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Establishing CSSI and turning it into the most successful community-funded PPA provider in the country.
About
Smart Commercial Solar
In The Beginning
Smart Commercial Solar was born in 2012 when when Founder and CEO Huon Hoogesteger saw a need to increase the standard of commercial solar and disrupt the traditional energy retail model with a new way of purchasing power for organisations.
The business began by focusing on the geographical areas where electricity prices were hurting businesses the most - regional NSW. Throughout the first year, we worked to offset some of the highest network prices in Australia, while growing our team and capability.
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Huon Hoogesteger- Managing Director
Ahead of The Curve
In these early days, we pioneered Power Purchase Agreements (or PPAs), the popularity of which massively accelerated the uptake of solar in the commercial space. In 2013 we helped to incorporate ClearSky Solar Investments (CSSI) a not-for-profit social enterprise linking community investors with quality solar projects.
From that point on, it was blue skies for Smart Commercial Solar. We expanded our expertise by recruiting the top talent in the field and doubled down on our data-driven approach, which helped us to secure our first key clients; HammondCare and Bunnings Warehouse.
We also gained industry recognition, winning the Australian Innovation Challenge; being named an Anthill Smart 100 Company; and receiving several nominations for the Clean Energy Council design awards, which we won in 2019.
Our industry firsts and standout accomplishments include:
Delivering Carlton & United Breweries behind-the-meter PPA projects - Australia's largest corporate rooftop PPA encompassing two of the five largest rooftop solar systems in Australia.
Delivering the largest behind-the-meter solar project in Australia for McCain Foods (Aust) Pty Ltd in 2019.
Developing longstanding partnerships with customers like Bunnings Warehouse, Frasers Property and Officeworks.
From our humble beginnings, we’re proud to have achieved consistent year-on-year growth of 70-100% since inception, becoming one of the largest solar companies in the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) space.
Along with our financial success, we’re endlessly proud of our team, which has grown from three full-time staff to over 52 of the smartest minds in the industry.
Get In Touch
Contact us today to learn more about how Commercial Solar can work for your business
Smart Insights
Explore Our Energy Capability
Start your energy assessment by downloading our capability statement.
