How Did ESTG Begin? ESTG: Leading in Positive Energy

It all started in 2008 when Klaas Galama, the owner of ESTG, visited his sister in Sydney, Australia, to meet his newborn niece. With a long journey ahead, he purchased the book The Permanent Oil Crisis (2008) by Willem Middelkoop at Schiphol Airport. Little did he know then how much this book would impact his life.

During the trip, he read about Peak Oil and how the world population would face skyrocketing fuel prices and energy crises. The entire time he was in Sydney, Klaas kept thinking about this concept. Was this the kind of world he wanted to leave behind for his young niece and his own eight-year-old daughter?

Upon his return, Klaas decided he wanted to make a positive contribution to a more sustainable planet, and the rapidly growing solar industry seemed like a logical path to follow. Together with a friend, he founded the installation company Atama Solar Energy. The company grew quickly, driven by the strong rise of solar energy.

To improve the challenging supply chain from the Far East, Klaas started a purchasing collective. Early customers included project developers in Italy, Germany, Spain, and the UK, and thus ESTG—European Solar Technology Group—was born.

E-commerce Platform

In 2013, under changing market conditions, Klaas Galama decided to adjust his strategy and expand through an e-commerce platform. By leveraging state-of-the-art software and operational excellence in business processes, he quickly established himself as a key supplier for solar installers not only in the Netherlands but also far beyond.

Since 2010, the company has experienced unprecedented growth, necessitating five relocations in a short time to keep up with the expansion. As of 2021, ESTG supplies to 38 countries across Europe, with an expanded product range that includes EV chargers, energy storage, and LED lighting. Klaas Galama states, “We have grown tremendously over the past years, but we are essentially just at the beginning of our mission: to massively drive the world towards sustainability together with our customers.”

Challenges

The company’s rapid growth has naturally brought many challenges, such as finding qualified staff, supply chain issues, and logistical hurdles—factors that have sometimes significantly increased the workload and tested customer loyalty. However, the mutual loyalty between management and staff remains strong, with everyone pulling together during these periods.

Supply chain management is also a major challenge due to the continuous fast growth in this young industry. Development and expansion of production often do not align with market demand, leading to persistent imbalances between supply and demand. Think of capacity shortages, container shortages, chip shortages, and raw material shortages. Such situations require constant monitoring and creativity to ensure all waiting customers receive the products they order.

Future

Klaas Galama looks to the future of ESTG with confidence: “We supply installers across the entire European continent. Our primary goal is to further improve our processes to serve our customers even better. This means buying more effectively and further streamlining our internal and logistics processes. Additionally, we aim to be a one-stop shop for sustainable energy products.”

#OneTeam

The slogan #OneTeam runs like a thread throughout the entire company. Every employee contributes to the final result and is therefore indispensable in the bigger picture. The sense of togetherness embodied by #OneTeam also extends to ESTG's customers: together, we make the world more sustainable to pass on to future generations.

Mission

ESTG's mission is to leave a more sustainable world for future generations.

Vision

To accelerate Europe’s transition to sustainable energy.