be a devil in the detail.
Its moot. Govt shouldn’t be in the energy business in the first place.