Our Mission
Power Guru offers a wide variety of services and products to help clients generate clean electricity. Located in Bennington since 2007, we install of top-of-the-line solar systems for residential and commercial clients in the Southern Vermont and nearby-New York area. In addition to solar, we install battery backup systems as a certified Tesla Powerwall Installer partnered with Green Mountain Power and EV charging stations to create whole-home sustainable energy solutions. This approach ensures our clients can rest easy knowing they have reliable energy when need arises while also participating in the green energy revolution.
Alexander Mintz | CEO
Alex has been in solar since 2008. He holds a bachelor’s in Environmental Studies and a master’s from Stony Brook University. Prior to joining Power Guru, Alex spent several years working in residential and commercial solar design and in solar sales. Alex’s interest in the industry brought him to the supply chain side of the business, and he moved to New England to work for the nation’s largest solar distributor, CED Greentech. Alex subsequently worked as a Project Developer for Borrego Solar, a company focused on building large solar farms. These experiences led Alex to realize his passion for solar was in a small-scale, community-oriented approach to green energy. Following this realization, Alex purchased Solar Pro, a small solar company based in Arlington, Vermont. Shortly following this acquisition, the brother of Power Guru’s late founder Bhima Nitta contacted Alex with an amazing offer: to take the reins at Power Guru and eventually merge the two Bennington County companies to provide great solar solutions to residential and commercial customers. Alex loves the ocean and the mountains, music, surfing and snowboarding, and of course, SOLAR!
Darin Brondino | Director of Operations
Darin is hilarious. He loves Airplane and Caddyshack, which he will quote often. He is a skilled tradesman with a background in construction and construction management. He does not appear to love writing about himself, often leaving it to co-workers to come up with something on his behalf. He is from California originally, and moved to Vermont a few years ago. He has 3 wonderful children.
Glenn Burt | Principal Engineer
Glenn holds the position of Principal Engineer on the Power Guru team. He provides residential and commercial systems designs, NEC expertise, systems troubleshooting, electrical installation work, and project management. He is an in-house resource for battery systems with over 15 years of battery experience. Glenn began his solar journey with ETM Solar Works as an installer, then joined Renewable Power Systems as an installer where he became a Technical Specialist. His career continued with Alteris Renewables and Real Goods Solar in the same capacities. Glenn then became a Renewable Energy Engineer with the Cadmus Group, where he performed inspections for NYSERDA on PV and solar thermal systems. He has maintained full Member status in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers technical professional organization for the past 25 years. Glenn holds a NABCEP PV Installation Professional credential and a Vermont State Special Electrician license. In addition to all of the above, Glenn is a licensed Amateur Radio operator.
Ned Wood | Principal Designer
I was raised in New England, in a village with just fewer than 2,000 people, about ten miles west of the county seat, a town with just fewer than 20,000 people. After I was married, we moved to a different New England State, to a town with just fewer than 2,000 people, five miles west of the county seat, a town with just fewer than 20,000 people. After we had children, we moved to a third New England state, Vermont, and settled in a village, North Bennington, with just fewer than 2,000 people, about 3 miles northwest of the county seat, Bennington, a town with a huge obelisk and a bit fewer than 20,000 people. My father looked at me, and quoted Emerson: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” He’s been one of my favorite people all my life. The best thing about earning my BS in physics at University of Massachusetts Amherst was meeting a wonderful, beautiful woman much smarter than I. She graduated with honors the year before I graduated by the skin of my teeth, but I managed to convince her to let me stick around for the following 35 years (and counting.) We have two adult children who are both nicer and smarter than either of us. They’re great. We also have chickens, who are annoying and, like all chickens, extremely stupid. I like fresh eggs. I signed on to my first construction crew 37 years ago to help pay for college, and I have worked in construction since, as a carpenter, timber framer, structural designer, energy efficiency consultant, and for several years stay-at-home dad (which is admittedly a rather abstract sort of construction.) My title here at Power Guru is Principal Designer, but I see my work as I always have – to solve a puzzle: how can we meet each customer’s needs and desires by creating a safe, efficient, durable system for them as affordably as possible. This is New England. Every home and every customer is unique. Here at Power Guru we have the capacity, flexibility and expertise to produce a renewable power system tailored to each. That’s what’s kept me here for six years. That’s why I love my job.
Zoe Contros Kearl | Operations Specialist
Zoe comes to the Power Guru team, and Southern Vermont, from New York City by way of Austin, Texas. Zoe is excited to be living in Vermont and working in the green energy sector, as renewability and sustainability are cornerstones of her personal ethos. Zoe serves the Power Guru team in many capacities and is learning more about solar by the day. Previous professional experience includes working in business development at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, communications at the Council for European Studies, and corporate copywriting at VITAS Healthcare. Zoe holds a Master’s from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
David Green | Sales & Marketing Associate
Colin Henderson | Design & Operations Technician
Colin joined Power Guru as a Design and Operations Technician in February 2024. He graduated from Northeastern University’s College of Engineering with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2015. Prior to joining Power Guru, Colin worked in a variety of engineering and technical operations roles. Right out of school, Colin designed ultra-capacitor and down-hole drilling equipment for a small startup in the Boston area. Colin then transitioned into the wireless industry in 2016 working for a high-speed wireless internet startup called Starry Inc. Colin started at Starry designing electrical enclosures and thermal management systems for Starry’s high frequency radios and transitioned into operations, where he built up and managed multiple network technicians and network operations teams. After taking a short hiatus from tech, Colin joined Van Dyk Recycling Solutions in 2022 as a Project Manager where he managed multiple projects across the country installing recycling sorting equipment and building high volume, single stream recycling plants. Colin is excited to be part of Power Guru’s growing team and to work in the solar and energy storage sectors. In his free time, you can find Colin exploring Vermont’s mountains on skis or mountain bike or by air while pursuing his private pilot license.
Morgan Pochobradsky | Lead Solar Installer
Morgan has been a solar installer with Power Guru for over five years. Originally from the Greater Capital Region, Morgan now calls Bennington, Vermont home. In his spare time, Morgan enjoys spending time with friends and family, working on renovation projects around his house, and outdoor activities including hiking and boating. Morgan is proud to work in solar and be part of the green energy revolution. He holds a degree in Electrical Construction and Maintenance from Hudson Valley Community College.
Camdon Betit | Solar Installer
Camdon is new to the solar world, but has lived in Vermont for his entire life. He has an extensive job history ranging from work as a farm hand to as a diesel technician. Camdon joined the workforce before graduating from Mount Anthony High School right here in Bennington. When not at work, Camdon enjoys spending time with his family and teaching his kids the lay of the land. He enjoys a wide variety of hobbies including hunting, fishing, fixing vehicles, and building various things with his hands. Camdon is pleased to help benefit the planet while doing what he loves – working outside.
The Original Power Guru Bhima Nitta (1965-2020)
Power Guru’s founder, was passionate about fighting global climate change. Educated at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Bhima graduated with a PhD in Chemical Engineering and holds a certificate in Systems Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). To be part of the solution, he founded Power Guru in 2007. Clean energy was not just a job for Bhima, it was his life’s work.
The Power Guru team is dedicated to carrying on his legacy today.