Company profile

Stroomwerk believes that solar power is an inexhaustible and renewable energy source with a lot of possibilities for the future. Stroomwerk’s systems convert the daylight into directly available energy. This provides you with a secure base for prosperity and well-being for now and into the future. Stroomwerk has been active in this innovative solar business for dozens of years. Stroomwerk designs, produces, sells and installs complete solar power systems in the Netherlands and abroad. We deliver grid connected systems as well as stand-alone systems, from huge custom made turn-key solar power plants to complete standardised do-it-yourself solar power kits.

Employees
About 20 people work at different departments of Stroomwerk. But everybody is very flexible and we all have various tasks and responsibilities, even outside our ‘normal’ job descriptions. That keeps us fast and flexible. We all are very enthusiastic about solar power. Some about the technical aspects, some about selling this beautiful product, about designing constructions and configurations or about installing a custom made system. And the customer’s demand is always our drive!

   

The Sales Department sells standardised systems as well as custom made turn-key solar power plants. Our products are sold in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Africa. We are working on a pan-European introduction of our concepts.

Our technicians design the requested customised solar power systems. They are always looking for ways to lift the standardised systems to an even higher level.

It’s always very important that the correct materials are on the correct place at the perfect time. That’s the task of the Purchase & Logistics Department.

Our installers prepare the customised systems in Deventer. And of course they install the complete systems at the customers location.

Technical Service takes care of all after-sales activities.

And of course some of our colleagues are experts in the fields of Personnel, IT, Financials and Administration.

 

History
Over 20 years ago, Dirk Elzinga and René Blickman started their partnership and they founded a small installation company called Stroomwerk Energy BV. They accepted all kinds of installation assignments. But even from the beginning they both were very charmed by renewable techniques like wind and solar power. They started to focus on those kind of projects more and more. And slowly they became solar experts. In 1999 the Dutch market for solar energy started to develop.

Stroomwerk became more active on the African market as well. Solar Home Systems were exported from the Netherlands to this continent. These little systems, consisting of one or more solar modules, batteries and a regulator, provide the African populations in remote areas with electricity. Then they could cool a fridge, watch TV or use other communication applications. Meanwhile these activities have resulted in two local daughter companies in Mali and Ghana.

Around 1998 the first grid connected systems were installed at private houses in the Netherlands. Greenpeace started a very successful campaign for solar power in 1999. That was the starting point for development of a serious solar power business. The solar power market doubled every year and the Dutch people became more aware of the use of renewable energy. People became more familiar with solar power because of several commercials for energy savings and the production of green electricity. Right now, every self respecting energy company sells green power and all Dutch people know what solar power is. Stroomwerk founded the Vereniging Zonnestroom (solar power union) and through this channel a lot of private house owners bought their standardised do-it-yourself solar power system. We provided clients who were interested in a solar system with simplified, clear and complete information. Thanks to this type of communication and the complete and easy-to-install solar packages the “Vereniging” (Union) became a huge success.

2003 became a year to remember; we had never sold so much solar capacity in one year. The Netherlands was one of the top 3 countries with the most solar power capacity per inhabitant, together with Germany and Japan. All together Stroomwerk sold about 14,5 MW of solar power. That’s about a quarter of the total installed Dutch capacity. Companies and organisations like Nuon, Medecins sans frontieres, Eneco, National Nature conservation, several Ministries and municipalities have ordered turn-key solar systems from Stroomwerk. They vary from little stand alone lighting systems to big, customised, professional solar power plants and from simple do-it-yourself kits for an employee benefit action to complete energy systems in Africa.