25 years of SOLARA

Today, the use of solar energy is completely standard and general knowledge. For sailboats and motorhomes, a solar module has become a standard product. It is impossible to imagine life without it.

25 years ago, this was quite different. Although there was already a relatively large selection of solar modules, the benefits were unknown to most people. Hardly anyone could imagine that electricity could come from anything other than a socket. Self-generated electricity from solar cells seemed unrealistic, except for pocket calculators. The prevailing opinion was that the amount of sunshine at our latitude would not be sufficient and that the technology was not yet fully developed.

"Education was necessary and would already convince people of solar energy," said Thomas Rudolph, founder of SOLARA.

In 1987, a world congress on solar energy took place in Hamburg. The message of the experts at that time: After more than 100 years of corresponding research achievements, it was clear that solar energy was a clean alternative to conventional power generation and could be used on a much larger scale than was usual at that time. That was the initial spark and the reason why Thomas Rudolph started working for a Hamburg engineer with a small shop for solar energy in 1988 after his studies. 

Rudolph worked there for eight years. Originally he was selling various products, mostly homemade with solar cells, in the shop in Gärtnerstraße. Seamen from faraway countries came and used their wages to buy small solar modules for their families in places without electricity. Soon the shop became known not only to sailors but also to allotment gardeners, yachters and motorhome owners. 

In 1996, Thomas Rudolph thought that more people should be able to enjoy solar technology and that selling directly to end customers was not the best way. His idea: where people usually buy their accessories for motorhomes or sailboats, solar technology must also be offered. The managing director of the small engineering firm preferred to stick to his last and let Rudolph move on after eight years of apprenticeship.

With his friend and colleague Hans Jacobs, Thomas Rudolph founded SOLARA in 1996 when he was just 32 years old. The motivation was enormous. Having just become a father and thinking of a future worth living in. With environmentally friendly and infinite solar power for the children of this world. "When my children are grown up, solar systems should be normal on sailboats, mobile homes and even on houses," was already his idea back then.

Thanks to a business start-up initiative in Hamburg (HEI), corresponding state loans and guarantees and the Deutsche Bank, which also believed in the future of solar energy, a new company was launched despite the very modest equity of the two founders. SOLARA was born and already had the first employee, Dipl.-Ing. Frank Heise. Who would also be managing partner of SOLARA in 2014 in Hamburg.

After the first attempts came out of the garage and living room from Thomas Rudolph, it was clear that a real office with a warehouse, and as usual small shop had to be found in Hamburg. Quickly a suitable domicile was found in Hamburg Eimsbüttel. The second employee, Bozena Frejlich, has just been hired. To this day, she is the faithful soul in order processing and well-known to all customers worldwide.

The founders initially concentrated almost exclusively on the boat and motor home market in Germany. Own fair stand at all relevant exhibitions and intensive contacts with potential resellers quickly led to the planned success. "We have overcome the skepticism about solar energy and ignorance of their great advantages by emphasizing the benefits and not the technology," says Thomas Rudolph. Not watts, volts and amps were the focus, but information about which electrical equipment you can operate with solar and how long. The simple representation of the average day (Wh / d) of a solar module was born. Thus it was now easy to bring the electricity demand of the consumers in relation to the solar yield. The specialist was able to quickly identify the customer's needs and then recommend the appropriate solar module. This was the breakthrough in sales. According to the motto "Make it simple". Today you would probably say "plug and play".

The premises were quickly too small and already in 1999 the next move to Hamburg Altona had to be made. In the meantime more than 12 employees were employed at SOLARA, and sales had risen to several million DM.

From then on the development continued in huge steps. The double-digit million mark was quickly broken, and SOLARA was one of the first major players in Europe. With the start of the "100,000 roofing program", the funding initiative of the Federal Government in 1999, solar modules for grid systems were also manufactured. In 2004, a trade magazine drew SOLARA not only as the best brand of the year, but also supplied the solar modules for the world's largest roof-mounted system for BMW in Dingolfing, Bavaria.