Conergy offers excellent access to global solar markets

The solar industry is undergoing fundamental changes globally with the enormous decline of system prices and decreasing feed-in tariffs over the past years. However, this necessary maturing process paves the way for grid parity and competitiveness of solar electricity. The solar market, which to a large extent has been of a return-oriented nature, is beginning to establish itself as a genuine energy market. Clean solar power plants are becoming a viable alternative to fossil fuel energy sources, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

This change places entirely different demands on market participants. Complete solutions and soft factors such as sales, proximity to customers and services are gaining importance over hardware components and their production.

As one of the world's leading downstream players, Conergy has the edge with a well-established sales network spanning more than 40 countries on five continents, profound expert knowledge and a strong footprint in individual solar markets. The solar pioneer has a special focus on emerging markets in Southeast Asia, where Conergy holds a leading position and banks on its excellent market access, thanks to more than 14 years of experience and 430 megawatts (MW) in globally installed large-scale power plants.

Nine power plants and more than 70MW of installed power stations make the photovoltaic solution and service provider one of the market leaders in Thailand - where as much as 50 MW were contracted by a family-owned business that expanded from broadcasting into solar power in 2008.

Such solar ventures by family-owned companies, private equity firms or other financial investors face a promising future in an industry whose time has come. Aside from Thailand, emerging solar markets in Southeast Asia include the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia. Massive solar build-ups are also expected in China, Japan and India.

"Large solar parks are the key to a safe, sustainable and notably affordable energy supply, especially in Asian countries characterised by a high and rapidly growing energy demand," says Dr Philip Comberg, Conergy CEO. Fluent in Putonghua after attending Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou in the early 1990s, Comberg served as board member at Chinese solar company Solarfun Power before it was taken over by South Korean conglomerate Hanwha in 2010.

Conergy's regional headquarters in Singapore is led by board member Marc Lohoff who, like Comberg, has a strong Asian background as a result of his prior management roles in the photovoltaic and semiconductor industries. As the regional hub for Asia-Pacific, Conergy's Singapore unit steers the company's business in Southeast Asia, Japan, Australia, India and the Middle East.

"Being a downstream player, we have excellent access to these markets, partners and investors," Comberg says. "The Conergy large-scale plants are 'all-round carefree' solutions from one single source with the highest European quality standards. All around the world, they are distinguished by made-in-Germany engineering. We provide not just a technical solution but all relevant services including financing, which is becoming a decisive factor."

To advance the solar build-up in Asia, Conergy welcomes partnerships with manufacturers, suppliers and financial investors in the region. The company is looking to establish long-term relationships with Asian suppliers to complement its product portfolio and downstream expertise. It is also eyeing tie-ups with potential investors that seek specialty engineering and downstream know-how in order to realise reliable large-scale power stations and secure renewable energy investments.

"We definitely want to be a market leader in all significant energy markets in Asia that are open to solar resources," Comberg says. "Based on our excelling downstream focus and track record, we have a complete solution for solar power assets on a global scale."

Conergy AG