Dresden/Berlin, 01.06.2023: Zolar, the digital platform for customized solar solutions, is expanding its offering to include the Home Energy Management System (HEMS) from Kiwigrid, the IoT company for energy management and energy optimization. The HEMS is part of the new Zolar Compass, one of the smartest technologies for residential photovoltaic systems on the market. The system is based on Kiwigrid's latest platform generation, KiwiOS. This enables cross-manufacturer networking, visualization and optimization of solar systems, electricity storage units and wallboxes. The climate tech companies are working hand in hand to simplify the energy transition in the home. End users can control their energy flows via an app and benefit directly through cost savings and energy independence of their private solar solution. Households can thereby reduce their energy costs by up to 2,000 euros per year. The offer will initially be launched on the German market and later on the wider European market. By 2025, tens of thousands of homes should be able to benefit from the solution.
Intelligent and technologically open: the modular system for the energy future in the home
The development of the Zolar Compass with integration of Kiwigrid's HEMS is another milestone in the companies' mission to fundamentally simplify access to renewable energy. The intelligent, digital solution connects power generators and power consumers in the home and automatically optimizes the self-consumption of solar power as well as the energy flows in the home. For homeowners, this means lower energy costs and greater independence from conventional energy suppliers and rising electricity prices. The system can be expanded to include heat pumps or smart meters, for example, and will act as a switching and savings center for intelligent electricity tariffs in the future. In the long term, the partners plan to integrate smart tariffs and to merge the Zolar community "zociety" into a virtual power plant.
Zolar Compass app digitizes the purchase, installation and operation of a photovoltaic system
The Zolar Compass App developed by Zolar is the first digital solution that accompanies customers from the moment of purchase, through to the installation and the entire life cycle of a photovoltaic system. Kiwigrid's HEMS enables intelligent control of the solar power supply and an accurate generation forecast - simply visualized in the Zolar Compass App.
The data from the home energy system is transferred from Kiwigrid's platform to the Zolar Compass app via standardized interfaces, known as APIs. At the same time, customers can set their preferences for home energy management in the app. These preferences are then transferred back into the platform via the APIs and used to control and optimize the connected devices. The data is stored in accordance with the C5 standard issued by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and is located on an EU server.
Platform for decentralized, digital and green energy
Kiwigrid's latest platform generation, KiwiOS X, forms the basis for the successful interconnection of the devices. It eliminates the need for many years of development work, functions across OEMs and is internationally scalable. The platform provides future-proof, manufacturer-independent connectivity for various combinations of diverse devices such as PV systems, inverters, electricity storage, EV chargers and charging stations, heat pumps and smart meters. This is essential for Zolar's vision of equipping every rooftop in the world with a solar system and its shared ambition to make the energy transition a reality in the home.
Zolar is leveraging Kiwigrid's new PaaS (platform-as-a-service) offering and its new VoyagerX energy manager, a gateway for cross-manufacturer integration, connectivity and cross-sector optimization of distributed energy devices.
Start of a long-term cooperation
Going forward, at least 80 percent of new installations are expected to be delivered with the Zolar Compass solution, resulting in tens of thousands of Kiwigrid VoyagerX installed by Zolar customers by 2025. Kiwigrid will also work closely with Zolar to further develop its PaaS solution to bring new products and features to market quickly and effectively with existing and new customers.
Dr. Frank Schlichting, CEO of Kiwigrid, commented: "Zolar has achieved impressive growth in recent years. We want to capitalize on this momentum and enable all homeowners to actively drive the energy transition. Our common ambition is to develop solutions that focus on customers and installers and their needs."
Dr. Sarah Müller, CCO of Zolar, adds: "With the Zolar Compass, we are launching the first digital solution that digitally accompanies our customers from the moment of purchase, through the commissioning of a PV system and over its entire service life. With Kiwigrid, we have an innovative partner at our side with whom we are taking another important step towards a customer-centric energy transition."
About Zolar
ZOLAR GmbH was founded in Berlin in 2016. The climate tech startup enables homeowners and regional craftsmen to access individual solar solutions via a simple online platform. According to Zolar's mission, people should be able to benefit from affordable, self-produced green energy while making an important contribution to climate protection. By 2030, Zolar aims to supply more than ten million households in Europe with renewable energy. A high level of customer satisfaction, innovative technical solutions such as the Zolar online configurator, long-term supply contracts, its own storage capacities and a very strong network of over 700 regional trade partners make the company one of the leading online providers for the private energy transition of household customers. Zolar employs 420 people across Germany and has been led by an experienced management team consisting of Jamie Heywood (CEO), Dr. Sarah Müller (CCO), Benjamin Rauser (COO), Anurag Bansal (CFO) and Torben Schwellnus (CTO) since 2021.
www.zolar.de