Seppe’s journey to Sunrock has been shaped by technical growth, international experience, and a motivation to contribute to a clean energy future. From rooftop solar installations to integrated energy systems with storage, EV charging, and intelligent control, Seppe stands at the heart of Sunrock’s evolution.
From Offshore Engineering to the Energy Transition
After completing his Master’s degree in Hydraulic Engineering at Delft University of Technology, Seppe began his career in the offshore oil and gas industry. Over the eight years that followed, he lived and worked for five years in Southeast Asia.
“Living and working in different cultures taught me the importance of adaptability, collaboration, and intercultural awareness,” he explains.
Gradually, his motivation to contribute to a more sustainable future grew stronger. He felt a clear pull toward a sector that actively enables the energy transition. Through his professional network, he came into contact with Sunrock and immediately felt a strong connection with the company’s culture, ambition, and mission.
“At that time, Sunrock was still relatively small but definitely scaling up. That really appealed to me, because it offered the opportunity to help build the organisation while growing quickly.”
Seppe joined Sunrock nearly five and a half years ago as Team Lead Project Management for one of the largest rooftop solar portfolios in the Netherlands. Since then, he has held several roles, including leading Sunrock’s international expansion from a technical and operational perspective. Today, he is Head of Operations Netherlands, focusing on the successful development and delivery of integrated energy solutions. This represents a new and more complex chapter compared to the large-scale rooftop solar projects of the past.
A Role Across the Full Project Lifecycle
Today, Seppe leads a team responsible for delivering high-quality energy installations and services for both external customers and internal stakeholders, on time and within budget. This responsibility already begins at a very early stage of the project.
Together with his team, Seppe supports commercial colleagues during the (pre-)feasibility phase by fully understanding customers’ actual energy challenges. These challenges are then translated into technical solutions, such as running energy simulations, dimensioning assets, and requesting proposals from EPC partners.
After this phase, the team remains involved throughout the full project lifecycle: from contracting and construction to commissioning, testing, and the final handover to clients and internal teams such as Asset Management, Energy Contracting, and Energy Trading.
Because he operates with a broad diversity of stakeholders, a major part of Seppe’s role is about enabling others. He spends much of his time coaching and developing technical project managers, supporting technical decision-making, reviewing, negotiating and further improving project contracts, and framework agreements.
His agenda also includes recurring meetings with contractors, partners, and internal stakeholders. These meetings are essential to resolve issues, improve collaboration, optimise processes and tools, and stay aligned with market developments, regulations, and technological innovation. There are also recurring management activities, such as KPI and performance reporting and involvement in strategic internal projects.
“At its core, my role is about helping my team work better and more effectively every
day, and consistently deliver technically sound, high-quality solutions.”
Seppe also regularly aligns with colleagues in other countries and represents the interests of Operations at an international level. The result? Full agendas, diverse topics, and, as he puts it: “it’s never boring!”
What Makes Sunrock Different
“What really sets Sunrock apart for me is the drive, energy, and intrinsic motivation to create maximum value for our customers by acting as a true one-stop shop for energy challenges,” says Seppe. Sunrock places a strong focus on local energy production and local energy use (self- consumption), without compromising on quality or reliability.
This approach enables customers to use more sustainable energy on-site and actively contribute to the energy transition. At the same time, Sunrock’s long-term ownership model strengthens its commitment to durable partnerships with customers, contractors, and other stakeholders.
“Because we usually develop and own our assets for the long term, we look at the entire lifetime of a project and place strong emphasis on long-term partnerships,” Seppe explains. “Since many of our projects are realised through project financing, this requires thorough (technical) due diligence. Ultimately, this leads to better projects for everyone involved. All our projects meet high standards, not only technically and financially, but also in terms of ESG and QHSE – safety, people, and the environment.”
Underpinning all of this is an engaged, talented, and culturally diverse team. According to Seppe, it is this combination of ambition, long-term thinking, and a strong sense of responsibility for people and the environment that truly makes Sunrock special.
Proud of Teams, Growth, and impact
When asked about his proudest moment at Sunrock, Seppe does not point to a single project. There are many: his very first project in Rotterdam, helping to set up the team and office in France, or seeing Sunrock surpass 1.3 GWh of clean energy production.
Yet his greatest pride lies in something less tangible: leading and being part of a high- performing team.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see how people develop, learn, adapt, and grow in an ever-changing and challenging environment,” he says. Whether the challenge comes from political developments, new regulations, or technological change, supporting teams through that complexity and contributing to their growth is what motivates him most.
A Personal Connection to the Mission
For Seppe, the connection to the energy transition is not only professional, but also deeply personal. As an avid scuba diver, he has seen the effects of climate change with his own eyes, from coral bleaching to damaged reefs and declining biodiversity.
“It’s no longer abstract,” he explains. “You can see it happening underwater.”
While he believes that broader systemic change is needed for the planet to recover, Seppe sees the energy transition as a crucial pillar in that process. Sunrock’s mission to move away from fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to clean energy resonates strongly with him. Being able to contribute to that mission through his daily work gives him great satisfaction and pride.
Looking Ahead: From Energy Assets to Smart Energy Hubs
Looking to the future, Seppe is especially excited about the shift away from simply producing renewable energy toward enabling energy to be used where and when it is really needed.
Developments in energy storage, heat solutions such as heat pumps and thermal storage, Energy Management Systems, EV charging, mobility, smart or mini-grids, and industrial processes open up entirely new possibilities.
“It’s no longer about simply adding individual installations,” he says, “but about intelligently managing how and when energy is produced, stored, and consumed.”
Deeper integration between electricity, mobility, heat, flexibility, congestion solutions, and data- driven optimisation paves the way for truly smart energy hubs. These increase the value, reliability, and usability of locally produced renewable energy.
According to Seppe, Sunrock is ideally positioned to play an active role in this transformation. By pushing boundaries with innovative solutions and entrepreneurship, Sunrock can help shape– and challenge – existing laws and regulations, allowing them to evolve alongside the energy system.
In doing so, Sunrock continues to accelerate the transition toward a resilient, responsible, and truly clean energy future.
