In its business strategy for 2023-28, Columbus outlines short- and long-term goals. It also arranges plans for foreign expansion and BESS market operations.
The published Columbus strategy indicates several key areas where the management sees the potential for long-term development of the Group, building market value and generating profit. However, before that, Columbus will focus on the achievement of short-term goals, known as quick-wins, which include: stabilizing and developing sales for homes and business in Poland, foreign expansion to new markets such as Slovenia and Croatia, significant or complete reduction of financing from investor DC24 ASI, acquiring a strategic investor for large-scale energy warehouses, entry into further CEE markets, commercialization of Columbus Technologies products (also abroad), construction and sale of photovoltaic farms, and implementation of direct sales, i.e. online sales to the end customer.
– In our new strategy, we strive to separate each of the 3 main pillars of Columbus’s operations – so that transactions carried out, for example, in large-scale assets do not obscure the real achievements of our core business, which is the sale of photovoltaic installations for individual, business and public sector customers – comments Dawid Zieliński, President of Columbus Energy S.A.– The novelty in the first pillar will be the launch of the online sales channel and the Reseller service, namely servicing and wholesale sales of RES devices. The second pillar, Columbus Assets, will include the development of photovoltaic farm projects in Poland and abroad, as well as the construction of large-scale energy warehouses. Here the novelty will be the goal of building unique competence in designing, constructing and managing large-scale energy warehouses. The third pillar – Columbus Technologies, will focus on the commercialization of our technological products, which we have been working on for 4 years, and which has been developed by our R&D Department for 2 years, i.e. PowerHouse HEMS, Voltage Regulator, SCADA or Smart-Node technology. We also plan to tighten cooperation and build even greater synergy with Saule Technologies.
In the strategic plans, the Columbus Management Board strongly emphasizes the role of large-scale energy warehouses in future, long-term profits.
– We currently have projects for 724 MW of energy warehouses, of which 398 MW have issued connection conditions, and one project, for 133 MW , has won an auction on the power market. We assume further development of the investment portfolio of large-scale energy warehouses, which are key to the future energy system – claims Dawid Zieliński.
Among the long-term strategic goals, Columbus’ foreign expansion catches the eye. The group intends to provide installation, sales and after-sales services for photovoltaics, heat pumps, energy warehouses and electric vehicle charging stations for residential, business and public sectors in Central and Eastern Europe. By the end of 2028, Columbus wants to launch its full portfolio of services in: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia and – if the situation allows – in Ukraine.
– In a five-year perspective of development and implementation of the business strategy, we set goals for ourselves that will permanently strengthen our position in the CEE region. One of them is to build unique know-how in designing, constructing and servicing large-scale energy warehouses. Another goal that I have dreamt of realizing for several years, and for which I invest resources in the development of the R&D Department, is the implementation of technology for the virtual prosumer, and thus opening the availability to the Columbus ecosystem for customers living in multi-family buildings – admits Dawid Zieliński.
