Investment company NPM Capital acquires a majority stake in Greenspread and Solaris Industria. Both companies develop and operate sustainable energy projects, including solar PV systems. The acquisitions are part of the investment strategy employed by NPM Capital in this sector and follow the majority stake that the investment company acquired in Rooftop Energy in June 2019. Jeroen de Haas, former head of Eneco and member of the Supervisory Board and active adviser at Rooftop Energy, will take on the role of president of the new business combination.
“We are delighted that we have made our first, concrete step in line with our acquisition agenda which focuses on accelerating the energy transition in the Netherlands”, explains De Haas. “Greenspread and Solaris Industria both have an excellent track record and each contribute, in their own way, to the group which is gradually taking shape. The acquisitions also mean strong and ambitious energy professionals will be joining. In the coming period, we will maintain our focus on acquiring small and large companies to create rapid scale expansion in large solar power stations. Alongside the growth in solar energy, we are currently also working on several investment opportunities which target the expansion of the proposition for making our customers completely sustainable.
Leendert Florusse, CEO of Rooftop Energy, adds: “Both Greenspread and Solaris Industria offer an impressive portfolio of solar PV projects that have already been realised or which are still in the pipeline. Together, we can take an even better stand and create an important place for solar energy in the sustainable energy system of the future.”
About Greenspread
Greenspread develops and operates sustainable energy projects and is one of the most well-known sustainable energy advisers in the Netherlands. It takes on the entire process for all forms of sustainable energy (e.g. solar PV, renewable heat, charging points, storage and hydrogen), from technical feasibility, to design, financing, preparation, installation and management. In many cases, Greenspread also invests, with the customer, in the final energy solution. The company, which is headquartered in Woudenberg and began in 2010, has now realised hundreds of projects. When it comes to increasing the sustainability of existing property, Greenspread is the market leader in the public domain (municipalities, hospitals, water boards). Over the past ten years, almost 200 municipalities have used Greenspread’s services. At the start of 2020, Greenspread was generating 24 MW in solar PV installations and also had a pipeline of 140 MW in solar PV projects which increasingly involves businesses. Greenspread currently employs 15 employees. This number is expected to increase in the coming years. The directors of Greenspread, Jan Willem Zwang and Gerhard van de Lagemaat, will remain active in the group as shareholders. Ivo Priem, investor in Greenspread through his investment company Livermore TC, will sell his share.
Jan Willem Zwang, founder and general director of Greenspread: ”As a result of Gerhard’s involvement since the end of 2015 and the investments from Ivo in mid-2017, Greenspread has been able to realise enormous growth. The acquisition strategy applied by NPM Capital in our sector has given us the opportunity to accommodate the realisation and operation of our own solar PV projects within Rooftop Energy. As a result, we can work with Greenspread as an independent adviser to further focus on increasing sustainability among our customers. We are very excited about this acquisition and the active involvement of Jeroen de Haas. Greenspread will not only enable us to realise our own ambitions more quickly, but also help us really get things moving!”
About Solaris Industria
The Utrecht-based Solaris Industria operates large-scale solar PV installations, particularly on commercial roofs in the Netherlands. Via a business model that concentrates on partnerships, Solaris has currently developed around 30 MWp in projects, divided across more than 50 locations.
Co-founders Robin Koek and Jöbke Janssen shall continue as shareholders and remain active in the group. Solaris will work from its base in Utrecht to further strengthen its position as a reliable partner for financing solar PV projects.
Robin Koek: “We feel very positive about the fact that NPM Capital is part of family business SHV, which has a flexible and long investment horizon, and has a clear vision of the further expansion of sustainable energy in the Netherlands. We are sure that our partners, installers and customers will benefit from this move.”
Jöbke Janssen adds: “This takeover has come at a good moment for us. As a result of our rapid growth, we were at the point of investing in further professionalisation, including specific software systems. Within the group, Rooftop Energy is in its next phase, and has already raised the bar in terms of professionalism. We can neatly connect into this. It means we don’t need to reinvent the wheel and can focus on what we really love doing: realising sustainable projects for our customers.”
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