SOLARSPLIT is developing an all-in-one digital solar investment platform to simplify the adoption of solar energy. Its community-based approach connects property owners with installers and investors.
Context
It is estimated that the lack of decision-making support for property owners is leading to the postponement or cancellation of more than half of all solar installation projects in western Switzerland, which is holding back the energy transition in the building sector. SOLARSPLIT’s solution to this problem is to offer an all-in-one platform for investing in solar energy. By simplifying the various processes involved and directly connecting owners, installers and investors, SOLARSPLIT aims to democratise access to solar installations.
Technology
The company, which is incubated in the start-up programme run by Microcity, has developed an application to connect its community via three integrated services within a single platform. These are SOLARSPLIT Install (to help landowners plan their project, find the best installer and facilitate contact), SOLARSPLIT Invest (to facilitate financing and offer innovative remuneration models based on data relating to the income generated by the installation) and SOLARSPLIT Monitoring (to optimise installation use with practical recommendations). SOLARSPLIT’s technology extracts and aggregates data from the community’s solar installations, and each service uses this data and artificial intelligence to respond to different use cases. Over the next three years, the start-up, founded in 2023, hopes to increase Switzerland’s annual installed capacity by around 50 MWp – saving 2000 tonnes of CO2. It also intends to encourage the replacement of fossil-fuel heating systems with heat pumps.
Maturity
SOLARSPLIT has set up an initial community in the canton of Neuchâtel to test the beta version of its application, monitoring more than 1500 solar installations. The public version is available since 2024, and services will be gradually rolled out. The company’s sights are set first on western Switzerland and then the entire country, with the aim of eventually expanding into the rest of Europe. Several financing rounds in 2024 have raised almost CHF 2 million for this development. SOLARSPLIT has won the Prix BCN Innovation 2023 and the Prix SUD 2024, among other accomplishments.
« By streamlining administrative processes and facilitating funding for installations, SOLARSPLIT acts as a real catalyst for solar energy. » – Wilfried Josset, CEO and co-founder
This portrait is taken from the second edition of the cleantech start-up overview published in 2024. Discover the full publication here.
