Spotlight on Zoe Hu, Chairman and CEO at Sunpure Technology
Personal Bio:
Ms. Zoe Hu was appointed Chairman & CEO in July 2022. She has been serving as CEO of Sunpure Technology and in charge of the overall business operation and management since 2020.
Ms. Hu has over 18 years of experience in energy and mechanical industry. She has set up the platform of R&D and system of marketing & sales as well as production for Sunpure. She guided the company to achieve a fast growth within 2 years, becoming one of the most promising PV cleaning robot companies in the world.
Ms. Hu graduated from University of Science and Technology of China, with a master degree of International Finance.
Please describe your role at Sunpure Technology as well as your industry expertise.
I was appointed Chairman & CEO in July 2022. I have been serving as CEO of Sunpure Technology and in charge of the overall business operation and management since 2020.
I have set up the platform of R&D and system of marketing & sales as well as production for Sunpure. I guided the company to achieve a fast growth within 2 years, becoming one of the most promising PV cleaning robot companies in the world.
Prior to joining Sunpure, I have been deeply involved in the MENA region for years, managing subsidiaries in the UAE, Algeria, Morocco, etc. I have more than 10 years experiences in the energy industry. The MENA energy market is the area I am familiar with and bond with, having provided full-chain solutions for a wide variety of clients.
How did your story in renewables begin, and in your opinion, how much has it changed since then, if at all?
Under the circumstance of Net Zero Emissions, the global PV market is vast and the incremental expectations are clear. Sunpure seized the opportunity and was established in 2019 and is committed to becoming a leader in cleaning technology. Represented by countries in MENA region such as KSA and the UAE, more and more large PV power plants are being built and put into use in these years, customer awareness of using PV cleaning robots is rapidly increasing. Thus, the demand for cleaning robots is exploding rapidly, and Sunpure’s robots have become one of the most important components in PV power plants in MENA region.
Sunpure provides customized intelligent PV cleaning solutions according to each project site's environmental characteristics to meet the challenges of harsh environments. Meanwhile, the high degree automation of Sunpure's robots effectively reduces manual operations and labor costs; at the same time, the daily soiling loss can be reduced to below 0.5%, significantly improving the efficiency of PV power generation and lowing the levelized cost of energy (LCOE).
Can you tell us about your most advanced sector (solution or service) and what sets you apart from other competitors?
We have independent R&D and innovation capability, continuously carrying out R&D investments up to 3 million dollars per year, which we believe is even higher than the sum up value of all our competitors in China. We have set up comprehensive testing facilities for full cycle throughout product development and project delivery. We cooperate with many top research institutes both locally and abroad, and have over a hundred high quality patents and achieved well recognized certifications from IEC/CE.
Secondly, as the first eco-chain enterprise of Sungrow, Sunpure has a standard management system with the ability to cover the whole process of product management and sustainable operation, effectively guaranteeing the reliability and stability of products and ensuring on-time and high-quality project delivery.
Last but not least, we have been deeply involved in the PV industry for years, with global localization service capability, providing local technical team services for key markets, sharing the global service network of Sungrow; and ensuring the ability to guarantee large-scale project delivery and large-scale supply of high-quality products, so that to gain the trust from customers worldwide.
What's a recent milestone Sunpure Technology has achieved that you would like to share with us?
Sunpure has recently launched a brand new system -- SmartPure Cloud Platform. Based on the cloud platform and big data technology, the SmartPure Cloud Platform system provides PV power plant cleaning with an intelligent, convenient, efficient, and safe solution through intelligent methods such as remote monitoring and management, full-dimensional perception of the power plant site, one-stop access with intelligent equipment, and remote issuance of operation strategies to fully meet the management needs of users.
In addition, we are proud to announce that Sunpure completed the Pre-A round of financing worth tens of millions of yuan in July 2022. The round was led by GL Ventures and followed by Kexun Lianshan Entrepreneur Fund. The financing will mainly be used for product R&D and market expansion. The financing from well-known ventures is a significant milestone for Sunpure and a favorable proof that the company will continue to grow steadily and healthily.
What are your expectations for the MENA region in terms of growth and new opportunities for Sunpure Technology?
The PV industry is growing rapidly and opportunities abound in MENA region, making it a key market for Sunpure. We have successfully delivered our products at various locations in MENA such as Red Sea and Rabigh in KSA, with a cumulative delivery of nearly 1GW. It’s a great honor that we have become an indispensable supplier of PV cleaning robots in this market.
In the future, Sunpure will continue to engage the MENA market, accelerate the localization process, understand local demands, shorten the service response time and provide more cost-effective services to serve clients in MENA region.
How does Sunpure offer innovative efficient solutions unique to MENA’s Solar Industry?
There are vast deserts in the Middle East, and various extreme climatic conditions are very likely to cause sand accumulation in the modules that will affect power generation.
Under these circumstances, Sunpure’s intelligent PV cleaning solution has three main unique advantages: the first is water-free cleaning, a fully automatic intelligent cleaning solution to make sure waterless operation; secondly, it is module friendly, and the cleaning brush can operate reliably in high temperature, which is also anti-UV aging; lastly, a local technical team provides a response service commitment within 48 hours.
Taking the Red Sea project in KSA as an example, the project had the most challenging environmental conditions, 1000+ automatic robots with optimized design solutions realize the requirements of adapting to high temperatures, high winds, and corrosive environments.
In addition, the PV power plant in Rabigh adopted Sunpure’s unique 2P single-axis tracking system to realize the double gain of "tracking + intelligent cleaning".
In summary, Sunpure’s innovative capabilities, customized services and local response teams can fully serve the Middle East market
About Sunpure Technology
As a high-tech innovative enterprise, specializing in R&D, Manufacturing, Sales and Service of Intelligent PV Cleaning Robots, Sunpure Technology is committed to provide a standardized, professional and intelligent cleaning solution for solar power plants. Sunpure is dedicated to continuous technology innovation with over 3 million dollars being invested in R&D each year. Our R&D team is equipped with a group of professionals comprising of industry experts and research doctorates who have developed patented IOT based Automatic Robotic Cleaning System (ARCS) for PV module cleaning. Sunpure is the first in the industry to implement the life cycle management strategy for the robotic cleaning products. The products have been certified by global certification bodies such as TüV, CE, CGC, etc.