Author: snefrid

Graduated as a Chemical Engineer but pushing boundaries at Release as a Business Developer, Emile Nauta shares the journey that led him to Release (Renewable Energy Leasing).

Growing up Emile knew the path he wanted to take and that was being a qualified Engineer. “Studying Chemical Engineering was all I had considered in high school, and it’s not the kind of field that parents tend to question very hard,” says Emile.

After completing his university studies, Emile realised that he did not want to pursue a career in engineering but would prefer to grow his expertise on the business side as a Developer. His pivot came just at the right time where the renewable energy industry was picking up in South Africa. “The Scatec name was held in very high regard by my peers in the renewables space – I jumped at the opportunity to join the team,” he says.

Emile joined Scatec back in 2019 as a Graduate in the Business Development space. This was the year Scatec launched their first-ever Graduate Programme and coincided with the inception of the Release concept.

After successful completion of the Graduate Programme, he formally took up a position as a Release Business Developer focused on mining and C&I. Emile shared that for him it wasn’t necessarily the industry that drew him to his role, “I will be honest, at the time I joined Scatec, I didn’t fully trust renewables. It was only after a year of working in the sector that I came to understand the obvious perks of having cheap and quickly deployable solar PV in one’s energy mix,” he said.

When he is not sourcing leads and developing projects, you will find Emile outdoors focused on his flowers. “I enjoy cultivating things.” Emile grows peonies, and when they are in season, makes sure to bring some arrangements to pretty up the Scatec offices.

When asked about what drives him about his line of work and Release in general, Emile answered that it’s mainly the socioeconomic impact of electrifying rural communities, as well as the millions of dollars that mines save with such a simple, elegant, and risk-free solution. “Deploying our Release solution just frees up capital all-round.”

The work that Release has done in Cameroon is Emile’s biggest highlight at Release, “Seeing the impact that solar power plants and battery storage had on the people since they were installed was phenomenal to witness.” A year after the installation of the two 19MW PV + 10MWh BESS plants, a local news publication shared that the region where the plants are installed hadn’t experienced any more power outages post installation.

Release takes CAPEX-intensive solar PV and battery storage and offers them on a flexible lease basis. We push CAPEX to OPEX without the guarantee requirements that come with a long-term PPA. The Release concept combines EPC with continuous power plant supervision under a flexible, modular, and scalable leasing agreement. Release PV and BESS units are pre-assembled and standardized for easy site installation & commissioning. We guarantee performance over the project life.  Emile emphasized, “It’s not only an attractive solution: for most mines in Africa, ours is the only solution that does not require years of development and reaching financial close.”

Hailing from the Western Cape, South Africa, Francois Du Plessis, Business Controlling Manager at Release by Scatec, takes us through his career journey.

Growing up, Francois has always had a knack for travelling, it is something that he was exposed to from a young age – from travelling locally in his home country or travelling abroad.

His passion for travelling summed up his decision to pursue his studies in Accounting.

The role of being an Accountant comes with a lot of flexibility with being able to work anywhere in the world. Today, Francois is a certified Chattered Accountant, CA(SA). Upon finishing his articles, globetrotting then began for Francois as he packed his bags and relocated to the Netherlands.

“What people may not know is that Accounting is a very broad field, you are presented with a lot of exciting opportunities and projects in your line of work,” he adds. Francois openly shared that in his line of work he interacts with people a lot, “I don’t have the typical Accountant job where I am couped up in an office crunching numbers all day,” he says.

Francois had been previously working for an organisation that was advocating for sustainable practices, around the time when conversations around The Paris Agreement were gradually picking up.

When the opportunity at Release presented itself, Francois found the decision easy. The company’s concept of delivering renewable energy in a simple way greatly appealed to him, especially considering the positive impact on the markets Release targets.

One of his reflections was that coming into the business he did not realise the magnitude of the work that Release does until he had conversations with people that had families based in the North. “We often get lost in our day-today tasks and focus on getting things done that we hardly ever take a step back admire the work that we do and the impact that it has on people,” he shares.

The solution that Release presents is a true testament to changing people’s lives in communities that had previously been subjected to unstable power supply.

Francois shared that Release is still a young company and it gives you the exposure that one needs for one’s personal and career advancement because there is always something that needs to get done. “Release gives you that space to add value and if you add value, you also feel valued,” Francois shares.

In closing, Francois shared his admiration for the leadership team at Release for being able to hit the ground running with getting projects in the pipeline and running. Giving a special mention to his manager, “we have a great working relationship, I prefer referring to him as my coach as opposed to mentor– he lets me figure things out on my own instead of spoon feeding me. It shows the belief he has in me.”

14 June 2024: Studying Law was not necessarily her first career choice but today she is the General Counsel for a renewable energy company. Growing up, Clémentine had always seen herself being an Engineer, whilst life had other plans studying Law seemed like the fitting choice. “I chose to study Law because it is quite comparable and it’s logical reasoning,” says Clémentine.

Her passion for travel and learning about different cultures made her aware of early discrepancies around the world, which brought her to projects and then renewables. “To refresh my mind after studies travelling was my go-to activity, it still is, with my family. Travelling the world and discovering new cultures is an eye-opening experience. From an early age this made me aware that access to energy is key for economic development,” she adds.

For Clémentine, moving into the renewable energy industry was written in the stars as she had been exposed to the industry in every step of her journey. From the time she kickstarted her career at a law firm – she chose one specialising in renewables – that is when she got a glimpse of what life at a renewable energy company would be like. She then transitioned into banking to finance renewable projects.

Three years ago, Clémentine took a leap of faith and moved to Norway to advance her career, starting as Senior Legal Counsel at Scatec. This marked the beginning of her journey at Release, where she eventually became General Counsel.

It was definitely no coincidence that she was going to end up working in the renewable energy sector.

The transition to the renewable energy industry was not a difficult decision for her to make, “I am an early believer in renewables so applying to Scatec was a natural fit for me because I had heard of the great things Scatec is doing in is markets mainly in Africa and I had previously got a glimpse of what working in the industry would look like,” she says.

Today, Clémentine wears many hats in her role but takes on the responsibility of ensuring consistency in Release’s contract policy and alignment with Scatec’s, abidance to Release’s governance rules and helping smooth coordination among the various functions across the company as the Legal department has the broad overview of the company’s activities and their respective calendar.

“The traditional IPP model doesn’t work for all the markets, now Release brings a technology solution that allows you to rent solar and energy storage power without the need for large capital investments and the long-term commitments,” says the General Counsel.

Clémentine added that Release has a start-up feel to it, which means that there is close collaboration among teams, giving you the opportunity to sink your teeth into the different happenings within the organisation.

Clémentine considers herself as being fortunate for working with people who are passionate about the work that they do and share a common vision in creating a sustainable future for all.  Release may be a small team – spread across 4 different locations around the world, but there is so much diversity within the team. The team building held in the beginning of the year in Cape Town, South Africa was a true testament of the cultural diversity.

She says that she hopes to see steady growth for Release in the coming years and it brings numerous growth opportunities for those within the company and to see new, enthusiastic talent coming in.

06 June 2024: Release CEO, Hans Olav Kvalvaag, attended the Energising Africa: What Will it Take to Achieve Universal Energy Access? Spring Meetings event 2024 held in Washington DC hosted by The World Bank Group and International Finance Corporation (IFC).

This year’s Spring Meetings gathered development partners, private sector representatives and country ministers from around the world where they discussed opportunities on how to energize Africa and what it will take to achieve universal access in the continent to unlock opportunities that will grow the economies. Release is well-aligned with the conversations that took place at the event, which stress the urgent need for powering up Africa.

Studies show that close to 600 million people are living without electricity in Africa. Access to electricity is a fundamental human right, without access to reliable electricity there is little to no economic growth and the region will not be able to reach its set development targets.

The World Bank Group together with the African Development Bank Group have partnered up to provide at least 300 million people in Africa with electricity by the year 2030. The World Bank Group has committed to providing electricity access for 250 million people through renewable energy systems or the distribution grid, the African Development Group will support the additional 50 million.

The commitments that have been made reiterate the urgent need to electrify Africa to unlock its potential.

Africa is one of Release’s key focus markets, it has experienced much traction in the continent, mainly in the utilities sector. Hence our participation at this year’s Powering Africa event was crucial as it gave us the opportunity to share our expertise on how we can ramp up the energy transition in the continent.

Our CEO was part of a panel discussion that focused on collaborative solutions between the public and private sectors in delivering energy access solutions. “Technology is not the issue, the solar and battery revolution that we are currently seeing is giving us plenty of opportunities to deliver efficient solutions for electrifying any place in Africa,” says our CEO. The conventional IPP model does not work for all economies. That is where the simplified, flexible, rental model comes in that addresses all the challenges that are faced with structuring.

Release has an innovative technology solution; its approach is to distributed generation solar PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) for projects beginning from 5MWp blocks. The technology solution comprises od pre-assembled moveable trackers and storage units. The equipment is pre-funded through a non-complex leasing agreement that lasts between 5 to 15 years. The flexibility that this solution brings ensures competitive pricing while maintaining high-quality service and technology.

Release has projects in operation in operation and under construction in Cameroon, South Sudan, South Africa, Mexico and South Sudan with a total capacity with a total capacity of 47 MW solar PV and 20 MWh of battery storage and has additional contracts for 35 MW solar PV and 20 MWh of storage in Chad, in addition to its maturing pipeline.

Our goal at Release is to actively engage in conversations that aim to accelerate the energy transition in the African continent. Leveraging our projects, our flagship projects being in Cameroon, we aim to show that impactful change is possible and can happen swiftly. Our key markets hold much untapped potential that serve as catalysts for the African continent’s development.

15 May 20204: The renewable energy market is growing rapidly, with immense pressure on governments and industries to adapt sustainable practices to achieve net zero. While we see the rest of the world doing its best to meet the energy demands, a few continents are lagging behind in meeting their energy transition targets.

Africa’s energy landscape faces numerous challenges. The main challenge that Africa faces when it comes to the energy transition is the lack of finance and investments. Release offers a unique leasable solution that enables utilities and private companies to invest in renewable energy to reduce their carbon emissions and continues the fight against climate change. The technology solution consists of pre-assembled solar and battery energy storage equipment that is containerized.

Our biggest portfolio is in the utilities market in the North of Cameroon, Maroua and Guider. The plants have a combined capacity of 36MW solar and 20MW/19MWh of battery storage. In our continuous efforts to uplift the African utilities market, Release by Scatec’s Business Developer, Joyce Ho, hosted Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) and Artelia delegates for a 4-day study trip.

The purpose of this study trip was for the delegates to learn more about the operations of solar power plants as they are looking to expand their power plant portfolio in Tanzania. We went through some of the lessons learned from the time we entered the market, giving them useful tips about solar and battery storage solutions. It was important to emphasize that renewable energy is not just a technology, but a crucial factor in saving our planet.

“We were delighted to welcome the delegation of Tanzanian Utility specialists and share insights. Engaging with them provided valuable insights into the concerns and priorities of potential customers, especially regarding investments in new solar power plants. Such exchanges are invaluable for refining our offerings to better suit their needs,” says Arnaud Gouet, Release Senior Vice President of Utilities.

The week was filled with learning and knowledge sharing regarding all thing’s renewable energy.

The first day was spent at Scatec’s Cape Town offices, where we presented who we are at Scatec and Release respectively to the delegates. The presentation of Tanzania case gave us a better outlook of what the delegates wanted to get out of this trip.

Day 2 of the study trip was at the Release testing site in Stellenbosch, showcasing the unique Release solution and the evolution of our redeployable trackers over the years.

Day 3 and 4 the delegates travelled to the Northern Cape Province to visit the Scatec sites.

We kicked off our site visit to the Scatec Round 4 Solar PV plants, where we got a warm welcome from the Site Manager and the rest of the team on the ground. The site visits are where the delegation got to fully learn about the technicalities of running a solar power plant and the operation and maintenance of it.

“The team was very excited to visit one of the world’s largest hybrid solar and battery project for the very first time, especially one that is owned by a private company. Our trip to South Africa with the Scatec and Release team was eye-opening. We learned so much from team on solar PV technology advancement. This visit exceeded all of our expectations,” says Seleman Mayanjo Senior Research Engineer at TANESCO.

We would like to thank TANESCO and Artelia for a remarkable week of learning, and to the Scatec site teams for showcasing Scatec’s capabilities.

For images, please see Release image gallery