Soligent Distribution, a subsidiary of Soligent Holdings Inc., “is the largest solar distributor in the Americas, supplying thousands of solar installers and contractors with solar energy equipment, engineering services, and project financing solutions.”
Soligent Distribution, Rohnert Park, Calif., is acquiring the U.S. solar distribution division of Conergy, Hamburg, Germany, which has operations in 11 countries and specializes in the design, finance, build and operation of PV systems for homes, businesses and utility-scale power. The companies said with this acquisition Soligent Distribution will serve almost 5,000 solar installers, energy efficiency firms, electrical contractors and roofing companies in the United States and over 40 additional countries. The company “will have estimated annual revenue in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and be better positioned to serve its customers in emerging American solar markets.”
According to information on www.soligent.net, Soligent Distribution, a subsidiary of Soligent Holdings Inc., “is the largest solar distributor in the Americas, supplying thousands of solar installers and contractors with solar energy equipment, engineering services, and project financing solutions.”
“The transaction is the latest step in Soligent’s strategy to dramatically expand the solar market by making independent and regional solar dealers more competitive,” said the press release. “The company is developing new financing programs, cloud-based applications, logistics and installation services, and other products and services that effectively provide local dealers with the same capabilities as nationally-based installers and also give them the opportunity to cut soft costs and streamline operations. By collaborating with Soligent, solar dealers can grow their businesses and reduce their overhead.
“Soligent’s Solar Engine program will also grow as a result of this combination, adding new installer partners and over 150 projects around the U.S. By adopting Solar Engine, customers can increase their profitability by an estimated 10% on average while substantially reducing the time-to-completion for residential and commercial solar projects.
The press release said Conergy will “continue to sharpen its focus in the U.S. on project development, financing, construction and operations.” “Conergy sees great opportunity at a time in the Americas where utility-scale and distributed generation continues to grow across all markets. Throughout North America, Conergy has been able to partner with developers and building owners due to our strong balance sheet and project financing relationships,” said Anthony Fotopoulos, Americas CEO of Conergy, in the press release. “With our additional resources, we can sharpen our focus and maintain our growth into additional markets in Central and South America to procure and develop new pipeline.”
Mark Laabs, COO of Soligent, said in the press release, “By adding the U.S. distribution unit of Conergy, Soligent will be a stronger partner for our dealers, manufacturers, and, ultimately, for the millions of Americans installing solar on their homes.”
The Soligent press release also said that the solar industry is at a historical inflection point, and that according to SEIA, “2.5 GW of residential, commercial and utility-scale solar capacity were added in the first half of 2014 and 6 GW are predicted by the end of the year. This is a 26% increase over the record established in 2013. Meanwhile, the costs of solar systems have dropped by approximately 50% since 2010.”