EVklips Energy is a privately-owned Bulgarian company specialising in all stages of the design, engineering and construction of different types of solar photovoltaic installations. Active in European markets such as France, Poland and the UK, its subcontractor turnkey services cover civil engineering, mechanical and electrical works on freeland, rooftop and agri-PV solar systems. Elena Rasheva is co-founder and CEO of Evklips Energy.
Mrs. Rasheva, can you reveal the total capacity which Evklips Energy has installed in its 12 years of operation and tell us more about the types of projects that the company has worked on?
Evklips Energy has a portfolio of around 1 GW installed power with projects ranging between 1 MWp and 150 MWp. Although with our Turkish, Jordanian and Chilean entities we have completed projects around the globe, we have been focused on the European market over the past four years. The market segments that the business covers include ground installations, rooftops, carport, agri-PV and floating projects.
We offer a wide variety of EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) services, including not only general construction (civil, mechanical and electrical), but also measurements, testing and deliveries of components.
Evklips operates in various countries and you already mentioned that Europe has been your focus over the past couple of years. Are there markets that you consider strategic and are you looking into entering new ones?
Poland and the Netherlands have undoubtedly been our key markets over the past few years. We are very well established in those countries which is due to the excellent work of our local employees and teams, as well as the strong partner network we have managed to create. Our corporate strategy is indeed very structured and focuses on a strong presence in particular markets. Having multiple projects in one country facilitates the logistics, the people management, the paperwork. The emphasis on a specific place also allows us to closely monitor the local requirements and legal frameworks and remain fully certified to operate there.
Of course, as a growing company, our business development department is constantly researching new markets and market segments. Evklips Energy’s agenda for 2023 is already outlined, and I am happy to confirm that we will be increasing significantly our presence in France in the next 12 months. In the second quarter we will also execute several projects in a new location which is new for us - Belgium.
How is the Bulgarian market different from other markets Evklips has been operating in?
In general, the average project size in Bulgaria is considerably smaller than the projects we are working on abroad. This is, of course, understandable: although the first photovoltaic projects were completed years ago, the market is yet to develop. We see growing demand for smaller domestic installations, as well as larger scale projects (over 5 MWp). The deficit of clear definitions and general understanding of the terms and regulations among the controlling authorities, however, make the successful completion of the projects more difficult and time-consuming. With the recent changes in the Bulgarian legislation covering the renewable energy sector, together with the increasing demand of alternative energy sources, I am confident that the Bulgarian PV market will flourish.
On the brighter side, as a Bulgaria-based company, working “at home” is much easier, in terms of logistics and in-depth project management.
You specialise in ground-mounted, rooftop, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), small generation and off-grid solutions. What are your expectations of impending changes in demand in Bulgaria, with a view to recent legislation facilitating the installation of small-scale solar systems for own use?
The new changes mark the first steps towards facilitating the whole process of PV project completion and point to the willingness of the state to create a favourable business climate. And the first results are already here - as mentioned above, we are witnessing growing demand among investors, as well as homeowners. I am content to see that Bulgarians are becoming more aware of the importance of moving towards alternative energy sources. The new legislation removes a great deal of bureaucracy from the process and no doubt opens the door for PV installation to more businesses and individual clients. We receive new requests for quotations on a daily basis and clients show real interest in investing in the market. In January alone, we started four projects in Bulgaria which is a great start to 2023.