SOLY UK: Fast Moving Soly Warmly Welcomed in UK Market
Growing the UK arm of the international renewable energy business, Soly, is going well for Country Manager Neil Anderson. He tells Energy Focus more about building a supply chain, onboarding customers, and generating positive results.
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In November 2022, a new clean energy brand was emerging from the Netherlands. Brothers Patrick and Milan van der Meulen had established their business, focused on solar PV rollout. Soly, came about as the pair knew they must use their entrepreneurial energy to address the climate challenges with a novel solution. Milan told Energy Focus more about the drive behind the company and how solar power for all would quickly become possible.
Solar panels over car parks, solar panels on rooftops, solar energy across cities, and a range of additional offerings saw the company boom, commanding a strong position in the Dutch market before growing into new international geographies.
In September 2023, the UK operation commenced. The energy mix across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is made up mostly of natural gas and oil, with supporting stats from nuclear and biofuels. However, growing contributors include the renewable mainstays of other nations – wind and solar.
Soly UK shares the mission of its international parent: to make solar energy accessible to all, working towards a world with affordable, carbon-neutral and decentralised energy.
“Things are going pretty well,” smiles Country Manager, Neil Anderson.
CUSTOMER OBSESSION
The Soly brand has grown since the company was founded in 2013 because of a simple commitment to quality. The founders have always been clear that excellence in delivery, through a digital-first strategy, is the core of Soly’s success. Anderson says that in the UK, an unwavering commitment to quality in every part of the business, helps to fuel the company’s fixation on delivering for its clients.
“One of our core values is customer obsession,” he details. “We take a much more consultative approach with our clients rather than hard selling. We are genuinely trying to find the best bespoke solution and we fully believe in our proposition.”
Anderson was the perfect choice to lead the Soly expansion in the UK, with experience across a number of big-name brands including online and offline leadership roles, and exposure to various technologies. He has a rare mix of start-up, scale-up and corporate experience, allowing him to navigate through challenges at the different phases of any business. Throughout his career, he says that he has always been entirely focussed on customer success and that helped him to secure his new role.
“I started my career at Costco, who are globally known for excellent customer service. As the business is based on a recurring membership model, customers are at the forefront of all planning and decision making. That embedded a sense of customer centricity for me a long time ago – and that continues to be my foundation and core.”
He then moved to digital retailer Groupon, working across various leadership roles including a stint in Amsterdam. In 2021, he joined JD.com, tech giant and China’s largest retailer by revenue, as Acting Country Manager in the Netherlands. Here, he was responsible for driving a commercial strategy that helped the company launch its new omnichannel concept in Europe. His next move was back home to London, to work for Disney where he led commercial sales across tech, gaming and sports all over Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
“I have always been very passionate about sustainability and the energy transition. I had reached a moment in my career where I wanted to feel more purpose in my work,” he says.
After multiple meetings with the founders to align on vision and strategy, he took charge of Soly UK, aiming to grow the business across all mediums. Today, almost one year after its establishment, the company has shown impressive growth with a team of 30 people and is looking for further expansion via its product offering and new market entries.
“We are a digitally-led business, centred around online consultations, talking to customers through the various benefits of renewable energy so that we can find a bespoke and relevant solution for them. Depending on their level of knowledge and what the client is looking for, these consultations can take anywhere between 30 mins to an hour. We offer both digital and onsite surveys, and we work with a fully-vetted team of installation partners across the UK to ensure we deliver an excellent service. Our goal is to help everyone in the UK access and transition to renewable energy whilst saving money on their energy bills,” says Anderson.
He explains that the company is currently well-positioned across most of the UK but there are plans for further expansion and growth. “We have plans for Northern Ireland and Ireland, but we had to ensure we have operational efficiency in England, Scotland and Wales first.”
The modern offering from Soly includes renewable power generation capability paired with smart energy optimisation with the new Energy Management System, the Soly Brain. “With the Soly Brain, you gain complete insight into your energy usage, maximize the consumption of your solar-generated power, and save more by controlling appliances during low electricity rates. This is our way of making sustainability both affordable and more accessible.
“We absolutely want to build on our smart solutions, and as seen in some of our other markets, we will look even further to dynamic energy contracts and virtual power plants, where people can actually benefit from negative energy prices if they use our products in the best way possible,” says Anderson.
“We are not just a renewable energy business focused on solar PV and battery storage, we also see ourselves as a utility of the future.”
SUPPLY CHAIN PARTNERSHIPS
To date, Soly has installed more than 800,000 solar panels for more than 31,000 customers, generating more than 21,7500,000 kWh of solar energy globally. The company’s rise has been remarkable but Anderson points out that support from a booming supply chain has been critical in realising achievements. From tech partners to installation companies, Soly has been keen to treat the supply chain as an extension of its business, building lasting relationships.
“We are a global player,” he says. “At the same time, we are very much in touch with local installers and always keep an ear on the ground.
“The supply chain is an incredibly important part of our customer journey and we have to make sure we have the best quality products available at the best possible prices. We work with national and global hardware companies, forging great relationships across the industry. We are always looking to innovate, perhaps through our own hardware in the future. However as of right now, we have laser focus on making sure the supply chain is the absolute best it can be.
“We have fantastic relationships on a global level, and that allows for economies of scale as we launch into different countries and territories. We can pass savings onto our customers, as for us, it’s about giving a frictionless experience with a product offering with significant value.”
He explains that the Soly onboarding process for partners is rigorous and the goal is to affiliate with ‘fewer, bigger, better’, creating mutually beneficial environments where both companies work as partners. “It’s not just us dictating what and how we want things,” he says, “we have to make sure our agreements work for all parties. The whole process is cohesive and collaborative.
“We are a fast-moving business within an expanding, ever changing industry – the team certainly have to work at pace. Within supply chain, we have to make sure we are able to get what we need, on time, every time.”
This dedication to world-class standards has allowed the company to achieve several certifications that Anderson is particularly proud of including B Corp status, MCS-certified, TrustMark and HIES accreditation as well as being a Which? Trusted Trader.
RESONATING IN THE MARKET
The operational success of the business, locally and globally, has helped attract new investment as Soly looks to grow beyond its current markets of the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK, Italy, Austria, and South Africa. By the end of this year, Soly have plans to open in yet another European market, and Anderson says that following a successful funding campaign in January, Soly is perfectly placed to expand even further.
“We finished series B funding in January and we bought on two large and experienced venture capital companies from North America – ArcTern and Fifth Wall. These are climate-tech focused investors and prior to that we have investment from Shell Ventures and ABP – the largest pension fund in the Netherlands. That kind of backing establishes credibility with customers and partners alike.”
Going forward, the UK business will continue to leverage the technological innovations developed out of the Netherlands HQ, to drive efficiency and cost-effectiveness for clients. They are also in discussions with other UK companies within the financial and retail sector, to offer a referral solution that would offer both customers and employees an opportunity to use Soly’s services.
For Anderson, almost one year into the job, things are going very well. He is confident about what is to come and is certain that the future looks bright.
“We are so pleased to see our approach resonating in the market. Together with our team, partners and customers across the UK, we are making significant strides towards achieving Net Zero. There’s a lot to be done, but we can all take pride in our collective contribution,” he concludes.