The second round of our accelerator programme for start-ups once again focused on the energy sector. We looked for start-ups, who were working specifically on energy issues, on the interface of such issues, or on auxiliary services, and who strived to test their innovative (digital) products in the energy sector.
The after movie of the second A² Accelerator “Smart Energy 2017” is now available on Adlershof’s YouTube channel.
During the 5-month programme, the focus of the A²-Accelerator was on pilot projects created by the start-ups in cooperation our industrial partners.
Simultaneously, they worked on relevant product, company and industry-specific issues in tailored subject blocks. Our programme comprised a well-balanced mix of theory, practice and networking. The programme’s aim was to apply the start-up’s acquired expertise to their product, or service, and to work together with the industrial partners and coaches towards improving it.
During coaching sessions, the start-ups received training on important personal and management skills by successful and experienced coaches. The A² Accelerator Programme took place between May and September 2017.
The following start-ups were selected for the Energy Accelerator 2017 and received tailored support in realising their pilot projects:
© Datalyze Solutions GmbH
The Challenge
Service providers and associations from the energy industry are faced with the challenge of providing large amounts of data to their customers across platforms, according to their specifications and quickly. During this process, the service provider’s aim is to stay in control of its data, including location and network data.
The Solution/Product
The platform energyTRAIL facilitates easy and secure exchange of geospatial data and brings together customers and data providers on the same level. It also helps companies to communicate geodata internally and externally. energyTRAIL offers dashboard and map view as well as user management and a changes log. Interactive visualisation enables users to identify connections and quickly obtain relevant information. Customer-specific platforms can be used as white-label solutions.
The Market
Efficient handling of geodata is still a big problem in the energy sector. The energyTRAIL platform enables energy companies to swiftly and securely provide their customers and partners with sensitive, geospatial data.
The Business Model
Datalyze Solutions stands for innovative and forward-looking solutions in data handling, analysis and development. With our expertise in geospatial data mining, data infrastructures and application development, we support our customers with creative solutions across sectors. Every company has unique needs. Datalyze Solutions focuses on developing tailor-made B2B solutions. In addition to providing a web-based solution, we offer our customers made-to-measure adjustments, options for integration, service, support and training programmes.
Contact
Datalyze Solutions GmbH
Marienstraße 30, 10117 Berlin
Postadresse: Crusemarkstraße 9, 13187 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 120766221
info@datalyze-solutions.com
www.datalyze-solutions.com
Core team
Jan Rentsch, CEO
Matthias Ludwig, CTO
Robert Gregat, Data Science + Engineering
Hagen Tischer, Development + Data Science
Carolin Bauer, Cartography + Spatial Data
© Lumenaza GmbH
Challenge
Two trends hold central importance to us: the demand for regional products is increasing, while energy is increasingly produced from renewable sources. What works well for food stuffs should work better for regional electricity. Based on this realisation, we created Lumenaza.
Solution/product
Lumenaza is a software provider for a new, decentral and digital world of energy. We provide all the functions required by the energy market as "utility-in-a-box", that is, in modular form. We facilitate connection and smart control of all participants in the new energy sector in a digital market place. We appeal to providers, new players, and producers at the same time. Lumenaza makes available a peer-to-peer energy market.
Market
The market for decentral energy provision is large. In Germany alone, now more than 30% of electricity is produced in more than 1.6 million facilities. Lumenaza aims at helping the success of the Energiewende, Germany's transition to cleaner energy, by providing a technical platform that prevents unnecessary grid expansion, boosts local value creation, and improves production transparency. In addition to an innovative software solution, the innovation created by Lumenaza lies in the platform: while energy providers and municipal utility can focus their business model on decentral facilities, we offer new players access to the energy market.
Business model
Our solution is a software-as-a-service. The advantages for customers include swift implementation and a transparent cost structure. Lumenaza decided together with its customers which services they require from the platform. We adjust the software according to their needs and take care of maintenance and further development, so our customers can focus on their core business. We receive a fee for our services.
Contact
Lumenaza GmbH
Kreuzbergstraße 30
10965 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 346558200
info@lumenaza.de
www.lumenaza.de
Core team
Dr. Christian Chudoba, CEO
Dr. Bernhard Böhmer, CTO
Oliver Philipp March, CFO
© perto GmbH
The Challenge
Energy efficiency is the best option for a successful transition to clean energy because the cheapest and cleanest kilowatt hour is one that hasn’t been used. Nevertheless: energy efficiency is a somewhat neglected issue. Example: Heating pumps are a part of every heating system. They are required to pump hot water from the boiler into the radiators. Eighty percent of the heating pumps used in Germany are inefficient. Replacing them with modern high-efficiency pumps, would save up to 90% electricity as well as 30% of their price through government subsidies.
The Solution/Product
We offer a full-service package: send us a picture of your heating pump and we will send you an efficiency report: how much energy does your pump consume? Is it technically possible to replace it? What would a new device consume? When would the investment pay off? If you choose our service, we send you a specialised technician for installation; we also take care of the application towards the 30% in government subsidies.
The Market
There are 40 million heating pumps in Germany, 80% of which are inefficient. At 350 euros per replacement, the market volume is 15 billion euros. The replacement of all inefficient heating pumps would help shut down three coal power stations (ca. 2 GW).
The Business Model
Our services combine consulting and hardware installations, which we offer at a fixed rate. This includes our profit margin. Moreover, we collect data during the installation to recommend additional measures for individual energy efficiency. Our sales concept: we offer our service to energy supply companies as a white-label solution for their customers. Energy supply companies benefit from our tool because it supports their commodity services segment, on the one hand, and helps expand their energy services, on the other.
Contact
perto GmbH
Torgauer Straße 12-15
10829 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 959984350
info@perto.de
www.perto.de
Core team
Frank Krischok, CEO
Dr. Sebastian Schröer, CEO
© prosumergy GmbH
The Challenge
Many home owners are enjoying the benefits of solar panels on their roofs. However, more widespread distribution of solar panels on multi-family homes is currently being prevented by the disproportionately more complex regulation of such neighbourhood energy supply projects (“Mieterstrom”). Such neighbourhood energy supply projects involve specific challenges, including project planning and billing, which are mostly not part of the core business of energy companies. Since the passing of a neighbourhood energy supply law this year, the energy and housing industry is committed to overcoming these barriers and to providing their customers with solar power from their own roof.
The Solution/Product
prosumergy is an independent energy company and neighbourhood energy supply provider, which facilitates the implementation of neighbourhood energy supply projects for private landlords as well as the housing and energy industry. We offer a full-service package from planning the photovoltaics facilities to drawing up measurement concepts and billing the end consumer. prosumergy also offers individual components for a custom-made solution – tailored to our customer’s needs.
The Market
In Germany alone, there are over 1.1 million multi-family homes with seven or more residential units, which are suitable for neighbourhood energy supply projects. Up to 13 million households could benefit from them. This is a market volume of 2.2 billion euros per year. Adding to this about 17,000 new buildings and tens of thousands of commercial properties every year. Considering the future of integrated energy networks, the potential of neighbourhood energy supply projects is further enhanced by integrating energy storage, supply of heat pumps and charging stations for electronic vehicles.
The Business Model
We cater for two-sided market one the one hand, we sell electricity to private and commercial tenants as well as private flat owners. On the other hand, we support real estate and solar panel owners as well as other energy companies in realising neighbourhood energy supply projects. Our product portfolio comprises several models for different customers. Moreover, we offer individual consulting on, for example, municipal or commercial self-supply solutions.
Contact
prosumergy GbR
Gottschalkstraße 22
34127 Kassel
Phone: +49 561 8041892
info@prosumergy.de
www.prosumergy.de
Core team
Christopher Neumann, CEO
Daniel Netter, CEO
Lena Cielejewski, CEO
© RABOT Energy GmbH
The Challenge
Germany’s transition to clean energy, the Energiewende, has fundamentally changed the energy market. The expansion of renewable energies (RE) is leading to an increasing amount of fluctuations in feed-in, which is resulting in forecasting errors. Adding to this are fluctuating prices of electricity and balancing energy prices that result in significant financial risks for producers of electricity and network operators. Good forecasting and an intelligent strategy for short-term trading of electricity (intra-day) are essential to secure economic success of fluctuating suppliers and network operators.
The Solution/Product
RABOT Energy’s Smart Balancing Solution aims at minimising error in EE forecasting and the strain on industrial companies and to trade the resulting trade positions with intelligent strategies on the short-term energy markets in Germany and Austria. It is based on a self-developed, self-learning forecasting and trading algorithm, which runs fully automated day and night and trades positions autonomously. Best possible forecasting is complemented by intra-day price forecasting for an optimum in trading.
The Market
The EE market is very dynamic and competitive. It demands highest possible cost efficiency and uncompromising quality. Germany currently has 53 GW wind power and 42 GW photovoltaics online. This amounts to 35 % of the total energy production; this amount will increase significantly within the next few years. The share of EE is expected to be 80 % in 2050. Volatility will increase the more controllable power generation exits the market.
The Business Model
The business model underlying RABOT Energy’s business model rests on the following components:
Contact
RABOT ENERGY GmbH
Frankenstraße 29
20097 Hamburg
Phone: +49 40 46668221
info@rabot-energy.de
www.rabot-energy.de
Core team
Maximilian Both, CEO
Jan Rabe, CEO
Konrad Schürmann, Head of Market Analysis and Support
© smartB Energy Management GmbH
The Challenge
The energy consumption of commercial real estate is a type of black box. Most often, companies do not know much about the way it’s structured. Moreover, they lack the resources and expertise to optimise consumption, identify possible savings, meet legal requirements such as the ISO 50001 norm and account for savings internally and vis-à-vis third parties.
The Solution/Product
smartB makes a building’s actual energy use visible at a feasible price. Our dynamic smartB energy metering and monitoring system provides its users with energy management functions helping them to identify and derive significant energy saving potentials. The highly detailed collection of energy data and continuous analysis creates transparency in real time and on device level. It enables the user to take adequate steps towards cutting costs, account for savings, meet increasing legal requirements, including ISO 50001, and actively contribute to reaching climate targets by reducing carbon emissions.
The Market
Our focus is on commercial real estate. smartB primarily concentrates on companies, who wish to provide energy efficiency services to their customers. This includes facility management companies with energy management expertise, energy consulting companies and large companies with an energy management department. Apart from visualisation of energy data and identification of energy savings potential, we project that the market for proactive maintenance will gain relevance in the future.
The Business Model
smartB ENERGIZER is the first step towards digitising your energy data. This is a software solution that does not require the installation of hardware. The energy data are entered via data importing.
smartB ASSISTANT enables you to keep track of your building’s energy use in real time. Energy data are collected by our energy measurement device smartBEAT at significant points in your building and transmitted to our cloud application, where it is analysed in real time and visualised in the web-based dashboard application.
smartB MANAGER identifies energy saving potentials in your buildings. You gain access to our company’s smart technology as well as our consulting services.
Contact
smartB Energy Management GmbH
Hardenbergstraße 9a
10623 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 55511103
info@smartb.eu
www.smartb.eu
Core team
Markus Böker, CEO
Hanna Wegerich, Sales & Marketing
Alexander Engel, Account Manager
© USE MY ENERGY GmbH
The Challenge
With the ongoing liberalisation of the energy market, decentral energy supply and flexible resource planning is gaining significance. While, local heat demand was once enough to assess the criteria of a power plant’s design and operation, today’s situation requires one taking additional cause variables into account. Economic and ecological operation of an energy supply system is only possible if additional factors are considered, including combined heat and power (CHP), hourly electricity prices on the energy market, capping of annual operating hours and maintenance costs.
The Solution/Product
Our “Digital Platform Decentral Energy” equips you with professional configuration (1), smart controlling (2) and digital monitoring (3) of decentral energy production facilities.
The UME-Designer (1) helps you to reconfigure existing energy production facilities or to plan new facilities. After that, the UME-Box (2) takes fully automatised control of the facility and generates daily excess sales revenue by utilising peak load prices. Lastly, the UME-Monitor (3) is responsible for monitoring and analysing the facility; the plant operator is notified via email in case of faults and deviations.
The Market
Our products target decentral energy suppliers and consumers and they can be used to optimise electricity purchases as well as direct trading on the spot market (day-ahead trading). Conventional large power stations are disburdened through the intelligent linkage and fully automated controlling of renewable energies and decentral suppliers. We ensure energy production is economic and ecological.
The Business Model
The “Digital Platform Decentral Energy” enables our customers, who are active in the B2B market, to benefit from the changes in the energy sector. USE MY ENERGY offers a range of compensation system depending on your choice of product:
(1) UME-Designer: One-time licensing fee; service fee after the 13th month
(2) UME-Box: Initial cost (hardware, including installation and parameterisation on site). We receive a percentage of the profits.
(3) UME-Monitor: Monthly fee
(4) UME-Electricity Price Forecasting: Monthly fee
Contact
USE MY ENERGY GmbH
Frauenstraße 13
02763 Zittau
Phone: +49 3583 5075145
info@use-my-energy.de
www.use-my-energy.de
Core team
Silvia Toll, CEO
Sebastian Bührdel, Head of Project Management
Cristin König, Head of Marketing
The Industrial Partners
