SolarGaps – Energy generating smart solar window blinds

Project Information

SolarGaps

Grant agreement ID: 858112

DOI

10.3030/858112

Project closed

EC signature date 13 May 2019

Start date 1 June 2019

End date 31 October 2021

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 1 422 763,75

EU contribution

€ 995 934,63

Coordinated by

SOLARGAPS LLC
Ukraine

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SolarGaps (SolarGaps – Energy generating smart solar window blinds)

Reporting period: 2020-06-01 to 2021-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

SolarGaps smart solar blinds is the world’s first solution allowing most households and commercial buildings to easily utilize window area for efficient green energy generation, thus decreasing electricity bill and CO2 emissions. According to the European Parliament, buildings today are responsible for 36% of energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Europe, and so the Directive on the energy performance of buildings requires all new buildings to be near zero-energy consumption from 2020 onward. However, the refurbishment of the old buildings remains the main challenge.

From the consumer perspective, increasing electricity prices create a challenge for both households and business budgets. Therefore, private solar photovoltaic electricity becomes extremely popular in the developed markets as its price decreases, but there is no efficient solution for those without sufficient roof or land area. On the other hand, smart shading solutions are also in demand as they not only increase life quality and employees’ work efficiency but can also contribute to buildings' energy efficiency. However, there is a lack of affordable, easily compatible exterior smart home and smart office shading solutions. SolarGaps creates a unique value by executing two functions simultaneously: saving up to 30% of electricity bill while enhancing life quality for B2C clients and creating a pleasant working environment for B2B customers. This also contributes significantly to the achievement of the European Green Deal goals: building and renovation, eliminating pollution and climate neutrality.

SME Instrument Phase 2 project allowed SolarGaps to prepare its B2B smart solar blinds for commercialization and mass production. SolarGaps has completed the development of its B2B product and ran all necessary tests to assure reliability and durability. Following that, SolarGaps conducted a B2B pilot with Tata Power, the largest power generation company in India.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

SME Instrument Phase 2 project helped SolarGaps to prepare its B2B product for market entry from both technical and business perspectives.

In the first project year, SolarGaps redesigned its B2C product to serve the B2B needs. The changes were made in its electrical and mechanical functions as well as in the software. In the second project period, the pilot production line was designed, established, launched, and tested. SolarGaps successfully conducted a pilot project with Tata Power, the largest power generation company in India, and collected valuable feedback data on the performance of its B2B product.

On the business side, SolarGaps has been refining its commercialization strategy based on discussions with existing and future distributors, partners, and clients. SolarGaps also translated its website into several strategic languages, designed a brand book, developed new leaflets, and filmed a video about the product. In order to build trust with customers, SolarGaps has designed a deck with installation cases and customer reviews. The dissemination campaign is based on regular publications in various social media channels and mass media. During the project, the team participated in many specialized exhibitions in Ukraine, Spain, Slovenia, China, the UAE and other countries to promote the SolarGaps brand, collect feedback on value offers from target users and industry experts, establish partnerships and search for potential distributors and customers.

The protection of IPR is an important aspect of SolarGaps' operation. After receiving a patent in Ukraine, SolarGaps has filed an international PCT application and obtained international protection. As a next step of the IPR strategy, SolarGaps will enter the national phase for patenting in the target countries such as India, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands.

SolarGaps has been preparing to attract Round A of private investment to accelerate its market entry and scale-up. SolarGaps developed an investment attraction strategy that relies on finding investors who can not only provide necessary funding but who can also become industrial partners and empower their product line with innovative products. This approach will allow the company to use the existing sales channels of blinds or electronics manufacturers to provide their customers with breakthrough smart solar blinds that generate electricity.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

SolarGaps smart solar blinds transform solar energy into electricity and bring additional comfort to the users. SolarGaps’ unique approach made it possible for the blinds to generate the maximum amount of energy, which same-size rooftop solar panels can produce. The solution is patented in Ukraine, holds a design patent in the EU, and has recently received a positive answer regarding its PCT application.

When it comes to competition, SolarGaps divide their competitors into the 3 main product groups: ordinary blinds, solar panels and solar glass. The ordinary blinds (horizontal, vertical, perfect-fit blinds) that perform simply one function – shading from the sun – have been the norm in the blinds and shading market for many years. Their advantage is an easy functionality and installment that doesn’t require special skills and knowledge from a customer. In the solar energy market, a classic solar panel produces around 100-150 W per square meter hourly and is very difficult to install and it is not used widely. An attempt to cross over shading and energy generation features was made with solar glass which is part of the building-integrated photovoltaics category and is designed to replace conventional building materials in parts such as roofs, skylights, facades, and windows to efficiently generate power. While the potential of solar glass has been widely talked about, the technology has never reached critical mass because of its cost and installation difficulty. Unlike solar glass, the smart shading solution by SolarGaps is easy to install and produces more energy. SolarGaps blinds also differ from the competition with its smart sun tracking feature, which means that the blinds can automatically change their position according to the sun to ensure the most effective shading and solar generation.

During the SME Instrument Phase 2, the technical team has finalized a reliable B2B solution that will outperform the existing B2C solution. Improvements were made in the design, productivity, and ease of installation and dismantling of the systems on-site. Those improvements increase the reliability of the solution and decrease the costs. SolarGaps B2B software solution will be able to manage 600 or more sets of smart solar blinds, with the possibility of remote support by SolarGaps specialists for the stable operation of all systems.

SolarGaps’ goal is to allow all businesses and households to use their window area for green energy generation. The company aims to reach the highest efficiency of the solution while minimizing the costs. The broad adoption of the SolarGaps solution will support the achievement of the European Green Deal goals in clean energy, building, and renovation, eliminating pollution and climate neutrality.

SolarGaps installed on a modern zero-e office in Ukraine

SolarGaps installed on the building of the Port of Barcelona in Spain

SolarGaps installed in the Netherlands