“The energy transition is first and foremost an attitude”

Imagine a photovoltaic power plant being installed free of charge on the roof of your company, and you receiving electricity at an attractive price. This is the concept that Léopold Coppieters and Arthur Dawans developed with Skysun out of their passion for climate protection. “We are not solar panel installers: we want to facilitate the energy transition in the long term,” explains Léopold Coppieters.

Sustainable commitment

Skysun’s business model is based on selling energy produced by solar panels that the company finances and installs itself. “We take care of the entire investment in order to be able to offer a win-win solution. The customer’s energy savings determine our profit.” The third winner in this story? Our planet. Skysun is reducing the ecological footprint of about 2,100 families while also securing their annual electricity consumption. “And in the next five years it will be fifteen times as many.”

But renewable energy should not be an excuse for overconsumption. Skysun is therefore committed to guiding companies towards greater sustainability. “The best energy saving is the energy that is not consumed,” emphasises the young Brussels entrepreneur. “We have installed some 21,000 panels since 2018, so our solution provides an answer to a real demand.”

Strategic financial partner

Skysun’s activities follow the rhythm of market fluctuations and regional regulations. But the financial plans for each new project also play a role. The scale-up takes on this challenge in close collaboration with a team of market specialists within BNP Paribas Fortis. “It’s a crucial partnership for us as a specialist in third-party investments. BNP Paribas Fortis finances eighty percent of our projects.”

Skysun’s first installation of 1000 solar panels dates back to 2018. Three years later, the company has installed no less than 1.2 hectares of solar panels on the roof of the Anderlecht slaughterhouses. It is the largest installation of photovoltaic solar panels in an urban environment in Europe, and guarantees electricity for 700 families. “We have opted for a sustainable approach here as well, with respect to the aesthetics of the listed building and a technique of ultra-renewable panels,” concludes Coppieters.

Entrepreneurial success stories

At BNP Paribas Fortis, we are particularly proud to support passionate and inspiring entrepreneurs like Léopold Coppieters and Arthur Dawans. Working together to forge new ways of doing business: another example of Positive Banking.