Congratulations! Sunrock Brings Dutch Solar Expertise to the French Logistics Market: Interview with Macit Léo Yetis
We are pleased to announce that our member, Sunrock France, is prominently featured in the special report "Warehouse Rooftops and Photovoltaic Canopies: An Energy Windfall" published by VoxLog – Supply Chain & Logistics.
VoxLog is recognized as the leading media outlet in France for professionals in the supply chain and logistics sectors.
In this feature, Macit Leo YETIS, Commercial Director for France, was given the opportunity to share Sunrock’s pan-European expertise and discuss the company’s expansion into the French market in the article "Sunrock Brings Its Expertise to France."
We congratulate Sunrock France on this recognition and encourage our network to read the full article to learn more about their innovative contributions to sustainable logistics infrastructure.
Below is the translation from the original French interview:
Originally from the Netherlands, Sunrock has specialized in supporting large-scale solar energy projects for logistics real estate. An engineer by training, Macit Léo Yetis joined the company in 2023 as Sales and Business Development Director to support its growth in France. Interview.
How have Sunrock’s teams in France evolved since your entry into the market at the beginning of 2024?
Historically present in the Netherlands and Germany, Sunrock now has 18 people in France, out of more than 150 in total. As specialists in relationships with developers and real estate investors, our agility and experience have enabled us to grow rapidly within an extremely competitive market.
What types of clients do you focus on?
We focus primarily on warehouse solarization projects, although we have recently signed large-scale installations with industrial companies. We also work with logistics providers who are not necessarily owners of their warehouses, such as service providers like DHL.
What notable differences do you observe between the demands of your Dutch and French clients?
The Netherlands faces significant issues connecting to the power grid. Owners and tenants must therefore manage their energy very precisely, with much greater self-consumption needs than in France. As a result, we have invested heavily in research and development on storage batteries and the software side dedicated to energy management.
How do you explain the limited number of photovoltaic projects in France that involve batteries?
There are several reasons for the lag in storage in France. The electrical grid [managed by RTE, editor’s note] is better than that of neighboring countries, with fewer connection issues. In the Netherlands, it can sometimes take three years before a logistics asset can draw electricity. Local owners are therefore willing to pay for more expensive technologies so that their buildings can become operational more quickly. The second reason: in France, we do not have subsidies that make battery-involved installations attractive, unlike in the Netherlands. But I think that starting in 2026, we will see many installations integrating them.
How does the price of batteries compare to that of a solar power plant?
The presence of storage batteries can account for 50 to 60% of the total price of a photovoltaic plant; the investments are significant. It is important to remember that a large part of warehouses in France are not ready to accommodate solar, but many of them could be retrofitted. However, there is a lack of support for renovation work, such as exists in the Netherlands, to motivate all stakeholders (developers, tenants, energy companies, etc.) to make substantial investments in plants, which are nevertheless in line with the energy transition and the renewable energy production targets sought by the French government.
Source: Voxlog