After forty years in the industry we've got a story to tell...
Solar Energy Centre, now known as SEC was founded in 1977 by Brian Harper, a pioneer in solar power and energy storage long before the market took off.
Brian launched the business with smaller projects before becoming the agent for Arco Solar and Exide Battery. SEC began quickly establishing a name for itself, trading in the challenging Middle East environment.
Before long Brian hit the drawing board to start designing his own advanced batteries. His years of knowledge and experience began to come into play and the classic yellow SEC monobloc was born.
In 1980, the first SEC office opened in Bahrain after the demand for SEC energy storage products soared in the Middle East. It was a territory famed for oil consumption and SEC were taking them by storm.
SEC changed history after designing the first solar cathodic pipeline protection systems in the Middle East. Renewable energy began to complement rather than compete with oil sources.
A focus shift in the business started to happen. SEC moved away from supplying only batteries to providing larger organisations with complete energy storage solutions.
The company won a major contract to outfit the Saudi Bahrain Causeway with SEC solar lighting systems that are still in use today.
In another recognition of market expertise, SEC were appointed as the worldwide agent for GNB Batteries.
The SEC Hong Kong office opened to run logistics and shipping from China. SEC needed to service a growing world-wide demand.
The ascension continued as SEC won several major contracts in the marine navigation sector. We installed commercially successful solar and storage solutions at sea - and demand continued to grow.
In 1991, Brian's original yellow Lead Acid battery was developed in to a second-generation VRLA battery that quickly became a market leader.
The manufacture of the famous MICROLYTE battery began in China. It was soon to be followed by the CELLYTE which went on to dominate the market.
SEC won a major telecommunications contract with NTT JAPAN. That year we became the first ever non-Japanese supplier in a contract worth 25 million.
The manufacture of the first SEC range of NICAD batteries began in China.
In 1995, SEC were appointed the worldwide OEM agents for East Pen. A major recognition of Brian’s skills and a contract that would change things more than we knew.
The company began sourcing components in the United States and launched the CELLYTE Thixotropic Gel bloc to great demand.
SEC launched our patented CatVentTM catalyst system. It was widely considered a game-changing vent and recombinant technology and swung the monobloc market in our favour.
The popularity of NICAD soared and SEC logged record sales of this hardy technology.
SEC established a factory in China as a joint venture with Champion.
SEC were proudly appointed the primary supplier of the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom.
SEC won a major network rail contract in the United Kingdom and widened the company’s areas of specialty even further.
The industrial crisis began in China, changing the way manufacturers did business. The SEC factory remained open long after many other factory closures prevented battery production.
Despite the crisis in China, SEC European sales soared to record levels.
The company began to navigate extremely tough trading conditions caused by the industrial crisis.
After many years at the helm SEC Founder, Brian Harper died suddenly in a tragic accident. Eldest son, Heston Harper was appointed as the Group CEO and stepped in to take the reins.
The company restructured, rebranded and launched a company wide enhancement program. This included cloud-based systems, new manufacturing processes and new offices in China and Indonesia.
In 2016, the SEC group reported a staggering seven-times, year on year growth achievement and became the first battery company in the world to achieve the ISO9001: 2015 mark of quality.
Quality standards demand that every SEC product is designed from scratch, integrating cutting edge technology with the best raw materials.
Market dominance requires breadth, so our portfolio has 1040-plus energy storage solutions. Each is ready for production when you are.
Affordability is vital, so SEC sources the highest quality components from international supplies and assembles them in China to keep the costs down.
SEC Energy Storage has been built with hundreds of years of combined experience in the energy industry. Today this foundation means we’re ahead of the game as the industrial battery market matures.
All of SEC’s energy storage solutions are designed and developed in-house, using SEC’s legacy technical blueprints. With solar panels and batteries that presently span 26 ranges, and 1040-plus models and sizes.
We have our finger on the pulse of new products and new technology. Innovation is important, but we also continually work to improve our legacy products for your traditional needs.
We pride ourselves on the quality of every shipment. Crack the surface and you’ll find our batteries powering giants in the Telecommunication and Industrial Standby markets, to name just two of the applications we cater for.
The global market for renewable energy is poised for heady growth and SEC is positioned to ensure that you take advantage of this with the right industrial battery and solar power solutions.
There is no time for ‘sitting still’…
Although we have one of the largest range of independently branded energy storage solutions in the market, our 1040-plus models of industrial batteries and solar panels are not enough.
We are adding more products to our CELLYTE and MICROLYTE brands later this year with the new Lithium-Ion and Nickel Cadmium products soon to be released.
We’d love to show you how SEC complete energy storage solutions can supercharge your business.
Let’s start the conversation today.
We have SEC team members in five locations spanning the UK, and Europe, the Middle East, China, and Indonesia. They’re ready to engage with you on energy storage solutions and profit rich partnerships.
We have a wide network of dealers and distributors in strategic locations, positioned to give you the support you need, wherever you are located.
In addition, to harness the e-environment and internet channels that are making the world a smaller place in terms of immediate connectivity, SEC has invested in a cutting-edge ERP system.
This gives your SEC Service Team real-time access to every step in your order flow; from request to close, across all stages of production.
