Q&A with Greenbuddies

Sales Buddy Jan Textor - a young professional with an electrical engineering background who is in charge of the Greenbuddies Charging sales team

Development Buddy Michael Červenka - a development expert who is now focusing on the construction of new photovoltaic power plants in the Czech Republic

Sales Buddy David Vaclavík - the youngest addition to our sales support team, with a background in economics and environmental science

Find out more about Jan, Michael and David in our answers to all your questions.

Jan Textor

• What was your first impression of Greenbuddies?

That they are a professional, competent and above all friendly team of people who enjoy their work and are not afraid of any new challenges.

• If you could change one thing in the solar industry, what would it be?

Simplifying legislation and removing unnecessary bureaucracy would definitely help the solar industry. Fortunately, this is already happening to some extent, but I think it is still not enough. Also more government support for PV installations other than just on rooftops/open fields. There is a growing interest in photovoltaic shelters and I think they should be encouraged more.

• What do you do when you're not working?

I would say nothing out of the ordinary. I like to watch a good film or series. I also try to be active and do various sports, especially tennis or table tennis and skiing in winter if there is time. And of course I like to go out for a good meal and drink with friends or cook something for them at home.

Michael Červenka

• Tell me, how did you get to work for Greenbuddies?

I am a real estate development specialist. I have always chosen projects that appealed to me not only for their profitability but also for the quality of their content - the idea, the interesting location, the quality of the architecture, the social utility and environmental sustainability. These are the things that interest me. Greenbuddies appealed to me with a similar approach, a perfect economic foundation, well set management, a dynamic growing industry that sustainably addresses very pressing needs for all of us.

• What was your first impression of Greenbuddies?

My first impression was that they are unstoppable! We are The Unstoppables!  The Greenbuddies' motto is fulfilled without fail by a group of dedicated professionals with a healthy passion and enthusiasm for their work, who even when faced with difficult tasks do not lose their optimism and belief in the success and meaning of what they do. These are the people I want to meet and work with.

• If you could change one thing in the solar industry, what would it be?

Building code and capacity on the power grid. How? In the case of the building law, we need to simplify the permitting process as much as possible and shorten the timeframes for RES permitting. For the grid, we need transparency and faster capacity additions in the grid.

For the rest, we have our own methodology and the sun, which has reliably supplied energy to our planet for more than 4,500,002,023 years !

David Vaclavík

• What is your personal opinion on what should be done with the renewable energy/solar industry?

First of all, I believe that renewables in general should not be associated with politics. From what I see around me, the first thing people think of, at least in the Czech Republic, is green deals or government subsidies, and renewable energy plants are often seen almost as a public enemy, and that the owners of the plants are thieves because they "got" money for it... I, on the other hand, think that renewables, and green ones at that, are a great tool for independence, whether it's to change electricity prices or to protect against blackouts in case of a disaster, or to provide energy in remote areas. Personally, I do not think we should snap our fingers and go green, but different types of renewable energy should be cleverly incorporated into all new building projects and developments, even in the commercial sphere.

• Who among your family influenced the decision to work with Greenbuddies?

That someone tends to be myself. 🙂 I studied economics, environmental science, human geography and computer science - and being in the sales department of a company that builds solar power plants? It's a dream job, where I can connect and use all the areas that have interested me in the past on a daily basis!

• What do you think will change in the world of photovoltaics in the next five years?

I believe that in the next five years we will see huge advances in both PV technology and its applications. Whether it's perovskite crystals, which promise significantly higher PV module efficiency, or transparent panels and more. Recently, there have been reports of the creation of photovoltaic fiber. This would allow for a much wider range of applications, from electricity-producing windows to wearable power generators.