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Let the Sun
Fabien Gouzil of Tenesol tells Jane Bordenave how his company is helping the world harness the power of the sun to build a sustainable future for energy production
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ith 26 years experience in the industry as a whole and 14 in South Africa, Tenesol is a worldleading supplier of photovoltaĂŻcs solutions. The company has two main areas of expertise, production and installation of photovoltaic equipment and project management. It has two joint shareholders, French energy companies EDF and Total, and in 2009 its annual revenue was in excess of ÂŁ1 billion.
Tenesol FEATURE
has a 85MWp capacity and the other, here in Cape Town, with a 85MWp.” The group’s production capacity was increased by 60% in 2010 to meet the increasing market’s demands. As part of an international company, 98 per cent of the parts manufactured in South Africa are exported to its 18 other locations in the world to service those markets. One of the more unusual things about the company is the use of managerial methods from Japan that are more usually seen in the automotive sector, such as Kaizen and 5S, “Most of the managerial team here in South Africa come from a car manufacturing
We use the knowledge we have built up over the life of the company to inform our projects
Tenesol’s installation and project management activities are split across five business areas, commercial office blocks, rural electrification, public sector, solar farms and, to a lesser extent, private individuals, “while we are involved across all these areas, rural electrification and solar farms are far and away the largest markets,” says Mr Fabien Gouzil, general manager of Tenesol in South Africa, “There are also two production plants within Tenesol, one in Toulouse, France, which
background, including me, so we have brought that expertise with us,” explains Mr Gouzil, “we apply these principles not only to our own production lines and general business, but also to our suppliers. We expect the firms who deliver us our raw materials to provide us with reports at every stage of manufacturing so we can boost the quality of our products together. We require regular review meetings to improve reactions, quality and overcome any problems. The key is continuous improvement.” One of the main challenges that Tenesol is facing at the moment is an explosion in the amount of competition it is facing, “we have many, many competitors in the photovoltaic manufacture and installation business,” says Mr Gouzil, as well as the experience of its parent companies “the sector became very competitive two to three years ago, with a particularly big increase in solar module manufacturers in China.” www.southafricamag.com
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Tenesol FEATURE
However, the company has many ways of differentiating itself from its competitors: It has the advantage of 26 years in the industry and all the knowledge that brings with it, “we use the knowledge we have built up over the life of the company to inform our projects. Whereas other companies may just use software simulations before starting, we draw on our experience to see if we agree with what the computer is telling us before we get started.” The firm also offers its customers research and development, maintenance, full independent system validation, and turnkey systems. Additionally, the company gives its customers 25 years warranty on the performance of its installations. As Mr Gouzil puts it, “there are a lot of competitors out there that make the same kind of products as we do, but there are very few that offer the same inception to maintenance service we do and beyond.” Even despite the recession, this business model is paying off. Last year the company saw a very slight drop in sales of 5 per cent, but sales this year are expected to be up by 70 per cent, with another 30 per cent increase expected in 2011, “the market for solar panels is growing everywhere,” says Mr Gouzil, “the only real effect from the recession that we did see was a reduction in price by around 40 to 50 per cent. However this is beneficial for the market, as it has made the technology more affordable and has stimulated growth; there are many available tenders at the moment.” Even so, markets come and go – Isle de la Reunion is about to reach maximum capacity, with 20 per cent of its grid electricity being supplied through photovoltaic modules, but the southern and South African markets are set to replace this lost revenue stream. The firm is also looking to target new markets, such as Australia and the USA, where there is a growing interest in and demand for solar energy production. The Cape Town plant manufactures its photovoltaic modules on a 24/7 basis, 360 4
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days per year using a shift-work system, with staff coming almost exclusively from the local area. The company ensures that it is a desirable place for its employees to work, paying 50 per cent of any medical bills and providing a pension fund. Additionally, it has an incentivisation fund that provides a monthly bonus based on the quality of work, productivity and safety. The firm also does not believe in applying different standards of safety and environmental standards depending on the country its factory is in – all the rules and regulations that apply to the Cape Town plant are the same as those in Toulouse, France and is ISO14000, ISO9000 and OCEA certified. Tenesol very much practices what it preaches, or what it sells, in terms of environmental policy, “we try to save energy wherever we can in our offices and have plans for further improvement in this area, such as using green solar energy for our offices, automatic gates and electric fences,” says Mr Gouzil, “In Europe, we also contribute to the PVCycle scheme for recycling photovoltaic equipment at the end of its life. We ensure that the suppliers we use for our components, both in South Africa and in Europe, are working as efficiently as possible.” The future is bright for Tenesol, it is carrying out evaluations and preparation for a large scale solar farm, with construction starting in 2012 and a final production capacity
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in the range of 50Mw. Increased demand is leading to increased production and increased revenue and, as the world seeks to move away from our dependence on hydrocarbons, this is a trend that is only likely to grow. By taking knowledge and experience learned over 26 years of solar panel production and installation, and combining it with systems from outside the field, the company has created an efficient and sustainable future for itself and for all of us. END
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