Company Context

HelioGrid Solutions is a mid-sized renewable energy services company focused on commercial and industrial (C&I) solar, battery storage, and energy management software for businesses in North America. The company generates $180M in annual revenue, has operations in 12 states, and is known for strong project execution in distributed solar installations for warehouses, schools, and retail chains. Historically, HelioGrid has grown through project-based solar EPC work, but margins have tightened as hardware prices have normalized and competitors have become more aggressive.

Strategic Situation

The CEO wants to decide how HelioGrid should grow over the next 24 months. Three options are under consideration: (1) expand battery storage as a bundled add-on to existing solar projects, (2) launch a software-led energy optimization offering for existing customers, or (3) enter the small utility-scale segment (20-50 MW projects). The decision matters now because federal incentives remain favorable, several large customers are asking for resilience solutions after grid outages, and private equity owners expect EBITDA expansion before a potential exit in 3 years.

Your interviewer frames this as a proxy for how a candidate's renewable energy background informs management decisions: how do you translate technical understanding of solar, storage, and grid economics into market prioritization, organizational focus, and go-to-market choices?

Data Points

Additional facts:

• HelioGrid has $25M available for growth investment over 24 months.
• Sales team: 14 account executives, mostly experienced in solar project sales, not software subscriptions.
• Of the 420 existing customers, 160 are in outage-prone regions and 110 have demand charges above 18% of power bills.
• Estimated average deal sizes: bundled storage add-on $1.4M, software subscription $120K ARR, small utility-scale project $18M.
• Typical sales cycles: storage 4-6 months, software 2-4 months, utility-scale 12-18 months.

Deliverables

1. Size the near-term revenue opportunity for each of the three growth options.
2. Assess competitive dynamics and HelioGrid's right to win in each option.
3. Recommend one primary growth strategy for the next 24 months, with rationale.
4. Propose a go-to-market plan, including customer targeting, capabilities needed, and sequencing.
5. Explain the key trade-offs, risks, and management implications of your recommendation.

Constraints

• HelioGrid must improve EBITDA margin from 9% to at least 12% within 24 months.
• The company cannot pursue all three options at full scale due to budget and leadership bandwidth.
• Any strategy must show visible commercial traction within 12 months.
• Hiring is possible, but major organizational redesign should be avoided in the first 6 months.