Paul Bellavoine, Heliotrop: the outlook for smaller CPV players
Heliotrop of France is one of the companies keeping the start-up spirit of CPV alive. Here co-founder and managing director Paul Bellavoine offers his view of the market and why he believes long-term value with research and development, with local industry, is becoming more necessary.
Q. What opportunities exist for smaller CPV developers in the solar market?
CPV is an innovative technology and the same question exists for innovation in all sectors, from Internet to services to industry: can start-ups and small companies compete with large groups? And the same answer applies: when we discuss innovation, size is rarely the key success factor.
The opportunity for smaller CPV developers arises from the creativeness and commitment of their management and employees, and their ability to structure their development taking into account a complex market, their own strengths and financial capacity.
Q. How can you compete against other technology options and larger CPV players?
We compete by creating and marketing an original, different value proposition. Not only do we offer a lower cost-of-energy target, but also we offer a higher, sustainable local content. Ours is a ‘local energy, low cost energy, local jobs’ offer.
Q. How important is scale in being able to win projects and reduce the cost of manufacturing?
From our own models, the volume effect brings cost savings of 40% to 50%. Others come through improvements of efficiency and our pipeline of innovation. Of course, price is a key success factor, but in most calls for tender the ability to create long-term value is as important.
Creating long-term value with research and development, with local industry, is becoming more and more necessary.
Most states do not want to finance foreign, commoditised technologies, such as traditional PV, because governments realise that it destroys their own research and development, jobs and, in the long run, energy independence.
This is the difference from running a cost-based regulation of energy and running a vision-based regulation of energy. Vision implies seeing in the long term.
Q. What is your strategy for building your business? Are you focusing on particular applications or markets?
Heliotrop applies lean start-up theories. Our strategy relies on creating partnerships with blue-chip companies and stakeholders who have aligned interests with our development.
In addition, we have a step-by step strategy, validating large-scale CPV plants in our home market and marketing our products abroad from an early stage.
We are trying to focus on sun-belt markets, which are not overheating, and which have the political vision and financial capacity to be sustainable for us.
Q. What have been the biggest achievements at Heliotrop in recent months, and why?
Some of our achievements are not yet public, so they will be disclosed later.
We can at least share that Heliotrop received IEC 62108 and IEC 62688d certification from TÜV Rheinland, a positive report from a recognised technical advisor validating our product and manufacturing process, providing several key steps towards the full bankability of our products.
Also, Heliotrop was an official guest of French President Hollande for his State Visit to Mexico, and was invited by the President of Mexico, His Excellence Enrique Peña Nieto, to a state dinner.Such support is decisive for our success, as energy is a sovereign sector.
It was a great and fruitful event.