The growth of solar energy as a service (SEaaS)

Facilitating individuals and companies in going solar

Photovoltaic (PV) energy is probably the simplest technology available for producing electricity. As a result, many green energy-minded individuals and companies have assumed a pioneering role and installed PV panels on their rooftop or site. However, not everybody is a pioneer. For the majority of individuals and companies, the financing, developing, and operating of PV panels are not at the top of their list of priorities. They do not — or no doubt in some cases cannot — expend precious time and resources on the effort that planning and installing PV initially entails. Yet, they may feel positively regarding renewable electricity and own a suitable site for harvesting solar energy. For those people, specialised renewable energy companies provide Solar Energy as a Service (SEaaS). The SEaaS company takes on a large part of the work and investment, in return for part of the benefits.

Spurred by the decline in the price of PV cells

Over the past two years, the SEaaS market has been growing rapidly. A primary driver is the decline in the price of solar panels, made possible by the longawaited increase of silicon production. The price of PV panels has fallen by approximately 50% compared to the peak price in 2008. Thanks to this, PV projects have become financially attractive in many regions of the world.

An additional factor is that an increasing number of countries, regions, and states are granting some type of incentives for solar energy, making the SEaaS market even more attractive. In some European countries, those incentives are actually being cut back, but even in those locations, the SEaaS market continues to grow.

Many companies and concepts

Many different SEaaS concepts exist. For instance, in the one used by Energie 2030, a Belgian company, the owners of the roof or site only have to pay the VAT on the investment. They can then utilise or sell all of the electricity produced by the PV panels. Energie 2030 develops, finances, and operates the installation in return for the green certificates and the tax credit on the investment.

The Florida-based company solar4u offers many specialised SEaaS concepts, such as solar air-conditioning, solar power for hurricane safe rooms, and solar power for heating swimming pools. One of the biggest SEaaS providers is Sun Edison. Its headquarters are in Maryland, USA, but the company is active in both North America and Europe. It specialises in larger projects for companies, local governments, and utilities.

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