Solar energy in business – frugality, independence and a positive image of the enterprise. Anna Kułach – CEO at E.ON Foton
What Renewable Energy Solutions does E.ON Foton offer for the business customer?
E.ON Foton has been encouraging customers to invest in solar energy-based solutions for 8 years. While photovoltaics is the base of our product portfolio, we also offer energy storage, electric vehicle charging station and heat pumps. We are constantly expanding our offer, focusing on the highest quality of the equipment we install. In response to the needs of business customers to whom solutions that provide energy and heat in larger facilities are important, we launched heat pump models from the renowned Daikin company, well known and appreciated by households. This manufacturer offers heat pumps that can also be cascaded together, thus providing heat in larger buildings (I will add that at
E.ON Foton, we check whether cascade bonding will be possible and optimal for a particular facility).
Entrepreneurs are currently facing many challenges such as regulatory requirements (lowering gas emissions), becoming independent from Russian fuel imports, high levels of inflation and difficult access to external financing. We strive to assist in each of these areas and convince business managers that investing in their own green energy or heat sources brings both financial and non-financial benefits. Non-financial aspects, include image-related issues, affirming the modernity of the business, social accountability, and awareness of the need to reduce the negative impact of companies’ operations on the environment. The financial benefits arise from producing one’s own low-cost energy, the cost of which continues to rise given current and predicted prices. The demand for energy for businesses is also growing, and being self-sufficient in this area influences the competitiveness of operations, through lower costs of manufacturing as well as a more favourable perception of entrepreneurs in terms of their pro-social activities. A PV installation is a profitable investment, enhancing the value of the business, even though the investment payback comes only after several years and depends on many factors beyond the entrepreneur’s control. Energy auto-consumption is a key to correctly calculate the payback period. The ideal paradigm is one in which the energy produced by the photovoltaic installation is 100% used by the needs of the business. That’s not a difficulty for those who conduct their main business during a day. The selection of the power of the PV installation is important and should be balanced with the actual energy consumption.
In our offer for businesses, we strive not only to point out the benefits of the installation and optimize the power and components needed to build it but to seek opportunities to support businesses in their pursuit of energy efficiency. Passive power compensation is an example. Passive energy is not consumed, but “circulates” between the network and consumers, causing additional load on transmission lines and leading to additional costs. These can constitute up to 20% of the value of the monthly energy invoice. Passive power compensation is the introduction of an appropriate portion of energy into the network to compensate for the unwanted energy type. This is yet another opportunity for businesses to improve their energy efficiency and optimize costs.
Considering the growing interest in investing in photovoltaic installations, what should businesses pay attention to in order to get the maximum benefit from this solution, and how can E.ON Foton support them in choosing the right installation?
In every stage of the investment, starting from the verification of the benefits of the solution, through the design and construction of the installation, to its later maximum use, it is essential to support a trusted and experienced partner who will choose solutions that meet the needs of the business. Through continuous support and professional advice, the investor can be assured that the installation will be tailored to their specific needs. The equipment and components will ensure maximum use of resources, while professional installation, carried out by teams with considerable experience, will ensure many years of trouble-free operation of the installation. These are the aspects that we at E.ON Foton pay special attention to. We ensure that our clients receive substantive support at every stage of the investment process. We approach each project individually, and each task carried out to meet business needs is preceded by a pre-assembly audit – ensuring the highest quality of service, which is still not a standard in our market.
E.ON Foton is active in the renewable energy market, implementing various concepts related to green energy. What are the most important projects that you are currently pursuing or planning in the nearest future?
Since December 2021, our company has been part of an international capital group, the leader of the energy industry – E.ON. Having access to Group know-how provides more opportunities for growth and allows us to identify and implement competitive advantages that other companies have successfully implemented in other European countries. Within the Group, PV farms are an important product for business customers. A photovoltaic farm is an installation built to generate solar energy on a large scale, supplying, for example, industrial businesses. Lowering the cost of energy, independence from energy price increases and the possibility of additional income resulting from the resale of generated energy to the network – these are strong arguments for a business investor with the opportunity to implement this type of investment. The E.ON Group has an impressive track record of projects in this area. Worth mentioning is a 12 MW farm in Maastricht, powering 3,500 homes and a 6.1 MW floating solar power plant built for RWE in Germany. E.ON Foton also has a track record in photovoltaic farms, and we offer our customers comprehensive support throughout the whole process.
In order to make our cities and places where we live “greener”, we offer services to housing cooperatives and communities to show them what installations they can incorporate on roofs of multi-family buildings and what benefits such installations bring. We would like to point out the stricter EU regulations for this type of building in the coming years. In recent months, our consultants, designers and auditors have developed dozens of solutions for such customers.
We are also seeking a partner with whom we can offer heat sourcing solutions to the market by introducing ground heat pumps.
As a company operating in the renewable energy industry, we not only offer green solutions but strive to set examples of environmentally friendly behaviour. In accordance with the “eongoesgreen” mission, our employees drive hybrid fleets, the cars are equipped with artificial intelligence to optimize travel routes and minimize carbon footprint, and we aim to work using paperless solutions.
Our years of experience, as well as the highest level of service and equipment supplied, have earned us the trust of more than 27,000 customers, with as many as 61% coming from recommendations. This data motivates us to continuously improve the quality of our services and processes. Our daily efforts are awarded with prizes such as the Grand Prix of the Konsumencki Lider Jakości 2023 program in the PV Installations category or the Sustainable Economy Diamond award in the Ecology Leader in Energy category awarded by the Executive Club.
Anna Kułach, President of the Management Board & CFO, E.ON Foton Sp. Z o.o.
Since February 2023, she has been the President of the Management Board and CFO at E.ON Foton.
She has over 20 years of professional experience and extensive knowledge in finance, company operation and comprehensive business management. She is a graduate of the University of Economics in Krakow, in 2008 was awarded the title of expert auditor (no. 11347), and since 2011 has been ACCA qualified. She is an expert in management and financial accounting mixed with an understanding of business needs to build and effectively implement business development strategies.
Between 2003 and 2011 at EY, she conducted auditing and consulting projects for companies in various industries, mainly energy. Since 2011, she managed the finances of companies, including as CFO and board member of PKP Cargotabor sp. z o.o., Radpol S.A., and since 2018, she was CEO of Radpol S.A., where she was responsible for strategy definition, investor relations, finance, purchasing, sales, IT, HR and compliance.
For the past few years, she has served as an independent member of the Supervisory Boards in public and private sector companies.
Last Updated on June 14, 2023 by Anastazja Lach