The group operates worldwide through a network of subsidiaries and approved distributors providing the company with vital experience on the ground. TENESOL Manufacturing, a subsidiary of Tenesol – a leading manufacturer of photovoltaic systems and part of Total and the EDF Group, has been operating in South Africa since 1996. Operating in over 20 countries, it specialises in the design, development, marketing, installation and maintenance of made-to-order photovoltaic solar systems which supply energy to sites isolated from the public electricity network or to installations connected to the national grid. The main application of solar modules is industrial. They are widely used in telecommunications, telemetry and cathodic protection. In developing countries, photovoltaic systems are already in widespread use in the supply of safe electricity and potable water.