John Hamilton

John Hamilton focuses on advising energy companies, technology companies, and investors in complex project development, project finance, and mergers & acquisitions transactions for energy, data center, and infrastructure projects. He has experience advising energy and data center developers, offtakers, and investors in projects related to the development, financing, acquisition, and operation of wind, solar, geothermal, battery storage, and hydrogen energy projects, as well as grid-connected and off-grid data center projects.

John has deep experience advising companies in transactions for a wide range of project types, including in-front-of-meter utility scale, community solar, and behind-the-meter energy projects. He brings his experience from leading in-house legal functions to help clients achieve their business and legal objectives.

Project Finance and Strategic Transactions

• Advised HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. (HASI) on a strategic equity partnership with Invenergy supporting a 2.7-gigawatt portfolio of utility-scale solar, solar-plus-storage and wind projects across the United States.
• Advised a publicly traded investment fund on a strategic equity partnership with a leading solar developer with respect to a large portfolio of community solar projects under development in Maryland, Delaware, and Illinois and the negotiation of portfolio tax equity and project debt facilities.
• Advised lenders in construction loan and term loan financing of utility-scale wind, solar, storage and community solar projects.
• Advised Patterson Enterprises in connection with the negotiation of project debt facilities for several battery energy storage projects located in Texas and Virginia.
• Advised publicly traded renewable energy sponsor in establishing financing facilities representing more than USD 1 billion in committed capital collateralized by residential solar loans.
• Advised privately-held investment fund in the acquisition of a portfolio of operating and under development behind-the-meter solar energy projects.
• Advised multinational renewable energy developer in the acquisition of portfolios of operating and under development stand-alone energy storage projects in California and Texas.

Tax Equity and Tax Credit Monetization

• Advised a large privately-owned company in its tax equity investment in a portfolio of three utility-scale solar projects in PJM being developed by a leading US renewables developer.
• Advised leading US developer of standalone utility-scale battery energy storage projects in connection with negotiation and execution of a tax equity partnership transaction with a leading national bank with respect to two utility-scale battery energy storage projects in Texas.
• Advised a publicly traded solar energy developer in creating back-levered tax equity facilities for the financing of residential solar leases and power purchase agreements.
• Advising a publicly traded integrated health solutions company in connection with a tax credits acquisition program from leading US renewables developers with a total target amount of 3 billion USD.
• Advising a publicly traded consumer retail company in connection with a tax credits acquisition program from leading US renewables developers in an amount of approximately 1 billion USD.
• Advised Patterson Enterprises in connection with the sale of tax credits associated with a portfolio of utility-scale battery energy storage projects in several states.

Project Development and Offtake Agreements

• Advised national renewable energy developer in the negotiation of numerous power purchase agreements and supply agreements in the development of the largest single-phase wind energy project in the US.
• Advised J-POWER USA in negotiating and executing the offtake agreement and tax credit transfer agreement with respect to a 495 MWac solar photovoltaic energy project located in Refugio County, TX.
• Advised several solar energy developers in the negotiation of numerous power purchase agreements with regulated utilities and corporate energy purchasers.
• Advised a California community choice aggregator in numerous transactions for the purchase of power, capacity, and renewable energy certificates from wind, solar and storage projects.
• Advised geothermal energy developer in the negotiation of power purchase agreements with energy offtakers and corporate energy purchasers.
• Advised Metrus Energy in the development and financing of energy-as-a-service infrastructure projects at a major international airport and privately-owned university.

• Best Lawyers in America “One to Watch” for Energy Law, 2026-2027
• SuperLawyers Rising Star (Northern California), 2021-2023, 2026
• Law360 Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing, 2017
• John Hart Ely Prize for Outstanding Academic Performance in Contract Design, Stanford Law School, 2016
• John Hart Ely Prize for Outstanding Academic Performance in Environmental Justice, Stanford Law School, 2016

• Energy Bar Association – Chair of Finance, Transactions and Investment Steering Committee (2026-27)
• California State Bar Association – Member