INTRODUCING THIRD-GENERATION SOLAR: 1st Avenue Power Unveils the First Fully Integrated Clean Power System of the AI Era

Twice the energy. More reliable than the grid. Gigawatt-scale capacity in under a year.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a defining moment for energy infrastructure, 1st Avenue Power (1AP) unveils a radical new clean power solution: a modular, rapidly deployable, fully integrated system engineered to meet the explosive energy demands of the AI era. As the grid buckles under the weight of modern computing, 1st Avenue Power introduces what the market has never seen: dispatchable, firm, cyber-secure, clean energy systems that can go live in months—not years—and scale to gigawatt capacity.

Hyperfirm™ Power: Dispatchable. Dense. Unmatched.

1st Avenue Power's proprietary Hyperfirm™ system architecture combines solar generation, advanced storage, and AI-optimized controls into a single, integrated platform—delivering clean energy with greater reliability than the grid and unprecedented control. Through breakthroughs in solar deployment density and proprietary energy storage and power systems, Hyperfirm™ systems produce up to twice the usable energy per acre of traditional solar. This makes it the fastest, most cost-effective clean power solution on the market today.

Power systems pioneer Dr. Tom Buttgenbach launched 1st Avenue Power to do what no one else has: deliver dispatchable, firm, low-cost, cyber-secure power systems that can be deployed at speed. "Unlike any other generation technology, our industry is made up of specialized component manufacturers that are assembled on-site by construction companies," said Buttgenbach, founder of 1st Avenue Capital and former CEO of Avantus and 8minute Solar. "We're designing and building fully integrated systems. That's how we get the system performance that the next generation of power infrastructure demands."

Buttgenbach brings an unmatched track record through his leadership of 8minute Energy and Avantus: 30 GW of solar and 90 GWh of storage developed—enough to power 20 million U.S. homes day and night—over $10 billion in financing and power purchase agreements secured, and the first U.S. solar project to undercut fossil fuels on price. He led the development of the first gigawatt scale powerplant for a U.S.-based hyperscaler that commenced operation in June 2025.

See: www.1ap.com.

1st Avenue Power Fact Sheet

Founding Leadership Team

• Dr. Tom Buttgenbach, CEO – 30 GW solar + 90 GWh storage delivered; $10B+ in financing; built first U.S. solar project to beat fossil fuel costs; Ph.D. in Physics (Caltech).
• Kip Larson, CTO – Former CTO at Avantus and executive technology leader at AWS and Amazon with deep experience in AI and industrial controls..
• Drew Lowe, VP Operations – Former Apple, SiriusXM, and Disney operations executive with experience in multi-gigawatt data infrastructure.
• Dr. Finbar Sheehy, VP Technology – Former head of Technology at Avantus and industry expert, former AB Bernstein equities analyst.
• Greg McPheeters, VP Product Development – Product designer formerly with REC Solar and SnapNrack with experience in design and installation of complete turnkey solar electric systems.
• Alex Turek, VP Software Engineering – Software engineering leader at Avantus, Amazon, and Convoy; with deep experience in energy markets and software.
• Executive Advisors: Joe Inzerillo, Blair LaCorte, Jordan Greene.

Technology Innovations

• Hyperfirm™ Systems – Always-on, firm and dispatchable clean energy by integrating solar, advanced storage, and AI optimization.
• Gemini™ Architecture – Modular, high-density solar+storage power plants engineered for up to 2x firm energy output per acre, with full dispatchability.
• NatureMount™: Rapidly-deployable, terrain-following, solar array technology that enables double-density solar.
• Blackbird™ Power Systems – Solid-state, turnkey, modular systems designed for 100x higher reliability than conventional grid/thermal generation.
• AI-Driven Optimization – End-to-end predictive analytics for system efficiency, cost savings, and revenue optimization.
• Rapid Deployment – Gigawatt-scale projects rolled out in months, not years — more than 3x faster than conventional builds.

Company Overview

• Founded by: Dr. Tom Buttgenbach, power systems pioneer and founder and former CEO of Avantus/8minute Solar.
• Mission: We deliver rapidly deployable power systems that generate Hyperfirm™ and inexpensive clean power leveraging the abundance of solar to liberate energy-constrained businesses and communities around the world.
• Approach: Proprietary solar + storage architectures enhanced by AI-optimized software for reliable, dispatchable, low-cost, modular power.

Learn more: www.1ap.com

SOURCE 1st Avenue Power