The Human Side of Green Infrastructure — Part 1
What Customers Really Want in a Clean Energy Project (And Why Developers Miss It)
By Dr. Santiago Fronda, Ph.D., MBA
Author of The Green Frontier: Global Project & Infrastructure Finance & Renewable Energy Project Management
Founder, NEOX Development Services Group
Introduction: Projects Built on Assumptions Often Collapse on Reality
In the race to deliver green infrastructure—whether it’s a 250,000 tpa green ammonia facility or a cross-border hydrogen corridor—many developers have mastered the financial model, but misunderstood the human model.
Too often, we race ahead with sophisticated IRRs, DSCRs, and LCOEs… only to watch promising projects stall because we didn’t ask the most important question:
What does the customer really want?
This isn’t about simple satisfaction—it’s about strategic alignment. It’s about building renewable energy projects that are not just viable on paper, but valuable in practice—to the very people who will use, fund, approve, and champion them.
Bankability starts not with the model—but with listening.
Dr. Santiago Fronda, PhD.
This article explores that often-overlooked truth and equips you with insights to turn technical success into stakeholder love.
Who Is the Customer in Clean Energy Projects?
In infrastructure, the term ‘customer’ encompasses not only the end-user but also the various stakeholders involved.
In fact, you’re often building a network of customers, each with distinct, sometimes competing priorities:
| Customer Type | What They Want |
| Off-takers (Industrial buyers, utilities) | Reliable supply, price predictability, ESG alignment |
| Regulators & Governments | Policy compliance, local job creation, political stability |
| Communities & Indigenous Stakeholders | Environmental protection, land access fairness, benefits sharing |
| Financiers & DFIs | De-risked returns, transparency, ESG safeguards |
Each of these “customers” contributes to the project’s ultimate success—or failure. And yet, most feasibility studies silo them into secondary appendices.
That’s a mistake.
Why Developers Get It Wrong
Despite best intentions, here are three strategic blind spots developers fall into:
1. Assuming Cost Trumps All
You design for the lowest LCOE. Your buyer wants reliability over 25 years, not the lowest first-year cost.
Lesson: Value is not always the price. Understand your off-taker’s risk appetite, not just their budget.
2. Pushing Timelines Before Readiness
One green hydrogen developer built a state-of-the-art electrolyzer facility in record time—only to find the buyer’s internal offtake approval would take 18 more months.
Lesson: Capital efficiency includes synchronizing with customer readiness.
3. Overlooking Emotional and Social Dynamics
In one large biofuel refinery project, community opposition wasn’t about pollution—it was about broken promises from a previous developer.
Lesson: Reputation is inherited. Empathy earns the social license to operate.
Case Insight: A Timeline Misalignment That Cost Millions
A developer in Southeast Asia launched a green ammonia facility aligned with global offtake demand forecasts. The technology was vetted. The CAPEX was competitive. The team even secured a term sheet from an Export Credit Agency (ECA).
However, they failed to confirm the buyer’s internal procurement cycle, which was locked in for the next fiscal year.
As a result:
- Construction was delayed
- Bridge financing costs escalated
- Investor confidence wavered
- The original buyer eventually walked away
All because they built before listening.
A Tool to Bridge the Gap: Pre-Offtake Engagement Checklist
Use this tool early—ideally before feasibility modeling—to align your structuring with customer insight:
Pre-Offtake Engagement Questions:
- What are your long-term demand projections by product category?
- What risk-sharing structure do you prefer (fixed vs. floating pricing, volume guarantees)?
- What ESG standards do you require for offtake partners?
- What’s your internal capital commitment or procurement approval timeline?
- What flexibility do you have for take-or-pay clauses?
- Are there technical specs (purity, reliability, storage) that are non-negotiable?
- Would you be open to co-developing project specs or infrastructure?
📌 Download the full template here →
(Coming soon to GreenFrontier’s Resource Library)
Closing Reflection: Speak Their Language
If your offtaker speaks “supply chain reliability” and you present “solar-weighted CAPEX discounting”, you’re not building trust—you’re building confusion.
Your investors don’t just want spreadsheets. Your buyers don’t just want contracts. Your communities don’t just want jobs.
They want to be heard.
They want to be seen.
They want to be part of the story.
Because in clean energy, the real asset isn’t just infrastructure.
It’s relationships.
CALL TO ACTION
Want to structure more customer-aligned projects?
Download my Off-taker Interview Template and start building bankability from the inside out.
🔗 Access the template and PIM resources
🔗 Explore our Green Ammonia Project Case Study
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Final Takeaway: Learn Boldly. Apply Relentlessly.
Knowledge is your superpower—but only if it becomes a behavior.
Let others attend the same conferences and read the same books. You’ll win because you implement.
“Don’t just collect insights. Cultivate them into impact.” – Dr. Santiago Fronda, GreenFRONTIER
📚 Discover the Books That Transform Project Leaders
If you found this article helpful, explore Dr. Santiago Fronda’s globally recognized books:
📘 The Green Frontier: Global Project & Infrastructure Finance
A comprehensive playbook for sustainable finance, capital structuring, and green investment strategies.
📗 Renewable Energy Project Management: Strategy, Execution, and Sustainable Impact
A practical guide on leading complex renewable energy projects from concept to commissioning.
Both titles are globally available in digital format. 👉 Visit the Bookstore and Download Your Copy
Empower yourself with the tools trusted by project developers, financial institutions, and infrastructure leaders worldwide.
✍️ About the Author
Dr. Santiago Fronda, PhD, MBA, is a global expert in sustainable infrastructure and project finance. As the author of The Green Frontier and Renewable Energy Project Management, and founder of NEOX Development Services Group, he assists project leaders, investors, and institutions in delivering high-impact renewable energy and infrastructure projects across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. Dr. Fronda brings over 20 years of executive leadership, financial strategy, and capacity-building expertise to climate-aligned ventures worldwide.
Follow Dr. Santiago on LinkedIn for weekly insights on clean energy finance, ESG leadership, and capital-ready project development.
