“A practical and affordable consumer product alongside 'classic' solar panels was hardly even thought of,” Smith reflects on the time before his invention. “A missed opportunity and an unfair situation. Because sunlight may be the cheapest electricity for consumers, but how many people can afford to spend 6,000 to 7,000 euros on solar panels? We believe that we need the entire society to make the energy transition a success. Our panels are therefore simply available in the hardware store and work straight out of the box. You put them in your garden or roof and voila: your energy bill immediately drops by around 10%. Did you know that it is three times cheaper to generate your own electricity? Our panels last around 25 years. Do the math.”
Two panels per household
According to Smith, the fact that the rental sector can now also benefit from solar panels thanks to Supersola is one of the biggest advantages of the plug & play panels that his company offers. “The rental sector accounts for around 30% of households in the Netherlands. All those people now finally have access to solar energy. In this way, we accelerate the energy transition even more.” Smith also advocates a better distribution of the number of solar panels. “The average Dutch person with solar panels now has ten on their roof, while two would be optimal – no more and no less. Then you always use all the generated power in your own home without burdening the network with returning it. If every household had two solar panels, we could close three coal-fired power stations.”
Sustainability in steps
Smith explains that Supersola is aimed at making sustainability possible in small steps. “When it comes to sustainability measures, the reflex is often to immediately think on a large scale: the more panels, the more power generation, the better. Our product is all about small-scale. We supply a simple and user-friendly consumer product that can be used in almost every household. People benefit from it immediately and can thus make it more sustainable bit by bit, exactly at the pace that suits their wallet and living situation. You only have to place one or two panels of 120 by 180 centimetres somewhere and connect them to a socket.”
From pre-ordering to stock production
Keen on financing, Smith turned to ROM InWest a year ago. “At the time, Supersola was still delivering purely on the basis of pre-orders: people ordered panels from us and paid for them in advance, after which we used that money to pay our suppliers to make them. The delivery promise was then ninety days. It went like clockwork, but scaling up – and thus making more impact – was impossible this way. For that, we first had to build up stock that could then be put on the shelves. Capital is of course indispensable to finance such enormous product quantities in advance. Fortunately, ROM InWest was prepared to invest in our company.”
Production partly moved to Europe
Smith immediately appointed a CFO and saw a long-cherished wish come true. “Suddenly we had much more insight into our figures and could look further and more sharply ahead than ever before. That not only gave us peace of mind, but also worked as a catalyst for our growth. The money also helped us to move parts of our production from China to Europe, which has allowed us to switch more quickly with suppliers since then. That gives us much more insight and control over the availability of parts; crucial information for the assembly of the panels in the Netherlands.”
Adulthood
Looking back, Smith really appreciates the extensive 'screening' that Supersola had to undergo in order to secure financing. "Just as it is good when colleagues keep you alert to your work, you also benefit from investors who keep you on your toes with your business plans. We really laid the foundation for efficient and sustainable growth. Make no mistake: as soon as you start scaling up as a startup, your company makes a huge leap in maturity in all respects – with all the responsibilities and required professionalism that come with it. Your organization must then stand. It is therefore nice to still have good contact with ROM InWest. We can go there with all conceivable questions. They are a kind of corporate lawyer, business controller and strategic partner in one.”
In even more shelves
Supersola has been on the shelves of Praxis and a number of French DIY stores for a while now. The solar panels are in great demand, and yet Smith wants more. “In a year’s time, you’ll probably find our product in even more stores – not just in the Netherlands, but also in France and Spain. After that, we want to expand even further within Europe. In the not too distant future, I also hope to be able to say: “Damn, the shelves are full. What are we going to do now?” Then we can hopefully expand our range. All with the aim of getting as many households as possible to participate in the energy transition.”
