Ilya Likhov – hi-tech entrepreneur, visionary, founder and CEO of Neosun Energy – an International fast-growing solar EPC company. What is the impact and potential of the Solar market today? How to build a global EPC brand and how to disrupt the conservative energy sector? How Solar Energy can really help businesses today – Let’s discuss in the interview.
Neosun Energy – an International fast-growing solar EPC and manufacturing company. The main focus of Neosun’s activities is the design and construction of solar power plants and energy storage systems (ESS) for industrial and commercial enterprises around the world, with capacities ranging from 100kW to 10MW. With significant contracts under its belt from reputable clients like Allianz, Adidas, CBN or Polymetal, Neosun has established itself as a force to reckon with in the solar energy sector.
The topic of Solar Energy is one of the most discussed among investors worldwide today. How can you describe the overall scale of this market?
Today, the world is increasingly facing energy challenges: rising prices, outages, and interruptions, not to mention that millions of people in remote regions still live without access to electricity. The world is experiencing a major energy shift—from large-scale thermal, coal, and nuclear power plants to smaller, localized solar and wind plants.
To understand the scale, according to Bloomberg statistics, more than $623 billion has been invested in the renewable energy market in 2023, up from $495 billion the previous year. Interestingly, the largest investors in wind and solar energy are oil and gas companies. Among the largest investors are companies such as TOTAL, BP, and Shell. In other words, the companies that are today’s leaders in oil and gas production are also the number one investors in solar energy projects. They see and understand which projects will run the world in the truly near future.
This transition toward solar energy is not only environmentally strategic but also economically driven. Solar energy now stands as the most cost-effective energy source available, especially in regions like Africa, a region that has one of the highest solar generation rates in the world due to its geographic location.
By building solar power plants, we help businesses gain access to energy. This not only allows them to save on electricity costs but also enhances their efficiency and increases their market value. We strongly believe that we can not only speak about the impactful changes for the Planet, but we can literally make changes in the world today.
There are a large number of companies in this market. How does Neosun Energy’s business model differ from others in the industry?
The energy sector is quite conservative. Neosun Energy is entering this market with a completely new approach and business model. We are essentially disrupting the market by bringing in ideas usually used by IT giants.
Today, Neosun is building a global solar EPC brand. We aim to be a company like Starbucks or McDonald’s but in the Solar Energy industry. We are opening branches worldwide to capture the largest market share possible.
We are growing globally with unified standards, creating a strong umbrella brand. At the same time, we act locally by bringing our standards to regional markets. This is essentially a “franchise model” that allows us to stand out among thousands of local competitors and offer high-quality service and low prices to our end customers.
Unlike small local companies, we enter the market with significant confidence and experience. In South Africa, for instance, there are about 7,000 solar companies, but most are small operations with limited professional capabilities.
Our new business model helps us capture a large market share, scale quickly, and rapidly increase sales and revenue. This makes us attractive to the huge suppliers who are willing to lower their prices for us. And since we go directly to the customers, we can lower prices for the end users, disrupting the market not only in terms of price but also in service quality and company growth speed.
This makes us similar to companies like McDonald’s or Starbucks which enter markets and push out local players, taking a significant market share.
What have your results been so far?
As I mentioned earlier, we are currently building a global business. Neosun Energy projects have been implemented in 16 countries around the world. To date, the company has opened offices in China, the UAE, Pakistan, and South Africa.
We are focused on expanding our global presence and disrupting the solar energy market and building the global Solar EPC brand. That’s why we aim to expand to the United States, Mexico, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Malaysia and add 20 more branches next year.
Your company is rapidly expanding, are you operationally profitable or are you raising investments?
Actually both! On the one hand, since its inception Neosun has been and remains operationally profitable in the regions where it operates. On the other hand, we have also attracted investments to expedite our growth, considering the opportunities this market offers.
We are focused on further growth, rapid scaling, and aggressively capturing market share. Our goal is to rank in the top 3 in every country we enter and to establish dozens of branches worldwide. This strategy will ensure a high company valuation. For investors, this means they will benefit from the increase in our company’s valuation and the appreciation of their shares, delivering high returns on their investments comparable with venture capital investments.
In general, the solar energy sector presents significant investment potential not only in private equity but also in solar projects investment. As I mentioned earlier, the payback period for such projects in most regions of the world ranges from 1.5 to 2 years. This essentially translates into an annual return on the project’s investment (ROI) of 50% to 100%. Therefore, the solar energy market is indeed very attractive for investors today.
You mentioned the USA, what are your goals for this market?
Given the USA’s goal of fully transitioning to green energy by 2035 and carbon neutrality by 2050, the opportunities for solar energy remain substantial. While there is considerable competition in the U.S. market, companies like Neosun Energy that enter with fresh ideas and innovative business models have a chance to significantly reshape the landscape.
We are planning to enter this market not only with our new business model, but also with the high potential ideas, opened for investment and partnership. – I see significant potential in the development of electric vehicle charging station infrastructure.
The current market for electric transportation globally is growing slower than it could, but not because of the pace of EV production. The bottleneck lies in the lack of sufficient charging infrastructure.
The challenge is not in the availability of charging equipment itself but in providing the power capacity needed to support EV charging. This has made long-distance travel in an EV, like driving from San Francisco to Las Vegas, difficult due to the limited charging options along the way. Ironically, I’ve even seen charging stations that rely on large diesel generators to supply power. Imagine: Tesla cars being charged by diesel generators!
At Neosun Energy, we have developed a solution—a fully autonomous EV charging station. Our Solar Carport product uses solar panels to charge batteries, which then supply the power needed for EV charging.
Our vision is to roll out this infrastructure across the U.S., starting with a few states and then expanding nationwide. We aim to build a network of Solar Charging stations that not only provide power but also serve as waypoints for EV drivers. Our plan involves partnering with well-known brands like Starbucks and fast-food chains to create stations where customers can enjoy lunches, coffee, and shopping while their vehicles are charging.
In other words, we don’t just want to build charging stations; we aim to create destinations where people can recharge their vehicles while enjoying a high level of service and relaxation during their travels.
We have already developed a competitive pricing model, making our solution more affordable than many existing options in the U.S. market: we see a substantial untapped niche that we are eager to capture.
