The solar industry is not new to the Funen steel supplier. Actually, Ib Andresen Industri can this year mark its ten-year anniversary for its first solar customer. Since then, Ib Andresen Industri has provided no less than 120,000 tonnes processed steel to solar projects all over the world.
During the last year only, Ib Andresen Industri has processed 30,000 tonnes of steel to the industry. This corresponds to about 7.5 mill. metres steel profiles, if being placed end to end.
There are several reasons for the increasing amount of processed steel for solar projects:
“The focus on green energy has never been bigger, and it won’t be smaller any time soon either if the ambitious climate goals are to be achieved”, begins Ulrich Rasmussen, Sales Manager at Ib Andresen Industri, and continues:
“Year by year, the solar solutions are improving and becoming more efficient, wherefore they naturally become more desirable in the market. The reason for our success within the solar industry is our ability to constantly adapt our steel-based solutions to the development”.
A newly developed substructure hits the market
Most recently, Ib Andresen Industri has in cooperation with European Energy developed a new modular substructure for solar projects in Thisted and on Mors.
“Together we have developed a new substructure to bifacial solar modules, through which we have reduced the shade impact in order to make the new solar parks as effective as possible”, Ulrich Rasmussen explains, “and the substructure is modular, so the length can be adjusted, whereby it easily can be adapted to a given project”.
Bifacial solar modules have the advantage, in comparison with traditional modules, that they can produce energy on both sides, whereby they also utilise the light that is reflected off the ground.
About the new projects and the cooperation with Ib Andresen Industri, Poul Jacobsen, Head of EPC at European Energy, says:
“We have been impressed by Ib Andresen Industri, who has created an image for itself in a global industry where the competition is fierce. We have a great cooperation with Ib Andresen Industri. We experience a partner that is both responsive and flexible when we present our requests. For our projects in North Jutland, the partnership has been essential for the introduction of new technology in the two parks.”
The two projects will on a yearly basis generate enough power to supply up to 25,000 households.
The business concept
Previously, Ib Andresen Industri was typically supplier for other subcontractors, who supplied solar parks around the world. But today, a super optimised, Danish business concept gains increasingly foothold. A concept where investors such as European Energy has cut the supply chain to the bone.
“At European Energy, we have chosen to be responsible for the turnkey contracts ourselves when we construct solar parks. This means that we are responsible for the engineering, the purchase, and the actual construction of the park. This is more competitive than buying turnkey parks from a subcontractor. However, it makes of course demands on us as a business and not least the cooperation with our subcontractors,” Poul Jacobsen says.
Manufacturing muscles
For the realisation of the substructure, Ib Andresen Industri has the necessary manufacturing muscles.
“We produce the steel parts in-house on our roll forming lines. This method is almost made for this type of job with large, uniform volumes”, Ulrich Rasmussen says.
This means, among other things, that Ib Andresen Industri can compete with low-wage countries. “But that is not all”, Ulrich Rasmussen elaborates, “we have to offer more, which the development cooperation is an example of. In addition, we serve as logistics centre. At our stock, we collect all the parts that constitute the substructure in order for us to dispatch the full package – if required – all at once”.