A lot has been made of how European countries are supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia, but still relying on Russian energy sources.
Many countries in the EU have scrambled to switch to alternatives, such as renewable energy which is considered one of the key factors of energy independence from Russia.
A Ukrainian woman techentrepreneur has come up with a way to allow ordinary Europeans to fight Russia by installing solar panels on their balconies.
WeDoSolar was launched in February of 2022, the month Russia invaded Ukraine, and has so far received thousands of orders for its vertical solar power panels, which are specifically designed to be mounted to balconies by non-tech savvy users.
We do solar.
According to WeDoSolar, it can reduce a household's CO2 footprint by up to 600 kilogram and electricity bills by up to 25% per year.
Natural gas from Russia was imported by the EU in 2011. Around 40% of the EU's gas consumption is dependent on Germany.
It would be easier to get off Russian oil and gas if every balcony in Europe had solar panels like WeDo Solar.
The lightweight panels are designed by German engineers and come insured as part of the offer. The WeDoSolar Microinverter pushes the power into the home grid to allow the panels to power home appliances ahead of the grid.
Users can track the energy generation of their solar panels and the amount of CO2 saved in an app, which converts the metrics into language such as "60 phone charges" or " 600 kilograms of yearly CO2 reduction equaling a 1000m2 forest"
The 8-panel set can be rented for free for electric vehicle owners in exchange for CO2 certificates. Oil companies are obliged to buy certificates from EV owners every year in Germany, so these are bundled and sold to them.
If the sun is shining, WeDoSolar offers employee benefit programs for large enterprises where the employees can potentially lower their electricity bills.
The startup was founded by a serialentrepreneur and a hardware engineer. Angel backers have backed the startup.
The company plans to compete by being the EU's "first balcony solar solution", easy installation, and its live energy generation tracking app.
There is both free and readily available solar energy. Existing solar panel solutions are either too heavy to install or intended for industrial use. The effect is determined by the monthly bill. A tool that every person, both owner and tenant, could use at home on a daily basis is provided by us. I think people can take their energy dependence into their own hands if we make sustainable energy accessible.
There is a balcony with WeDo Solar panels.
She told me how the idea came about.
Attspodina and his co-Founder were looking for ways to reduce CO2 so they could make a clean future.
When I was in Portugal in 2021, I had a few clients in the solar industry which showed how big the market was, but also showed how unskilled the older companies are in marketing solar to the market. I came up with balcony solar, a simple solution which is easy to install and take with you if you move apartments, because I knew that solar can be used on most surfaces.
I thought we could serve people who own a home as well as people who are renting. Right now, energy costs are going up like crazy and they will not stop rising until we fix them and start generating our own clean energy, she said.
The B2B angle is present.
Think of a company offering it to their employees under the employee benefit program. Oil companies are obliged to buy the CO2 certificates from the e-car drivers and we exchange that money quota for our solar set, which is then shipped to our user for free.
As Europe labors under baking, but power-filled sun, WeDoSolar could kill more birds than one stone: reducing CO2 emissions, and a certain Mr Putin's grip on European energy. It would be great if it does.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
