Michael Bakas

Mr. Bakas is President – Renewable Fuels of Ameresco, a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company. He is a member of the founding management team of the 23-year-old public company (NYSE: AMRC) and has been instrumental in Ameresco’s corporate strategic planning and growth. 

With 32 years of experience in the energy industry, Mr. Bakas directs the group primarily responsible for the development and operation of energy generation assets which has developed hundreds of megawatts of small infrastructure energy supply assets that have won numerous awards from the U.S. EPA, Department of Energy, Energy Vision, Climate Change Business Journal, state agencies, and other leading industry organizations. 

A pioneer in the renewable energy industry, Mr. Bakas developed some of the earliest advanced clean energy projects that helped shape the markets in those states that first implemented renewable portfolio standards, beginning in Massachusetts in 2001 with Ameresco’s first “green” landfill gas-to-energy power plant. Ever since, he has championed the growth of the company’s renewable energy asset portfolio making it one of the leading energy services providers in North America. Ameresco has been recognized multiple times by the U.S. EPA as an Industry Partner of the Year and by the California Legislature and U.S. House of Representatives for its contribution to environmental stewardship through its innovative green energy projects.  

As the officer responsible for many of Ameresco’s complex, renewable energy assets, Mr. Bakas is frequently called upon by the investment community to discuss relevant market conditions, trends in the green energy sector, and corporate strategies. 

He has been instrumental in fostering and supporting legislation that promotes the use of renewable resources and is on the Board of Directors for the Northeast Clean Energy Council as well as the Advisory Board for Microgrid Knowledge, the Leadership Advisory Board for Sustainability at the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas, and the Board of Advisors for the Advanced Energy Group. Additionally, Mr. Bakas is an active member of the Corporate Council for the Environmental League of Massachusetts on behalf of Ameresco. 

Over his career, he has been tapped to provide his expertise and guidance regarding energy issues throughout the United States and to participate in discussions setting direction for Federal, state, and local energy policy including, but not limited to, providing expert testimony before the Clean Air Congressional Roundtable at the U.S. Capitol. 

Mr. Bakas is often invited to speak at innovative industry and customer forums on topics such as Energy Efficiency, Distributed Energy Systems, Microgrids, Energy Storage, Renewable Energy Generation, and Public-Private Partnerships. An industry expert, he is regularly sought out for his expertise and opinion by numerous national media outlets, publications, and magazines and is frequently quoted in industry and business publications such as Forbes, Fortune Magazine, Distributed Energy Magazine, and Microgrid Knowledge. Mr. Bakas is a frequent speaker at roundtables, webinars, and conferences including events hosted by Reuters, Barclays, Bank of America, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co, Infrastructure Investor, Roth Capital Partners, Equilibrium Forum, Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference, Coalition of Renewable Natural Gas, World Biogas Association, LDC Gas Forum, and Microgrid Knowledge.