Episode Details

Episode Summary:

In this episode of the Solar Maverick Podcast, host Benoy Thanjan sits down with Abu Riaz, CEO and Founder of AMS Renewables, to discuss what it takes to scale a solar and storage EPC in today’s rapidly evolving clean energy market.

Abu shares how AMS Renewables grew out of a traditional construction background into a fast-scaling EPC platform, executing projects across commercial, community solar, and utility-scale segments. The conversation highlights why construction discipline, capital planning, and execution are critical differentiators in solar and storage development.

Key topics include:

• How AMS Renewables evolved from C&I rooftop projects to large-scale community solar
• Why solar is fundamentally a construction-driven business
• The front-loaded capital and procurement challenges EPCs face at NTP
• Scaling without outside investors and maintaining operational flexibility
• Navigating industry disruption, EPC bankruptcies, and talent shifts
• The growing opportunity in solar + storage and standalone storage projects
• Managing risk, due diligence, and vendor compliance in a changing regulatory environment
• Leadership lessons from building a resilient EPC through market cycles

This episode is a must-listen for developers, EPCs, and clean energy entrepreneurs looking to build durable, execution-focused businesses in the solar and storage industry.

About the Solar Maverick Podcast

The Solar Maverick Podcast is a leading clean energy podcast hosted by Benoy Thanjan, Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy. The show features in-depth conversations with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers shaping the future of solar, storage, and the global energy transition.

Biographies

Benoy Thanjan

Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Reneu Energy, solar developer and consulting firm, and a strategic advisor to multiple cleantech startups. Over his career, Benoy has developed over 100 MWs of solar projects across the U.S., helped launch the first residential solar tax equity funds at Tesla, and brokered $45 million in Renewable Energy Credits (“REC”) transactions.

Prior to founding Reneu Energy, Benoy was the Environmental Commodities Trader in Tesla’s Project Finance Group, where he managed one of the largest environmental commodities portfolios. He originated REC trades and co-developed a monetization and hedging strategy with senior leadership to enter the East Coast market.

As Vice President at Vanguard Energy Partners, Benoy crafted project finance solutions for commercial-scale solar portfolios. His role at Ridgewood Renewable Power, a private equity fund with 125 MWs of U.S. renewable assets, involved evaluating investment opportunities and maximizing returns. He also played a key role in the sale of the firm’s renewable portfolio.

Earlier in his career, Benoy worked in Energy Structured Finance at Deloitte & Touche and Financial Advisory Services at Ernst & Young, following an internship on the trading floor at D.E. Shaw & Co., a multi billion dollar hedge fund.

Benoy holds an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University and a BS in Finance and Economics from NYU Stern, where he was an Alumni Scholar.

Abu Riaz, Founder & CEO of AMS Renewable Energy

Abu Riaz is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AMS Renewable Energy, a solar and energy storage EPC (“Engineering, Procurement, and Construction”) firm based in New York focused on delivering large-scale distributed solar and storage solutions across the United States. Under his leadership, AMS has grown into a nationally respected solar EPC with deep