Zaid Ashai, CEO of Nexamp
Boston, Mass. – Solar Power World talked with Zaid Ashai, CEO of Nexamp. This is what we learned.
Ashai’s Background: As is common with solar professionals, Zaid’s background is a bit eclectic. Al Gore was U.S. Vice President when he was in college, which helped cultivate his interest in climate change and environmental science. After graduation he worked on Wall Street covering technology and then got his MBA and MPA from Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He then went onto working in venture capital, where he invested in renewable energy and efficiency startups including Nexamp (No. 39 on the Solar Power World 2014 Top Solar Contractors list). Following several years seeing the broader lifecycles of these companies through venture capital positions on their boards, Ashai found himself leading Nexamp, the company he had invested in and evolved with.
Nexamp’s Background: Nexamp was founded by two Iraq war veterans who wanted to simplify renewable energy choices for customers. The company focuses on solar solutions for commercial clients, property owners and public entities. Its business model includes in-house development, EPC work and operations and maintenance.
Company Values: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Passion, Environmental Stewardship, Acting As Owners Not Employees.
“Grid parity is the goal. We want to do well financially while helping the environment. When I recruit candidates from college I ask them if they want to work on the next mobile app or if they want to make an impact on the biggest challenge of our generation: Climate change.”
Lessons Learned: Last year’s aggressive winter challenged Nexamp as it installed 21 MW — mostly large ground-mount installations — in extreme temperatures with snow cover, and flooding from freezing and thawing. Low temperatures caused safety and productivity concerns. But Nexamp was able to address these with UV-heated trailers and shutting down the site completely if it jeopardized worker safety. Nexamp also worked with its contractors to take preparative measures in an indoor warehouse to optimize construction in the field.
“We also learned how to design a site that will survive,” Ashai says. “Leaving a muddy mess is unacceptable.” Nexamp learned how to standardize solutions for different types of sites and control erosion with vegetation. Also, its in-house quality assurance team, an extension of its operations and maintenance department, helps the company learn from and avoid issues while preparing for post-installation care.
“Variability of seasons is getting worse with time. We’re seeing the impact of climate change and unfortunately you have to prepare for it.” SPW