Julian Van Der Waal, Founder & Head of Partnerships, ESC Group Energy
One of the greatest opportunites to enhance our renewable energy source have come over the last twenty years and has really accelerated in the last five.As we start to move away from the limited natural resources of coal and gas we are excited to be part of the new generational push into the renewable sectors. We, as a company, are moving from our traditional residential and commercial focus into larger scale utility solar farm and working alongside State Governments to develop more eco friendly energy sources.
This push into larger scale operations has opened up many deep commercial relationships and all bringing world class technologies, deployment capabilities as well as operational effeciencies that the industry has not seen before
One of our most powerful energy resources, the sun, is forever creating new energy each and every day. To not utelise this energy source as much as we can would be foolish to say the least. Harnessing the enormous potential of this clean, renewable energy, Empower Solar Commercial (ESC Group), a leading energy company with strong roots in the energy sector, is paving a path to a sustainable future. Based in South Australia, ESC is one of the most innovative and forward-thinking solar companies in Australia thatallows businesses to create a cheaper, green energy source without outlaying any capital.“Our mission is to enable businesses a no-risk, highly competitive energy solution that reduces costs within their business without the capital investment that solar usually carries,” asserts Julian Van der Waal, the Founder, and Head of Partnerships at ESC Group Energy.
From A Humble Beginning to the Zenith of Success
Prior to founding ESC Group,Julian was engaged with another solar firm for several months and was very successful in the sales role. Soon, he solidified his position as one of the leading sales agents of the company. Hearing about his success in South Australia, an operations manager from another solar company approached Julian and asked him to join forces to open Empower Solar Commercial.
Thus,Empower Solar Commercial was born in 2020, what makes the story even more poignant is that they Julian opened a new company in the middle of the South Australia’s covid lockdown.
“Outside of the potential revenue I could make for my own family, I saw a market that I knew had robust longevity and was somewhat recession-proof, as well as my ability to build companies, train and lead the sales team and create strategic partnerships,” elucidates Julian.However, six months after the company’s launch, Julian bought his partner out as the two business partners were in constant disagreement about the company’s vision. Within the next three months, ESC had 14 sales reps, and overtime, it grew into a national company.The humble beginning of the company in the small commercial space quickly became Bridgestone Select’s preferred solar partner for over 200 franchises and partnerships with builders, developers, and now Servo Pro and Indihub that support over 2000 independent service stations and supermarkets.
Factors Contributing to the Uniqueness of ESC
One of the key differentiating features that sets ESC apart from its competitors is itsunique and creative products within its portfolio. Its Unique Energy Solution provides Australian businesses with the ability to half their daytime power costs without paying a cent, thus, offering the most revolutionary way to create a green-focused business without the outlay. Besides this, the uniqueness of ESCalso comes from Julian’s indomitable leadership, unique vision,and unwavering commitment to excellence. Julian is a creative and strategic visionary who always focuses on improving the services offered and sees what else can be added to the holistic energy market and end-user experience. “For me, it’s not just about how solar will help the individual or business; it is about the whole ‘sustainable journey’ and to use a phrase from my Cheffing days a ‘paddock to plate’ mentality is one that very few solar companies have in mind. Starting from the manufacturers that we partner with, the additional solutions that enhance the solar solution and the long-term end-of-life commitment to our customers and the planet,” affirms Julian.
Values its Customers Above All
Always keeping customer needs at the core of its operation, ESC develops products that perfectly align with its customer expectations. The deep understanding of end-user needs and specific market requirements enables it to deliver best-in-class solutions, products, and services. “The USP within our company is that we can build any solar project that the customer wants and often create new industry-leading products that very few companies can do. This flexibility and creativity enhance our effectiveness and keeps things interesting within our team and for myself. We absolutely love developing, building and acquiring new products and allowing our clients to reap the benefits of those solar projects,” opines Julian.
While renewable energy and especially solar is relatively inexpensive to set up in comparison to other energy sources, it can be very confusing with lots of misinformation across the whole industry. Hence, the dedicated team at ESC always strives to keep things as simple as possible during its consultation process while allowing the customer to have all their preferences and get the very best solution with all their inclusions. “Our experienced team is thorough across every aspect of every install, and because we are not as high volume as most residential solar companies are, our attention to detail can be far greater without the added HR expansion requirements,” adds Julian. Its customer-centric approach and a high level of service have enabled ESC to harbor trust and predominately receive inbound leads and referral projects.
Fostering Partnership to Create a Better Future
Since its inception, ESC has partnered with some of the largest funding agencies in the country to bring PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements) to the SME market. We now have the energy retail licenses and requirements to be able to offer them internally. Having already developed numerous unique energy programs and projects as well as having the agility and creativeness to reverse engineer new customized energy solutions, in its latest project it has been able to create a turnkey solution for several ACCOs (Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations) that will benefit from an MRI (Monthly Recurring Income) from their land as well as helping them to preserve the beautiful country.
It has also partnered with an incredible Australian tech and deployment company that has reduced the potential deployment times for solar farms from months to weeks, saving over a million dollars for one of its mining clients in accommodation for the deployment team alone.With its strong partnerships, increasing customer base, and commitment to excellence, ESC’s future as an industry leader looks very bright.
