The 360Energy Group announced the creation of its new unit specializing in EPC services for solar parks and third-party storage systems. thus transforming a capability originally developed to run its own assets into an independent business.
The initiative builds upon over 500 MW of installed capacity, 20 completed photovoltaic parks and projects, and more than 1,200,000 panels installed across eight Argentine provinces and Brazil. Now, the company is making this infrastructure available to other developers, power generators, and industries, targeting a specific market segment.
“There are opportunities for established companies like ours that already know the market. The markets that are currently viable, and where medium-sized companies like ours can be efficient, range from 1 MW to 5 MW comfortably, and beyond. We have even completed 100 MW projects with ease,” stated Francisco Recaré , general manager of 360EPC Solar.
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“I think there’s a gap there that "Today, this is being covered by local companies that have achieved that mix between technical knowledge and structure, something that global companies have not been able to do," he added during the streaming program "It Had to Be Said and It Was Said , " which is run by Energía Estratégica.
The diagnosis combines scale and specialization. And the unit called 360EPC Solar reaches this new stage with 300 MW of its own operational capacity and nearly 200 MW built for other generators in Argentina , including around 100 MW completed in Brazil.
Therefore, the aim is not to create a construction division from scratch. Rather , the innovation lies in separating that capability, giving it a commercial identity, and systematically offering it to third parties.
“The core business, which is power generation, remains unchanged. What we're adding now is this opportunity as an EPC contractor. We see a strong need in the market for experienced EPC contractors and a great deal of demand for these types of services,” Recaré emphasized.
“The first point has to do with technically understanding the construction and developing the most critical areas internally and not depending on third parties,” the executive pointed out.
That model has already been implemented in Brazil. There, 360Energy built approximately 100 MW with its own equipment and concentrated subcontracting on non-essential activities, including some earthmoving.
Recaré contrasts this methodology with models that have been gaining ground among large international contractors "towards a more management/integrator scheme", but 360EPC Solar's approach is different, internalizing engineering with its own resources which allows it to ensure quality, project safety objectives, deadlines and more.
“Our goal is precisely to approach clients at an early stage, also helping in the definition of strategic points of the projects since in the engineering stage, in the early stage, optimizations and some efficiency are often achieved that are more difficult later on,” the interviewee explained.
This approach will initially be applied in Argentina and Brazil , where the group already has operations and local teams. Mexico appears as the next step in an expansion that the company intends to carry out gradually.
The new subsidiary will also have projects underway from its inception. Among its first assets are the Realicó and Arrecifes solar parks , awarded to 360Energy under the RenMDI program, along with the BESS projects in Nonogasta, Mayer, and Realicó II , belonging to AlmaSADI.
The group is simultaneously experiencing a growth phase with over 200 MW of photovoltaic projects under development and construction in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico . This is in addition to 68 MW in BESS following the AlmaSADI tender awards and the upcoming RenMDI developments, which will incorporate photovoltaic generation with storage.
In Brazil, the operation of Porto Real, Goiana and Betim is also planned, three industrial self-supply solutions that together reach 100 MW.
The portfolio also includes an 11 MW photovoltaic carport , presented by the firm as the largest in Latin America, which combines renewable production with vehicle coverage in large parking areas.
More than 50% of parks already come with batteries
Storage is beginning to alter the composition of the business opportunities the company receives. More than half of the inquiries for photovoltaic installations already include associated batteries , an even higher proportion in self-consumption projects.
“Today, a high percentage of photovoltaic systems, perhaps more than 50%, are already hybridized and come with their own battery. In self-consumption, almost 100% come with batteries, and in utility-scale applications, quotes with associated batteries are also starting to arrive,” revealed the general manager of 360EPC Solar.
According to the executive, the progress is due to two factors: the need to manage solar intermittency and the drop in battery costs , which opened up configurations that were not economically competitive a few years ago.
On the other hand, 360EPC Solar is also closely monitoring another variable that could change plant construction in the coming years: the automation of certain assembly tasks. The company analyzed robotic equipment for module placement during Intersolar Munich. However, it still finds a limited operational track record to accelerate its adoption.
“I think it’s something that might not happen in the very short term, but it will happen in the medium term, and perhaps gradually. Sooner or later it will surely happen. The pace of evolution is much faster (...) there is an adoption of technological solutions that generate some kind of efficiency,” the interviewee anticipated.
The implementation will depend both on the proven performance of these solutions and on the balance between technological investment and labor costs in each market . The expectation is not an abrupt replacement of personnel, but rather gradual productivity improvements.
In this scenario, the new unit seeks to convert its own experience into exportable capacity and support a regional demand that is increasingly combining photovoltaics, storage and engineering adapted to each location .
“What began as a necessity now puts us in a position to capitalize on that, to bring that experience to the market, and to be key players in facilitating the adoption of this type of technology in Argentina, Brazil, and probably in Mexico,” Recaré concluded.