Pioneers in sustainable energy
Qanta Energy represents the next generation of independent energy producers, redefining the way energy is produced, managed and consumed.
Our team has been active in the energy transition for over two decades. With backgrounds at major players of the energy sector, our experts have completed more than 80 projects in the fields of heat and electric energy production (geothermal, bioenergy, wind, solar), municipal projects (district heating) and energy renovation of buildings.
We design, plan and implement energy infrastructure suited to your needs. We finance the entire project, using well-proven and certified technologies.
We put you at the heart of the energy revolution.
Experts at your service
Our collaborative approach is reflected in our multi-disciplinary team which has extensive experience in implementing landmark sustainable energy projects.
Together, as part of a co-responsible approach, we design innovative and effective solutions, tailored to your needs.
Pierre-Loïc CAÏJO
Chief Executive Officer
Passionate entrepreneur, dedicated to the revolution of the energy sector to make it more sustainable and equitable.
Pierre-Antoine BARRAILLÉ
Chief Operating Officer
Master at optimising processes, guaranteeing operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Marc ISLER
Head of Development
An expert in the field, meticulous and determined, invested in the strategic development of projects, while forging strong, lasting relationships.
Cedric SENETAIRE
Sales Manager
Field technical sales representative with technical and energy expertise in operations and maintenance for over 25 years, he is your sales contact who listens to your projects.
Our history
Qanta Energy has been a renewable energy player since 2010, founded and run by experts in the sector since 2000.
2012
Start of our activities as a Swiss specialist in renewable energy investments
2012
Launch of the first investment fund dedicated to the construction of international solar projects
2015
Best renewable infrastructure fund
2020
Focusing on the Swiss market and developing our first projects
2023
Name change and new positioning: Qanta Energy, a local, independent producer of renewable energy
Learn about Qanta Energy
Pierre-Loïc Caïjo, founder of Qanta Energy SA, tells us about the ambitions of this new independent Swiss energy producer and how it intends to innovate and differentiate itself in the renewable energy market.
Qanta Energy SA is an independent energy producer. We aim at becoming a major player in the energy transition. We are sustainable energy experts and bring innovative solutions to our customers. Our mission is to decarbonise the economy by improving the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings through the deployment of “zero-carbon” energy systems that we finance, own and operate.
In practical terms, we primarily deploy “energy contracting” schemes, which means that we install energy systems without any investment from the building owners, and sell energy (heating, domestic hot water, cooling and electricity) produced locally and 100% renewable to local consumers. We also work with the “energy performance contract” scheme, which enables us to finance the thermal renovation of our customers’ buildings in order to improve their energy efficiency.
Qanta Energy was already active internationally since 2010 in the field of large-scale solar projects before starting operations in Switzerland. To date, the company has built a portfolio of projects that produces enough clean energy to power around 25,000 homes a year.
First and foremost, our company is 100% owned by its management. Our team is highly specialised, which means we can react quickly and flexibly. Our decision-making processes are short and we don’t have the disadvantage of high structural costs. Our customers appreciate this dynamism.
From a technical standpoint, we have more experience in modern renewable energy than most of our competitors. We’ve been building and operating solar energy infrastructures for over 10 years, not only in the building sector, but also in the field of very large ground-mounted projects – a hands-on experience that none of our competitors has to date. Our team is also highly experienced in district heating projects for local authorities and industrial players. So, in terms of technical expertise, we have the same skills as the largest players in the sector.
Drawing on our many years of experience, we have developed unique know-how in structuring, managing and optimising our energy assets. This enables our projects to achieve higher levels of performance than those of our competitors.
Finally, we differ from the incumbents in that we do not seek to sell electricity from centralised production facilities that have a negative impact on the environment, meaning we do not have conflict of interest that could hinder our objective to decarbonise and make self-sufficient as many buildings and communities as possible.
Switzerland is facing a profound upheaval in its electricity market: the planned phase-out of nuclear power, decarbonisation and the energy crisis. Whatever the scenario envisaged for 2030 and beyond, the energy mix will include a very large proportion of renewable domestic production and we will see a strong increase in electricity consumption due to the electrification of our needs (mobility and heating). At the same time, we will need to rationalise our energy consumption.
These challenges represent a unique opportunity for players in the energy sector. We will have to invest massively in solar energy, at a rate 3 to 4 times higher than at present, electrify our needs (heat pumps, electric vehicles) and renovate our existing buildings from a thermal standpoint.
Although we know how to design and finance these installations, the main obstacles to achieving the energy transition are administrative – the procedures are still far too cumbersome and time-consuming – and the availability of manpower – which we will necessarily have to find abroad.
The main renewable energy sources we use are solar energy (photovoltaic or thermal) and geothermal energy. These technologies are now perfectly reliable, and we now know that photovoltaic installations, if they are well designed, have a lifespan of well over 30 years. Geothermal energy is designed to operate for at least 60 years. Solar resources are widely available in Switzerland: the country receives energy from the sun equivalent to 200 times its annual consumption. For these reasons, all our installations produce solar energy; as a back-up and on a marginal basis, we can supply electricity from the grid, using the usual sources of energy.
Qanta Energy is first and foremost a company with a mission, which is to be a major player in the energy transition in Switzerland and internationally. We measure our success in terms of the decarbonisation of the economy, which is directly linked to the volume of electricity or renewable heat consumed by our customers, and the level of individual performance of each of our projects.
We also measure our success by the development of a healthy corporate culture in which our employees find consistency between their convictions and professional fulfilment.
Our customers consume 100% renewable electricity or heat, generated and consumed locally, thus avoiding the consumption, transport and distribution of energy from fossil, nuclear or hydro sources – each of which has a negative environmental impact, to varying degrees.
For example, we ensure that the overall carbon footprint of each of our facilities is positive from the first 2-3 years of operation – i.e. that the CO2 impact required to manufacture, transport and install our equipment is offset by the consumption of clean energy.
As far as regulations are concerned, our facilities comply with current safety and construction standards. All our utility equipment (solar panels, inverters, heat pumps, batteries, etc.) complies with internationally recognised technical standards and certifications.
Our team members have lived through the energy transition as stakeholders in several countries over several decades and are convinced that the obstacles to the transition are not technological but mainly financial, administrative and, to a lesser extent, cultural.
In other words, the energy transition can only be achieved on a large scale if there is, on the one hand, strong support for the technologies employed among the general public, public authorities and economic players and, on the other, the removal of financial barriers such as the initial investment in these technologies or the simplification of administrative procedures for carrying out this type of project.
The solutions proposed by Qanta Energy aim to remove the financial barrier represented by the initial investment by proposing to our clients that we invest in these infrastructures ourselves. We apply this model to projects on large residential buildings, commercial and industrial buildings and also on a municipal scale. Our customers are the central stakeholders in the projects, and we work closely with them to envisage the best possible technical and financial configuration.
First, energy runs in the family ! My father has been in this field since the 70s and I was lucky enough to visit some of the large conventional power stations he was working on, which helped me realise very early on the vital role of energy in the economy – it underpins everything – and then, much later, the considerable impact of these technologies on our environment.
Since my generation had been made aware of environmental issues, I found renewable energies a fascinating subject, since it addresses major economic and social issues, while also having a strong technological component. I started to work on wind and hydropower projects while an intern in 1997, and then on hydrogen fuel cells during my Master’s thesis in 1999. Finally, at the start of my career, in 2000, I decided to specialise in investment in renewable technologies and infrastructures, a decision that was not immediately obvious at the time, but that has makes perfect sense since.
