INDUSTRY FOCUS: RENEWABLE

Continued from page 24 sees Sonnedix as not only a lead innovator but also a long-term partner to both communities in which projects are situated as well as the various different stakeholders involved in the success. Whether it is governments, financial institutions, or hardware suppliers, or local people, partnerships are the foundations on which the company builds.

“We want to be there for 20, 30 or 40 years and so we participate in a number of ways. Through the development process, we strive to have a really close connection with the local community and understand needs and concerns. We make sure we identify the right mitigating actions if there are any required from an environmental perspective in terms of traffic and noise, right through to dust and dirt. We look to ensure our construction activities minimize disruption and provide local jobs. A large part of our mandate is around providing jobs for the local community for men and women. It’s not just any type of work, it’s work that brings skills and promotes diversity. This is the same during the long-term operation of the site - we must provide environmental and social benefits,” he says, highlighting the importance of partnerships.

Looking to the future, Sonnedix is confident about further growth, with the burning of coal in Europe to supplement energy systems that have been needy since ending supplies from Russia not sustainable. A rapid increase in the share of renewables used in final energy consumption is hoped to reach 45% before 2030, helping on the Net Zero journey, but also ditching Russia as a power player.

According to SolarPower Europe research, the EU installed 41.4 GW of solar capacity in 2022 – a 47% increase on 2021. In the UK, 40% of electricity came from solar, wind, biomass, and hydro in 2022, according to Imperial College London. The appetite is there. Now, people must deliver the push.

“We are in a special place. We have political support and economic sense to drive the transition forward and accelerate growth. For me, the priorities are to enable that by building capabilities to drive it,” Thiemann reiterates. “We don’t want to continue on the trajectory that we were but accelerate through hybridization and shifting our customer focus to really understand their needs. The portfolio that we build out must meet these needs and contain solar, wind, and storage. That is our journey for the next couple of years, building the portfolio and, ultimately, creating a team that thrive in an environment of high growth and complexity. It is one of the things that differentiates us. We have built a team over the past 10 years of 500 people globally that is highly capable. They develop, build, finance, contract, and operate these plants, and the team must be grown and upskilled to allow us to face the large challenges that we have.”

According to the IEA, the EU’s renewable goals, outlined in the REPowerEU plan, are achievable but the private sector has an undoubted part to play. Sonnedix is playing its part.

“We continue on our journey developing, building, and operating renewable energy projects,” Thiemann concludes.