WeDoSolar, Smart Solar Sight Protection for Balcony, debuted in Berlin in February 2022 and secured more than 1500 orders in just one month. In the light of the current energy crisis in Europe which has been aggravated by the conflict in Ukraine, the new solution allows Europeans to secure over up to a quarter of their energy consumption.
The vertical solar power set, designed by German engineers and fully insured, is the world's lightest balcony solar solution and consists of 1 kg eight panels that can be easily mounted with weatherproof straps to the balcony fence by even non-tech-savvy users. After hooking into a standard power socket, the process of powering all home appliances with solar energy begins immediately.
The first on the market smart app allows users to track the energy generation of their solar panels and the amount of saved CO2 in real time in the form of a virtual “power plant”. User-friendly interface explains complicated metrics using simple examples, such as how 1kWh equals 60 phone charges or 600kg of yearly CO2 reduction equals the performance of a 1000m2 forest.
WeDoSolar is focused on the EU markets. The 8-panel set is available for direct purchase for 1299 EUR or as a free rental model for electric vehicle owners in exchange for CO2 certificates. WeDoSolar also offers employee-benefit programs to large enterprises where the employers get the benefit of CO2 certificates for their companies while employees enjoy lower electricity bills while using the balcony solar solution for free.
The startup was founded by Karolina Attspodina, a Ukrainian-born serial entrepreneur with over 12 years of experience in international business consulting, tech startup coaching and mentoring, and Qian Qin, a hardware engineer, serial entrepreneur, and a former Managing Director of BSH Digital Ventures GmbH. Business development is supported by angel funds, and the co-founders are open to future investment.
“Solar energy is both free and readily available. Existing solar panel solutions are either intended for industrial use or are too heavy to install without the assistance of a qualified technical team. You also have to wait for the monthly bill to determine the effect. We provide a tool that every person, both owner and tenant, could use at home on a daily basis, to power home appliances. “We want to make sustainable energy accessible, and I see great potential in people taking their energy dependence into their own hands,” says Karolina Attspodina, CEO & Co-founder, WeDoSolar.
Over several decades, Europe has come to depend heavily on Russian energy sources. In the light of the current crisis in Ukraine and the threat that it imposes on European energy security, the EU authorities are rotating the energy policy toward secure access and source diversification. The quick switch to renewables is considered one of the key factors of reaching true independence and taking control over the energy system.
The global solar energy installed capacity was registered to be 728 GW in 2020 and is estimated to reach 1,645 gigawatts (GW) in 2027, registering a CAGR of about 13.78% during the forecast period of 2022 -2027. Factors, such as declining prices and installation costs for solar PV and favorable government policies, are expected to drive the solar energy market during the forecast period.
