Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on solutions for the energy industry. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we decided to share our insights with you. This time, we are taking a look at 4 promising Microgrid Startups.
Heat Map: 4 Top Microgrid Startups
For our 4 top picks, we used a data-driven startup scouting approach to identify the most relevant solutions globally. The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 4 interesting examples out of 413 relevant solutions. Depending on your specific needs, your top picks might look entirely different.
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SwitchDin – Virtual Power Plants (VPP)
The combination of microgrids and VPP addresses the problems of enhancing the capabilities of conventional microgrids and streamlining the Distributed Energy Resource (DER) management system by combining the advantages of VPPs into a microgrid’s operation. A few examples are strengthened resource management, enhanced grid reliability, virtual demand response control, and surplus power management. Australian startup SwitchDin provides vendor and retailer neutral energy monitoring & management systems for microgrids, enabling VPP participation through special controllers installed on-site or integrated into a battery or an inverter. Their solution creates smart control profiles for the consumption of solar energy, optimization of off-grid energy resources, and tariff arbitrage.
FOHAT – Blockchain In Microgrids
Blockchain enables peer-to-peer (P2P) trading including solutions for microgrids, where energy is exchanged and traded locally between consumers and prosumers. The technology creates transparency for energy users to choose from a variety of energy suppliers in addition to enabling buying energy from neighbors. Brazilian startup FOHAT develops software solutions for microgrids using blockchain technology, which integrates DERs and manages peer-to-peer energy trading. Prosumers receive tools to interact with their microgrid and earn tokens for their DERs.
MOEV – Charging Electric Vehicles (EVs)
Microgrids help offload distribution grids by bearing additional loads, required for charging EVs and in the process of energy peak shaving. It creates localized control and allows for making predictions by giving prosumers opportunities for additional monetization. The USA-based startup MOEV manufactures microgrid-driven EV chargers, aimed at powering four electric vehicles on a single 240-volt circuit. In addition, they develop a software platform that provides real-time information about charging and electricity use of EVs, sources for microgrid energy, electricity demand, and price information.
Green Energy Corp – Microgrid-as-a-Service
Microgrid projects require a lot of capital for development and installation. To allow faster development of microgrids, the idea for Microgrid-as-a-Service was conceived. It blends both technological and financial gains, allowing users to leverage the full potential of energy microgrids while saving resources that would have otherwise been spent on development & maintenance. The US-based startup Green Energy Corp provides a subscription-based, Microgrid-as-a-Service in the cloud, comprising software, design, and engineering packages, as well as construction methods, operational support, and financial instruments. Their solution supports third-party developers in deploying microgrids, while these developers help the startup by continuously improving their solution for future services.
What About The Other 409 Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence for your Proof of Concept (PoC), partnership, or investment targets. The 4 startups showcased above are promising examples out of 413 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria and collaboration strategy, get in touch.
