Rafael Jiménez is an environmental activist and a great believer in the advantages of solar energy. He worked for a solar panel installation company until he managed to convince several businessmen to invest in creating their own installation company, which he would run himself. This is how José Ignacio Simón, José Enrique Galvez, Roger Camalies and Marcos López –owners, some of them, of an image and sound company and several bars, restaurants and beach bars– became Jiménez's partners with hardly any experience in the renewable energy sector.
The entrepreneur convinced his partners before the covid pandemic broke out and took advantage of home confinement to design the business plan. In September 2020, Solarprat was born, prepared to face the great growth that solar self-consumption has registered in recent years. The Solarprat site does not need much explanation, and the prat comes from El Prat de Llobregat, where all the partners are from. However, Jiménez explains that to lower costs they have moved the company's headquarters to Sant Boi de Llobregat.
In just three years, they have carried out more than 1,600 installations that add up to more than 19,000 solar panels. “We carry out high quality and personalized solar self-consumption installations. We don't fight over prices, but our added value is pre-sales and post-sales services”, says the executive director. With the help of the popular television presenter Jordi Hurtado, who acts as the company's ambassador, they are aimed above all at homes, which represent 80% of the business, with the remaining 20% being installations for companies.
Solarprat has grown fast, very fast, at the rate of solar self-consumption in Spain. In 2021, the company had a turnover of 1.5 million euros, in 2022 it achieved a turnover of 6.7 million euros, and the founding partners plan to eat the grapes at the end of 2023 with a turnover of 9 million of euros. All thanks to an initial investment of 25,000 euros and a subsequent capital increase of 200,000 euros.
The company's main market is Catalonia, where in addition to the headquarters in Sant Boi de Llobregat they have offices in Tarragona. In order to conquer more roofs in other areas of the country, the company has opened offices in Alcorcón (Community of Madrid). Between the three headquarters and the team of installers, which unlike other companies in the sector is its own (not subcontracted), Solarprat employs 85 people.
