COVER STORY I INTERVIEW
QDescribe the success of PowerClouds in Europe to this date?
A I have always believed in innovation and excellence when creating a business.
These core values made Power Clouds the unanimously acknowledged leader in solar energy within Europe and to back up my proud statement I can offer facts and figures that no other business has produced in such a short period of time. As of today, Power Clouds can boost more than 53,000 participants in more than 112 countries and 15 shared solar power plants for a total value of $60 million.
This represents a unique participatory system of renewable energy production from citizens around the world. Power Clouds allows anyone who owns a solar panel anywhere in the world to lease the panel to the business. Power Clouds then pays the solar panel owner a monthly fee for 20 years. The hope is that from these participatory solar farms, the global grid will be fed with clean energy and create the first worldwide network of photovoltaic systems – ideally the planet’s largest energy source.
The output from the 15 shared solar power plants is estimated around 555 million KWh (for an average of 30 years). Such production will determine a reduction of Co2 emissions of over 270, 000 tons, which is the equivalent of planting 7 million new trees. We came up with this data using a governmental tool namely the US Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
We are just back from Romania, where over 20 million USD have been invested in less than a year in order to create a network of five large solar plants located
between Scornicesti and Nucet. The business is not only keen on clean energy production and profit but also on the creation of societal good. Such goals have been appreciated by authoritative voices in the media world like Forbes, which has given us great attention over the last months often defining Power Clouds as social innovator in the field of renewable energy.
QWhat has been your headline achievement over the past year?
A Power Clouds can boost many achievements with regards to business
expansion yet I strongly believe that the headline achievement is the prestigious Business Project Development prize we have been awarded by Solar International Award. We collected the prize on the 23rd of September in Amsterdam, capital of one of the most progressive countries in the field of renewable energy. This all could not be possible without restless work and a team of dedicated professionals thus I can safely say that this is the most genuine achievement of all.
QWhy is this project important?
A The innovative approach brought about by Power Clouds in the arena is the production of green energy which has been made possible by empowering local populations in managing solar plants. The importance of Power Clouds is thus not merely connected to doing business alone but most importantly to the first interconnected project of energy production.
No other business envisioned a structure which benefits suppliers and consumers at global scale and I believe this is a very crucial first step towards sustainability on
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