Cape Town, South Africa – SOLA Group announced that Dom Wills has opted to step down as CEO of SOLA Group effective March 2024. Dom has been in this role since 2018 when the group consolidated the engineering and construction company SOLA Future Energy and project development company Aurora Power Solutions under the SOLA Group brand. In this time, SOLA has transitioned to being a leading player in the 1MW embedded solar PV market, to growing into a utility solar independent power producer servicing the private market with over 600 MW of solar PV projects in construction and operations. Dom will continue to serve on the Board of Directors at SOLA Group in a full time executive role.
Dr Dom Wills says “The challenge over the past 7 years has been to shift the company from small and medium scale rooftop projects under 5MW to one that is making a larger difference by building and owning projects in excess of 100MW. This has been a very rewarding challenge in raising capital, growing the team, focusing the strategy and ultimately executing on the promises to our clients. I’m confident that the new leadership which has been on much of this journey are well prepared and committed to taking the company to further new heights.”
SOLA Group has announced that they have appointed three new Managing Directors effective 1 March 2024, to lead the pioneering IPP through 2024 and beyond. With the business’ vertically integrated structure, the board has appointed three individuals to Managing Director positions in separate portfolios who will each report directly to the board.
Katherine Persson has been appointed Managing Director: Assets. She will oversee Project Development, Project Finance, Asset Management and the Group Sustainability and Human Resources teams.
Dr Ian Burger has been promoted to Managing Director: Technical, where he will oversee the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Operations aspects of the Group.
Jonathan Skeen has been appointed as Managing Director: Commercial, and he will be responsible for Business Development and Group Finance.
Each of the three Managing Directors have deep industry knowledge and expertise, having each been involved in the implementation and delivery of industry-leading projects over many years. Notable projects include: Project Springbok, a 195 megawatt DC (MW)multi-buyer solar PV plant (the first to sell power to multiple buyers across the country on flexible terms); the Adams wheeling project (the first large-scale renewable wheeling plant in the country, selling to Amazon); and the 386 MW Lichtenburg wheeling cluster, delivering 256 MW to Tronox (under the largest corporate PPA in Africa) and 130 MW to African Rainbow Minerals.
SOLA Group Board Chairman Simon Haw says “Our board is extremely proud of the journey taken to become South Africa’s only 100% locally owned vertically integrated IPP. The new leadership structure provides an efficient and optimal way to run our development, financing, construction and operation companies. SOLA Group is now perfectly poised to provide choice and hope to South Africans as we start an exciting new beginning in how we produce and procure energy. We congratulate the new management on their appointments, and wish them well as they write the next chapter of our exciting story”
This change in leadership has been implemented in the context of rapid growth in the renewables industry in South Africa and the increasing complexity and opportunity across SOLA’s vertically integrated value chain, which spans the development, financing, design, construction, operation and ownership of renewable energy assets.
About SOLA Group
SOLA Group has established itself as a key player in Africa’s transition to renewable energy. Starting with Aurora Power Solutions in 2008 and expanding with SOLA Future Energy in 2013, the company has developed and is delivering over 712 MW of renewable energy projects, primarily in the private sector, and has developed more than 2750 MW of solar PV projects across the continent. As a fully integrated firm, SOLA Group covers all stages of solar PV implementation from project development to operations, embodying innovation and sustainability in the energy sector.
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