INDUSTRY FOCUS: RENEWABLE

are in a relatively young industry that is growing rapidly and requires strong alliances. We want to be a long-term reliable partner on this journey.”

Demonstrating the ability of rays and gusts to replace fossils, Sonnedix is sure of the power of renewables, but is looking to combine systems to diversify and include more storage. It is becoming more vital for renewable energy sources to be made available consistently, easing their integration into the current grid where possible, to drive the energy transition forwards.

“As we are going towards a world with a lot more solar and wind in the generation stack, we must bring them together with storage. We have intermittent supply in the renewable space, but we must be able to supply electricity as and when it is needed so we are moving towards diversifying our portfolio from purely solar to add wind and storage. Chile is the first big example of that,” explains Thiemann.

Chile

//Leading international renewable energy producer, Sonnedix is glowing following an exceptional year in 2022. Last year, CEO Axel Thiemann told Energy Focus about the company’s ambition to aid the global energy transition in a meaningful way. This year, he explains that conditions have never been more favourable for sparking an acceleration in this vital industry.

Sonnedix is home to more than 500 team members across 10 countries, leading more than 475 projects with a total capacity of 9.4 GW. It is a solar and wind energy business, participating in the identification, development, construction, financing, and rollout and operation of hybrid renewable energy projects – providing green, affordable electricity to its customers.

“We’ve grown the portfolio to an impressive size, and we are at a very important point in the industry where economic viability and attractiveness meets political support. We are looking to take that opportunity and continue to grow aggressively,” Thiemann smiles. “The themes are growth, hybridization, customer focus, and digitalisation which makes the business more efficient. We are achieving that through a focus on the team. Ultimately, we are a business of people that do solar, wind, and storage. The other big enablers are the focus on long-term partnerships. We

In South America, oil, natural gas, and coal still make up the majority of energy supply. Hydro, wind, and solar are important growing elements, but remain smaller in terms of the overall mix. Chile, a liberal space where private investment in generation, transmission and distribution is enabled and encouraged, is aiming for 60% of total energy consumption to be delivered through renewables by 2030. These ambitions and conditions are attractive for Sonnedix.

In October 2022, the company acquired one of Chile’s largest independent renewable producers, ARCO to add to its own sizeable business in the country. Established by Arroyo Investors to make the most of Chilean renewables market opportunities, the company held 290 MW of exciting energy projects. Vitally for Sonnedix, the company’s portfolio was a hybrid of solar and wind.

“Since we began in Chile ten years ago, we have been deeply committed to helping the country to meet its renewable power targets, playing an active role in the energy transition,” said Sonnedix Executive Chairman, Carlos Guinand.

“The acquisition allowed us to meet the needs of the customer better rather than just producing solar electricity. From our perspective, Chile is one of the most advanced and liberal energy markets in the world, so we are pushing our advanced hybridisation activity with wind, solar and storage,” adds Thiemann.

Today, Sonnedix has more than 1.7 GW capacity in Chile – and just completed its Meseta 160MW solar PV plant – the largest close to Santiago, the capital and important load center, and is learning much from its operations on the ground.

Spain

In 2023, Sonnedix is flexing its power in Europe, clearly demonstrating its growth ambitions, on the one hand side acquiring a 136 MWp solar PV portfolio from Qualitas Energy, on the other hand side moving forwards with the conversion of its sizeable pipeline – having connected more than 100MW over the last 12 months and starting construction of another 150MW in Q1 2023.

The country has abundant resources and is already home to a strong solar industry. Spain is also hoping to reform its energy markets and transition further towards renewables, like much of Europe. Long-term contracts with renewable energy producers are providing predictable revenues for investors and more stable prices for consumers, and Spain is the leader in corporate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in Europe – with Sonnedix being active in the market and having signed the first PPA with an Electro-intensive customer backed by a state guarantee in April 2023.

“The 136 MW from Qualitas Energy is a portfolio of regulated PV plants, built between 2008 and 2012. They are not new plants but they really help us to balance our portfolio. They have a good fit with our existing operating base in Spain, and I believe we are the largest solar PV producer in Spain at the moment, with more than 800 MW operational. We have a diversified footprint in the country, and this portfolio fits very nicely,” says Thiemann.

In April, Sonnedix unveiled its latest venture in Spain, a 50 MW solar PV plant – Los Frailes – in the southwest of the country. Covering 111 hectares, with 110,000 monocrystalline solar panels, and the ability to power 36,500 homes (avoiding 24,000 tons of CO2), Los Frailes was developed, built, and managed by Sonnedix, with ongoing operation and maintenance also handled by the company. “It is a symbol of our consolidation in the market as a leading renewable energy producer. We are very proud