The sun as the primary source of energy within 10 years

Solar energy for all. It's possible. With these words, brothers Patrick and Milan van der Meulen founded Soly in 2013. Since then, thousands of solar worshippers have switched to solar energy with us every year and Soly has grown into a leading, and also mission-driven, organisation. Every day, we enthusiastically work on smart solar solutions and tackle the energy transition with both hands. So we can all enjoy affordable, sustainable and independent energy as soon as possible. Our goal? Getting solar back to #1 as an energy source within ten years. This is an ambitious goal, and we are not there yet.

The sun back to its rightful place
Just as our earth rotates, everything at Soly revolves around the sun. For nature, the sun has always been the greatest energy supplier. The smartest, most beautiful and strongest energy source on earth. It does not pollute our horizon, but treats us to magical sunrises and sunsets. Like nature, we can once again enjoy the sun as energy source number one. And we are closer to this future than you might think. This is a leap forward for our earth. And for humanity, it means going back to the reliable energy source that has powered us for millions of years.

What does the current energy mix look like?
Fossil fuels have brought us much in recent decades, but at a price. We are increasingly aware that we are still too dependent on fossil fuels within the current energy mix, and see the effect on our living environment. As a result, switching to green power is no longer a choice, but actually necessary. Over the past five years, we have made great strides all over the world. In 2022 alone, the share of renewable electricity, wind and solar energy, increased big time in several continents. At the same time, the share of fossil fuels in the energy mix is falling. This trend looks set to continue in the coming years.

The share of renewable energy is also growing around us, which is good. In 2023, for instance, record growth in wind and solar energy is expected worldwide. To illustrate, the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects capacity growth of 440 gigawatts of renewable energy in 2023; 107 gigawatts more than a year earlier in 2022. In addition to strong European growth, China, the US and India are also experiencing a surge in the share of solar power.

Financial resilience renewable energy sector
The strong growth in the share of renewable energy is admirable. Indeed, the year 2022 was characterised by volatile commodity prices, rising interest rates, supply chain constraints and trade measures. It shows that the renewable energy sector is resilient even under changing circumstances.

The role of solar energy in the energy transition
Both nationally and Europe are now working on the energy transition. For instance, the European goal is to grow the share of renewable energy sources to no less than 42.5% by 2030. Solar energy plays a central role in this. Besides solar panels and the home battery to store renewable energy privately, this also involves, for instance, the solar car. These are electric cars that can recharge themselves thanks to solar panels integrated in the body of the car. The car was developed in the Netherlands and is being built by Helmond-based carmaker Lightyear.

It is just one of the leading examples showing the lightning-fast developments within the European – and Dutch – renewable energy sector.

Our ambitions
If we want solar energy to soon become the number one energy source, a number of challenges lie ahead. First of all, the traditional energy grid needs to be further greened. It is currently still largely dependent on fossil fuels, although that share has thus fallen sharply over the past five years. We discuss Soly’s private and business ambitions for the coming years.

✓ Expanding proposition for the home battery
It is also important to optimise the private use of solar energy. What do we mean by this? For instance: households with solar panels in the Netherlands currently use only 30 to 50 per cent of their solar energy themselves, and feed the rest back to the energy grid. This must and can be improved. The home battery will fill the current ‘gap’ in the optimal use of own solar energy. It will allow private individuals, and eventually companies, to increase their own use of solar energy to 60 to 80 per cent. We at Soly are expanding our proposition to make this possible on a large scale.

✓ Soly Brain
We are also busy developing the Soly Brain®. An application that allows households to continuously monitor power demand – and power consumption. Moreover, it allows households to switch on household appliances at times when a lot of solar energy is generated by the solar panels on the roof. In the summer months in particular, this allows households to optimise their net own consumption of solar energy to 100% at times.

✓ Cooperation
We want to make solar energy accessible to everyone, and we don’t do it alone. Especially within the renewable energy sector, mutual cooperation is important. This ensures that households and companies in several countries can access sustainable energy together. At Soly, this cooperation extends across national borders. In addition to the Netherlands, we are already active in Belgium, Germany and South Africa, and will soon start operations in the UK. Soly thus aims to become one of the European leaders in shaping the energy transition in the coming years.

The sun is central to our ambitions
We want to put the sun on one, and believe it can be done. It is the only inexhaustible renewable energy source, whose supply of energy will never run out. In recent years, the share of renewables compared to fossil fuels within the energy mix has grown significantly. At the same time, we see nationwide, European and global growth and commitment in contributing to the energy transition. Thanks to global, but also mostly local collaborations and initiatives, it is visibly clear that the renewable energy sector can continue to grow.

This is how we do it at Soly
Soly wants to contribute to this nationally and Europe-wide by taking our efforts to a broader level. We are expanding as a company and growing our proposition into new sustainable solutions that will make us even more independent of fossil fuels in the future. Renewable energy is the future, and solar energy is going to play a decisive role in it.
Our goal and mission motivate us to go the extra mile every day. We do so together with you. We are expanding our proposition and building a robust vision for the coming years. Together, we put the sun at one and expand our impact on the immediate environment. Become part of the energy transition yourself and contribute to the sustainable world of tomorrow.

Join the energy revolution
Want to join the energy revolution? Or discover more about the benefits of solar energy? Then find more inspiration about solar panels and the home battery at Soly, and discover how we make solar energy accessible to everyone.