Gilbert Campbell leading a site walk at a Volt solar project under construction
About Us

Volt Energy Utility

Volt Energy Utility is a Black-owned national developer of utility-scale solar and storage. We develop, finance and deliver projects for corporate energy buyers, including Microsoft and Google. Every project is built so the communities that host it share in the benefits.

Founded by Gilbert Campbell and Eric Grant, Volt has developed more than 350 MW of utility-scale solar. We pioneered the Community Impact PPA, which builds long-term community investment directly into the power purchase agreement, funded through Sharing the Power Foundation.

A father carries his daughter on his shoulders through a field at sunset
The Volt Difference

Beyond megawatts: building community trust through clean energy

Volt delivers utility-scale solar and storage to corporate energy buyers through the Community Impact PPA, a model we pioneered that builds long-term community investment directly into the power purchase agreement. To advance that mission, Volt founded Sharing the Power Foundation, a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has invested in communities nationwide for five years.

Our approach led to a historic Community Impact PPA framework agreement with Microsoft to deliver 250 MW of utility-scale solar, followed by a Community Impact PPA with Google. Microsoft’s FY26 community-benefits white paper includes Volt’s PPA as a case study, and Volt has joined Microsoft and Google on industry panels to encourage broader adoption. Gilbert Campbell co-signed, with Microsoft’s environmental justice director, the 2022 white paper Environmental justice in renewable energy procurement.

As community distrust of large-scale energy infrastructure and data centers grows, Volt bridges the gap between corporate energy buyers, developers and local communities, delivering projects that create lasting economic opportunity and ensure communities share in the benefits.

350+ MWCommunity Impact PPAs developed for Microsoft and Google
$25MCommunity impact funds allocated through Volt Energy Utility projects
$3M+Sharing the Power grants in data center and solar project communities since 2021
20States and D.C. with community grant investments
Why it matters

Why energy buyers choose Volt

The communities closest to new energy and data center infrastructure are often the ones most skeptical of it. Volt’s leadership has spent 18 years developing clean energy projects and earning trust in rural and urban communities nationwide, from coalfield towns to HBCU campuses.

Trusted across the community

Buyers get clean megawatts and a partner with deep relationships among federal, state and local officials, community leaders, colleges and trade schools, and residents.

Supplier diversity at utility scale

Volt helps buyers meet supplier diversity goals with a developer that delivers utility-scale solar and storage.

Clean energy for data centers

Our Community Impact PPAs invest in the communities near our clients’ data centers. See how it works →

Our history

From the Community Impact PPA model to corporate adoption

  1. Launch

    Pioneering the model

    Volt pioneered the Community Impact PPA and announced a 250 MW framework with Microsoft.

  2. Foundation

    Sharing the Power begins

    Sharing the Power Foundation began operating as an independent 501(c)(3) that invests in local priorities.

  3. Adoption

    More buyers join

    Volt expanded corporate adoption of the model. A Community Impact PPA with Google followed.

  4. Scale

    Where we are today

    350+ MW and counting. The need for clean energy, community engagement and local investment has never been greater. That’s our DNA.

“The 250-megawatt power purchase agreement between Volt and Microsoft was the first solar farm contract between a Fortune 500 corporation and a Black or African American developer.”
— Microsoft News, June 2022
Cover of the Volt Energy Utility Corporate Overview
Download our corporate overview

Utility-scale solar and storage, with community impact built in

A concise guide for corporate energy buyers: how a Community Impact PPA is structured and governed, the results behind our work with Microsoft, and where Volt projects and community investments are making a difference.

Community voices

In the words of the people we serve

Jacob Israel Hannah
“What a pleasure and honor it was for us, thank you for making the time to be with us in person and for our continued partnership! Truly meant a lot to our folks!”
Jacob Israel Hannah Chief Executive Officer, Coalfield Development Corporation
Kaiwan Bial
“As an applied physicist, being a Fellow has shown me how to contribute my technical skills with a policy-oriented approach. I learned how to approach research at the intersection of community-centered work and innovation, and I cannot wait to bring these skills into my career.”
Kaiwan Bial University of Michigan, 2026 Clean Energy Fellow
Gilbert Campbell speaking on stage
From our founder

“The communities that host America’s energy future deserve to share in its benefits.”

Gilbert CampbellFounder & CEO, Volt Energy Utility
Meet the team

Executive Leadership

The team behind Volt’s utility-scale energy projects and Community Impact PPAs.

Gilbert Campbell

Gilbert Campbell

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Company strategy and corporate partnerships

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Gilbert Campbell is the founder and chief executive officer of Volt Energy Utility, a national clean energy firm that develops utility-scale solar and energy storage projects. Under his leadership, Volt has successfully developed over 350 MW of utility-scale solar projects for Fortune 100 corporations. These projects include significant investment in local communities through the Community Impact Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model Volt pioneered. Volt signed a historic deal with Microsoft to deliver 250 MW of utility-scale solar under its Community Impact PPA model. Volt has also developed utility-scale solar projects for Google and other companies under this model.

Campbell chairs the board of Sharing the Power Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit established by Volt to help carry out those community commitments. The foundation works with local organizations to support workforce and economic development, energy affordability, STEM education, and community health. It has invested more than $4 million in rural and urban communities across the country, including more than $3 million in community grants and $1 million in scholarships for students at historically Black colleges and universities.

Campbell advocates for energy policies that accelerate clean energy deployment, support workforce and economic development, and benefit local communities. He regularly advises federal and local officials, corporations, and other stakeholders on energy policy and best practices. He has worked closely with members of Congress from both parties on clean energy legislation and has testified before Congress on several occasions.

Campbell serves on the boards of the Solar Energy Industries Association and the American Association of Blacks in Energy, where he chairs the Entrepreneurship Committee. He recently completed his term on the board of the Clean Energy Buyers Alliance (CEBA) and previously served on the 3Degrees Advisory Board.

In 2016, the Obama administration recognized Campbell’s leadership in advancing climate equity with a White House Champions of Change Award. His company’s 2011 solar installation at Florida Avenue Baptist Church is featured in the Obama Presidential Library. He was also named to EBONY magazine’s Power 100 list and received the Amtrak and Washington Wizards Pioneer Award. Campbell graduated magna cum laude from Howard University with a B.B.A. in finance and completed postgraduate leadership training at Harvard University.

Eric Grant

Eric Grant

Partner

External affairs and community engagement

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Eric is responsible for Volt’s external affairs, marketing and communications. He also directs the management and governance of the Community Impact Fund, as set out in Volt’s Community Impact PPA (originally the Environmental Justice Power Purchase Agreement). Eric has over 30 years of experience in the energy sector.

As former vice president of government affairs and communications for WGL Energy and Washington Gas, he directed the company’s multi-state government and public affairs, federal government affairs, external and crisis communications, media relations, branding and corporate giving. His government affairs team led the lobbying efforts for the landmark utility infrastructure repair and replacement law in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Early in his career, he served as manager of state government affairs at The American Petroleum Institute.

For almost a decade, he served as spokesperson, director of communications, public affairs and corporate philanthropy at The Washington Post. His non-profit experience included five years as director of cause marketing and mega city grants for Special Olympics, Inc., structuring major corporate sponsorships with such companies as Lands’ End, Subaru, Raymond Co., AMF, and Hoyle Cards. He has served on several boards including: Volt Energy, LLC., the DC and Maryland Chambers of Commerce, Red Cross - National Capital Region, and the Black Student Fund.

Eric is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Landeggar International Business Executive Program at Georgetown University.

Jean Nelson-Houpert

Jean Nelson-Houpert

Chief Financial Officer

Finance and operations

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Jean Nelson-Houpert is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Volt Energy Utility, a national Minority-Owned utility-scale developer in Washington, DC, and the Financial Counselor at Sharing The Power Foundation. She oversees all financial aspects of the company, ensuring its continued success and stability. Additionally, Jean volunteers financial counsel to the Sharing the Power Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Volt Energy Utility, to support organizations that provide services to urban and rural communities disproportionately affected by climate change, air and water pollution, and inaccessibility to renewable energy opportunities.

With over 25 years of experience in finance, public, and corporate accounting, Jean served as the inaugural Chief Financial Officer and Interim CEO at the DC Green Bank for three years, leading the organization from its inception until September 2023. She began her career in public accounting as a financial institution specialist with Grant Thornton, LLP. She served incorporate positions as interim CEO, Chief Financial Officer, and Director of Accounting at various organizations.

Jean received her Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Finance, graduating cum laude from Temple University's Fox School of Business, and acquired a Master of Jurisprudence in Labor and Employment from Tulane Law School. She also holds a certification from Columbia Business School in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) Investing and a certificate in Sustainable Management. Jean serves on the Board of Directors of Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE), the Advisory Council of the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif), and the advisory boards of Village Capital and Halcyon House.

Barry Schochet In Memoriam

Barry Schochet

Partner

A founding partner of Volt Energy Utility

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Barry Schochet was instrumental in the founding of Volt. His foresight, wisdom and support set the tone for Volt’s mission. A distinguished attorney with extensive business development experience, Barry served as a Managing Partner for Volt Energy and oversaw business development and strategy for the company.

He received his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his J.D. from Emory University. His career included private law practice and service in the United States Senate where he was counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee and Staff Director for the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East and South Asia.

He crafted significant projects in both the US and international markets. These projects included: the food service, real estate, restaurant, financial, and solar industries. Mr. Schochet was also an early limited partner with The Cheesecake Factory and played an integral part in the company's early expansion nationwide and initial public offering.

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