Michael Bakas
President of Renewable Fuels
Mr. Bakas is President of Renewable Fuels at Ameresco, a leading cleantech integrator and renewable energy asset developer, owner and operator. He is a member of the founding management team of the 24-year-old public company (NYSE: AMRC) and plays a key role shaping Ameresco’s strategic direction and driving its growth.
With nearly 35 years of experience in the energy industry, Mr. Bakas leads the development and expansion of the company’s renewable fuels assets, which includes one of the most robust pipelines of complex facilities in the country. These comprehensive energy supply assets have been recognized by and won numerous awards from the U.S. EPA, Department of Energy, California Legislature, 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” biogas-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 U.S. House of Representatives for its contribution to environmental stewardship through its innovative green energy projects. In 2024, the California Legislature recognized Ameresco for developing the largest landfill gas-to-renewable natural gas (RNG) project in the state..
Mr. Bakas has been instrumental in fostering and supporting legislation that promotes the use of renewable resources and has served 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.
He is frequently called upon by the investment community to discuss relevant market conditions, trends in the green energy sector, and corporate strategies.
Over his career, Mr. Bakas 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.
He 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, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co, Infrastructure Investor, Roth Capital Partners, HASI, Equilibrium Forum, Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference, Coalition of Renewable Natural Gas, World Biogas Association, LDC Gas Forum, and Microgrid Knowledge.