Zelestra, a leading company in the solar energy sector, announced during the FES Iberia 2025 conference in Madrid that it will prioritise long-term business models for its solar structure projects in Europe and Latin America. The goal is to reduce costs and minimise risks through tailored engineering solutions, comprehensive technical support, and financial backing from the Enstall-Blackstone group.

Held in June 2025, FES Iberia 2025 gathered top executives and technical leaders from the renewable energy sector to discuss the future of solar energy and storage solutions. Within this framework, Panel 4: “Trends in Solar Energy and Storage in Spain: Leaders’ Vision” brought together key figures from across the value chain to exchange ideas on market challenges and growth strategies.

During his intervention, Miguel García Asunción, Product Senior Structurer Southern Europe at Zelestra, detailed how the company intends to strengthen its position in the solar market.

“We believe there are two ways to approach the market: short-term, buying at the lowest possible price and quickly selling; or long-term, with a business model that includes 20, 30, or 40-year guarantees,” states García Asunción. With this declaration, the executive makes it clear that Zelestra is committed to sustainable, long-term growth.

Adaptive engineering is one of the cornerstones of this strategy. Zelestra tailors its structural designs to the specific conditions of each market. “In the Dominican Republic, for example, we developed a solar tracker that withstands winds of up to 270 kilometres per hour,” explains García Asunción. This ability to adapt allows the company to offer solutions that not only meet minimum safety standards but also ensure durability in challenging environments.

Furthermore, this design flexibility also applies to markets where price is the determining factor, such as some regions in Spain. “In these situations, we develop structures that meet the minimum safety requirements, guaranteeing 30 to 40 years of structural integrity and corrosion protection, while prioritising delivery speed and ease of installation,” the executive adds.

Financial backing and an integrated model: the keys to Zelestra’s success

Another key aspect of Zelestra’s proposal is the financial support that comes from being part of Enstall, which is owned by Blackstone. “This backing allows us to take financial risks we couldn’t assume before and develop products in a completely different way,” highlights García Asunción. Thanks to this financial strength, the company can offer long-term agreements, increase production capacity, and maintain competitive pricing without compromising on quality.

Zelestra also focuses on reducing contingency costs. “There are companies offering 20-year guarantees, but they’ll disappear in five. Developers who save 5 or 10% today on the initial purchase will realise in four or five years that the contingency costs are much higher,” warns García Asunción.

In this regard, the company has achieved one of the lowest returns on investment (ROI) in the market, according to the executive. “Our contingency costs are practically zero, and our operation and maintenance (O&M) costs are also minimal because we design from the outset to prevent long-term problems,” he affirms.

Zelestra also differentiates itself by providing technical support throughout all stages of the project. “We don’t carry out direct installation, but we do assemble the first solar tables alongside the EPC. This ensures that the installation procedure is correct from the start,” García Asunción comments. This approach facilitates knowledge transfer to the client and minimises errors in large-scale assembly.

The company also works with geotechnical engineering to assess topography, soil chemical conditions, and adapt the project layout, optimising each step of the construction process.

Zelestra’s message at Panel 4 of FES Iberia 2025 was clear: investing in solar structures should not be a short-term gamble, but a strategy designed for decades. The combination of adaptive engineering, robust financial backing, and comprehensive technical support makes the company a key player for those looking to maximise profitability and minimise risks in the development of solar plants across Europe and Latin America.

Watch the full panel: