SolarLatam accompanies citizens and conscious companies in the migration towards a more sustainable energy consumption.
Host: Lucas is part of the SolarLatam team and since he started his professional career, he has worked exclusively in the renewable energy sector.
Lucas, SolarLatam team member: When I am asked what SolarLatam means to me, many things come to mind. It’s about raising awareness about the environment, it’s about educating people about renewable energy, explaining its uses and benefits. It’s about bringing electricity to people who are far from the grid and don’t have it. And undoubtedly improve the quality of life and making people understand that there are new ways to save and help the environment and also give them comfort by avoiding power cuts without the need to pollute. It is undoubtedly a beautiful challenge and fortunately one that is constantly growing. People understand and little by little they are joining in. And the truth is, without a doubt, gratifying.
Host: Solar panels, a technology that is already well know – and is increasingly used in commerce, industry and the agricultural sector. But solar power in our homes? It may seem a far away reality but it is happening. SolarLatam was created in 2015 in Panama with the intention of democratising solar energy from Latin America to the world. This is SolarLatam’s mission: to save the planet one roof at a time. One of its founders, Alex Bril, explains how they plan to do it.
Alex:
Solar energy is going to be the future of energy for self-consumption.
From day one we understood that the solution we wanted to provide had to be based on three principles. On the one hand, technology, on the other hand, sustainability. And finally, on the growth and scalability. So on the technology side, we saw technology as a facilitator to bring the solar energy solution closer to the people. So how do we go about doing a this ? We designed a platform in 2018, the first platform that was launched in Latin America that allowed all users in the region to design, quote, finance and install their system online. It’s not that you install it online, but that you can monitor and track the whole process remotely, which was greatly accelerated in the time of the pandemic. In terms of sustainability. What we also understood is that we wanted to do it in a way that is replicable and understandable over time, that is to say that its not going to run out of steam – so it also goes hand in hand with scalability.
We give electricity users the possibility to have the option to switch to a renewable energy solution. A solution that can be installed at their point of consumption is a solution that has solar panels that may or may not have batteries for two main purposes.
Switching to a renewable energy solution reduces the environmental impact of residential electricity consumption and saves money.
On the one hand, in order to reduce the environmental impact of electricity consumption in the homes where we install the solar panels. We also do this in the commercial and industrial sector. We also take advantage of the savings that this generates for the user. When you stop paying for your electricity consumption and start generating your own energy, this, in addition to having a positive impact on the environment, generates a possibility of savings. So I belt that through tackling this issue, the impact we are making is three-fold. Not only dealing with an issue, a social problem, but also generating a lot of employment in this sector.
One of the ten professions that will grow the most in this decade is solar system installers (World Economic Forum)
And then of course the environmental impact, obviously by adopting renewable energy solutions. The environmental impact this has is very tangible. And the on the other hand, the economic impact both for the new jobs we are generating for our company. Then of course, the most important for our customers, who from now on can start saving on their electricity bill, be it commercial, industrial, agro-residential.
Host: The term Triple impact, is a term that is gaining popularity: organisations that not only seek economic profit, but also create positive environmental and social impact. SolarLatam, for example, not only generates economic income through the sale of solar systems. It also cares for the environment by reducing carbon dioxide emissions and promoting the use of clean energy. And, socially, it provides training and employment opportunities for workers in vulnerable neighbourhoods.
Alex: We understood that in order for us to grow as a company we also had to help others grow with us. And so we designed, together with Ingeniería Sin Fronteras, one of the many courses we to train installers. More than 100 installers in Argentina participated in this course. It was the first batch where the course participants also accompanied us on an installation, and I would like to mention and thank the Ingeniería Sin Fronteras team forever. Their willingness to help us in this. In this initiative. To participate in the installations. And we started to train installers to install the systems that we commercialise thanks to the technology that we had developed. And of course we also had several partners along the way who helped us. Hiring and training and together we were learning how to do it to be able to offer this system throughout the length and breadth of the continent.
SolarLatam is a company that, despite all the ups and downs of the past, today has projects implemented and underway in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, and the United States, always based on these three principles: technology, sustainability and scalability.
Host: Solar energy equipment installer. One of the jobs of the future. Cristian is the leader of the installation crew and before starting as a SolarLatam installer, he knew little to nothing about renewable energies. Today he can easily explain how the equipment he installs works and it’s benefits. On a personal level, he learned about energy conservation, he separates waste at home and together with his partner they have a compost bin in their backyard.
Cristian, solar equipment installer: The truth is that growing up and professionally I learned a lot. I’m still learning. The desire to work that everyone has and how, how they treat you and the possibility that they gave me to be able to work with my brothers and sisters as well and that they are part of this project is incredible. The truth is that I’m very happy with everything, because they don’t make it feel like a job. And that may sound strange but that’s the truth. We feel like we are part of a big family, that we are aiming for the same thing. The truth is that it’s very good to feel that, because it doesn’t happen in all cases. But well, this is the exception and the truth is that I am very, very happy to be part of a project like this.
Host: Cristian, together with the team of installers go to the site, whether it is a house, a flat, a shop or a field, to install the equipment. They do this once the user, through the platform, has marked the roof of where they live or where they want to install it, uploaded their usual electricity consumption, and seen how much they would save in money and carbon dioxide impact if they were to install solar equipment. Alex supplements this information with what the company is actually looking for and with the impact data as of today.
Alex: Basically, what we are trying to do is to empower users so that in three quick steps on our platform, they can find out about the solution that best suits their home, its price, its composition in equipment, its financing proposal and if they are willing to move forward. They can do so automatically through the platform.
SolarLatam has installed more than 2,000 solar panels in Argentina. In terms of environmental impact, this is similar to planting 3,500 trees, which implies a saving of 250 tons of CO2 emissions avoided.
Host: Green technology, the new trend based on the efficient use of resources to minimise environmental impact, partly explains SolarLatam’s success. But… making solar energy accessible to everyone must not be an easy task, there are certainly obstacles to overcome. The question is, how to install a solar panel if we live in a small flat, for example?
Alex: Our limitations and difficulties have to do with the available surface that you have in the building and the available surface to mount the solar panels. Generally the most common solution in buildings is to put solar panels on the terrace of the building, which is a shared space. And supply the general consumption of the building, that is to say that this will have an impact on the building expenses of the users, of the common spaces, which are the owners or the tenants. So, in the end, this will benefit everyone, because that is what usually happens in buildings. I know that the surface area is not enough for everyone. So what we try to do is to offer a win-win solution, how do we do that? By putting solar panels that try to generate as much energy as possible to supply self-consumption. The lighting of the common areas, the security cameras, the water pumps. Everything should be sustainable with solar energy. And then, if there is more space available, then we can start to look at solutions for specific points or specific dwellings within the building. On the one hand, that’s for the building.
For those who live in a flat and do not have a place to put solar panels because they do not own their roof or because there is a terrace upstairs, we offer solar battery solutions.
In case there is a power cut, you can rest assured that you will have electricity, you will have internet, you will have wifi, you will have the TV you want, you will be able to take a hot shower because you will have the water pump, if you have a washing machine, a dishwasher or an LEDE iron, we suggest that you don’t use it because all that consumes too much energy, it is steel when you go back to the grid. But basically you can cover the same essential consumptions with a batter as a solar panel. So we offer that as well. If they are batteries that are recycled, as everything we do has to be sustainable.
Our technology also has a 12 years guarantee of use. And once that’s over, we move on to batteries and recycle them. They are lithium batteries.
And on the other hand, what makes us different is the technology. In my personal experience, I ended up in this project and becoming passionate about this, because I had been developing technology solutions and working in different technology startups. So we thought with the team about how we could, through technology, improve the whole process of marketing, operation and maintenance of solar energy systems in Latin America. And I think that today the platform we have and the strategy we have to reach the market and work together with installers is a fundamental point. I don’t understand that it’s something that. That it’s here to stay. That solar energy is going to be the future of energy for self-consumption. And that it is going to make room for everyone and that if we integrate, thanks to technology, the greatest number of installers, solar energy marketers, all unified in a platform that works to promote the same goal for everyone, which is to make it possible for users to install solar energy in their homes, businesses and industries. It is also a bit of a differentiator, isn’t it? This platform that we are launching and that day by day, week by week, we are improving and improving to try to make its impact even greater.
Host: Alex tells us about his journey as an entrepreneur and how he got into renewable energy, something that has become his passion.
Alex: I was always interested in projects that had the possibility of generating this impact and renewable energy. It was one of the sectors that was making a lot of progress, growing a lot, there was a lot of interest, it was developing a lot in the region. It had a lot of potential and also had an incredible impact. So it was one of the sectors where I saw myself developing. I didn’t know anything about solar energy, I knew about technology, I knew something about how to implement marketing strategies, how to implement technology solutions. What was the innovation process that states go through to innovate a business model for or to create something from scratch? I mean, I knew something about that, but I didn’t know anything about solar energy. So I relied on that.
I believe that we all have a purpose. My purpose is to make a positive impact and that my journey in this life leaves something, a footprint. I didn’t know what or how. I didn’t know about solar energy.
Host: To empathise, to learn, to create, to leave a footprint, all these desires are part of the energy that drives social entrepreneurs to create impactful solutions. Imagining a better reality is also part of this fuel. Because everything that was created was once imagined by someone. Alex, ends this interview by explaining how he and SolarLatam want to contribute to the future.
Alex: We have a slogan that says changing the world, one roof at a time. So I would like the future to be with roofs full of panels. It’s basically the means to save the world a little bit from what we do, isn’t it? But well, that’s really what it is. Focus on sustainability. And in my case I was lucky enough to be able to develop it every day in a project. So if you can also invite people to join this initiative to get involved and try to dedicate hours of their lives and days to projects that have a positive impact.
There are ways to earn money, make a positive impact and develop as a professional in this sector. So, and this is the most beautiful thing, because at the end of the day the reward is threefold.
