Photovoltaic specialist K-Helios finds a place in the sun

Autour d’Hugo Bernard, l’équipe au complet de K-Helios. Midi Libre – Alexis Béthune

L’entreprise vient de fêter ses 15 ans et de réaménager dans ses nouveaux locaux.

With around 200 private connections per year, and several large-scale projects carried out for the benefit of municipalities in the sector, K-Helios has become a major player in the photovoltaic sector.< /p>

The company which has just celebrated its 15th anniversary in its current legal form has just (re) taken possession of its premises in the business zone of Saint-Julien-des-Rosiers.

A booming economic sector

In order to diversify its activities, Thomas Bonnefille, president of Seeb, a company specializing in public works and networks, was at the origin of the buyout in 2017. In charge of electrical work within the Saint-Christol company , Hugo Bernard, 33 years old, naturally takes charge.

After laborious beginnings and technology to be refined, the company is now enjoying regional influence. It achieves a turnover of nearly 4 M€ with 22 employees, and is still recruiting.

"We have created six photovoltaic installations for the town hall of Saint-Privat, welcomes Hugo Bernard. But also three in Mons, two in Barjac and Saint-Christol. In Saint-Martin, we have equipped the mechanical center, the school and currently, the kindergarten. And this year, we are going to carry out our largest installation on the ground, with the shades of the Leclerc car park."

Economy rhymes with ecology

In addition to being “good for the planet”, photovoltaics allows for substantial savings. "This involves installing self-consumption solar panels. This covers part of the needs and reduces the electricity bill, by around 40 to 50%. Electricity that is not consumed on site is sent to the common network. It is resold on the global network thanks to a contract fixed over 20 years."

Overall, the depreciation of equipment takes place over approximately eight years. The lifespan of the panels is around thirty years. "They are then recycled. We can recover up to 94% of materials such as glass, copper, aluminum, silicon…"

With the new legal obligations regarding solar installation for car parks and the roofs of industrial and commercial buildings, the production of green electricity will increase. "We do not yet have the benefits of these obligations, concedes the business manager. We ourselves, thanks to our work, have opted for the new energy standards. We produce more than we consume. The surplus is used to power our seven electric vehicles, i.e. half of the car fleet."

A market that attracts opportunists

"Today, the marketé solar has become attractive, notes Hugo Bernard. Ça attracts opportunists, not to mention crooks. Customers must understand that an installation & 0 € or &agrav; 1 €, ça does not exist. The public must face à numerous misleading advertisements reinforced by aggressive canvassing."

Attracted by a possible “good deal”, customers quickly sign quotes and purchase orders. The work is often botched, the administrative procedures incomplete, which makes connection to the energy distributor impossible & agrave; get. "This is how we receive requests for help. Sometimes we can fix the situation, but it's always very complicated; in any case the customer leaves feathers there."

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