Luke Smith

Luke translates complexity into clarity—integrating client goals with capital strategy to build solar assets that outperform expectations for decades.

Luke leads development and project finance for some of the region's most complex solar installations—designing custom financial structures that unlock value for large-scale energy users and institutional partners.

From initial project scoping to financial close, he integrates with client organizations, translating their energy goals and real estate strategies into viable solar solutions. With decades of expertise originating, underwriting and structuring complex energy deals, Luke has structured more than $250 million in renewable projects and overseen the deployment of more than $2 billion in infrastructure investments over his career.

His civil engineering and real estate development backgrounds inform a unique "engineer's approach" to project finance, lending a collaborative, systems-based methodology to his work leading debt equity and ITC structuring for all assets and overseeing project controls to guarantee project performance. Luke's deep understanding of both technical specifications and financial markets allow him to optimize financial structures and maximize value for CI Renew and its clients.

Before joining CI Renewables in 2021, Luke led Project Delivery at Vessel Technologies, an NYC-based prop-tech company focused on developing affordable housing at scale. Prior to Vessel, he oversaw pivotal projects for tech giants like Google and Amazon at Whiting-Turner. His experience in commercial construction provides invaluable insights that inform more accurate risk assessment and mitigation strategies.

Luke holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Lafayette College and a Master of Science in real estate and infrastructure from Johns Hopkins University. A mentor and thought leader, he speaks regularly on climate finance and supports CI's internship and community outreach programs.