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Solar energy is booming , which is good intelligence forGlint Solar . The Norwegian software - as - a - service ( SaaS ) inauguration has built a platform that ’s helping energy giant and large solar developer such as E.ON , Recurrent Energy , and Statkraft reduce the clock time it take to contrive and pre - design solar initiation to accelerate the conversion to renewables .
Glint ’s software pulls in data from multiple source to help travel rapidly up solar project assessments . The platform features adaptable layout purpose and yield approximation , along with commonwealth - specific geographic information system ( GIS ) information and topographic analysis to make it easer for solar developers to evaluate potential sites . Cloud - based collaboration features allow teams to access essential projection data . The political program can also be used as a project intro aid by dish out up 3D - rendered project layout “ in seconds . ”
Since TechCrunch last spoke with the clime startup inJune 2022 , when it fill up a $ 3 million ejaculate rhythm , its client base has rise almost 10x , according to chief operating officer and co - founder Harald Olderheim . It ’s now harbinger an $ 8 million Series A to keep stoking the growth fervidness by expanding into more markets in Europe .
Its primary region for customers currently are France , Germany , the Nordics , and the U.K. but with the young funding , the March 2020 - launched SaaS will be exposit its sales squad to target customers in “ the relief of Europe , ” include Italy and Spain , Olderheim says .
One notable change since Glint Solar launched is that it ’s narrowed the religious service proposal to support the planning of acres - free-base solar induction — dropping an earlier dual product focus that had include floating - solar installations , too .
Olderheim said the software can still be used for design floating solar . But he observe there ’s more need for ground - found installation . “ It ’s a big grocery , ” he said , explain why they ’ve opted to streamline their sale approaching .
Glint Solar also is n’t focus on roof - mounted solar installations . Some of its client are using its software to help plan solar array on “ big rooftops ” as well , per Olderheim . But , again , the reason it ’s not focalise endeavor there is because it ’s fail after the largest demand clump .
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“ If you look at the market , about 60 % of the marketplace is public-service corporation , large scurf . And then about 20 % is adult rooftops , and 20 % is residential . So we are going for the big market , ” he secern TechCrunch . “ If you want to make a big impact in the reality … we can do it through the utility scale of measurement , because that ’s much quicker if you ’re go to build up addition the [ solar ] energy in the macrocosm .
“ If you cogitate the wallop we are cause by one solar plant , a big one — like 10 megawatt , possibly with 7,000 or 15,000 solar panel — it ’s a very efficient way of grow the energy yield fast . ”
Expanding impact
Another bad focus for the Series A cash injection is intersection development . Olderheim said the inauguration will be thrive its platform to help customers be after where to site batteries that can be used to optimize renewable investments by salt away energy .
Factors such as grid capacity , protected areas , and sound ( since batteries bring on some noise once usable ) are all retainer the software will be able to factor in in , per Olderheim , as well as provide customers with bread and butter to ensure a battery is compatible with the nominate solar raiment and helping them partake in the selective information with landholder as they put to work to find the necessary permits .
He underline how much the toll of solar installations have devolve over the last decennium ( down around 90 % ) . But he also says that labor still are n’t happening as fast as they need to impart the experiential terror of a heating satellite that are driving waves of disasters , from devastating floods and hurricane to heatwaves , droughts , and forest flame .
“ It takes time to get all the agreements — with the Edwin Herbert Land owner , with the grid , and with the municipality — to [ deliver a solar project ] and all these processes take time ; so that ’s one of the reasons we are doing Glint Solar , ” he adds .
The startup is very focussed on package design to maximize accessibility as another tactic to help remove rubbing from solar project approval .
“ We are cook it very user favorable so everyone in a team can use one software together and work on this job to make [ project delivery ] much faster . And you could partake everything — with the land owner , with the grid , with the municipality — so they can easily take decisions much faster with the lower peril . ”
The chopine has multiple “ modules ” that permit the same somebody to , for object lesson , “ measure the site , direct all the projects , and design a solar Mungo Park , ” per Olderheim , supporting project teams to get more applications out .
He also flag the weapons platform ’s cloud - based collaboration feature that allow everyone to work out “ in the same shaft , ” which he suggests help give it an edge versus other creature .
Glint say customer are reporting its SaaS is help solar developers to triple their project pipeline on average and evaluate potential sites 10x quicker than traditional methods .
Of course software can only do so much . Olderheim agrees that infrastructure investiture and regulatory reform are key to further speed up solar rollouts , pointing to grid capability and solar permitting as the principal areas for lawmaker to take on .
“ Sometimes it lease five class from a [ project ] to begin to get construction , ” he points out , append : “ I be intimate the EU is looking at this to reduce it to 12 or 24 months . So I think that ’s a very good [ start ] . ”
Glint Solar ’s Series A is led by Smedvig Ventures , with extra investment from Antler Nordic and Antler Elevate , Futurum Ventures , and Momentum .
notice in a assertion , Jonathan Lerner , collaborator at Smedvig Ventures , said:“The solar industriousness has done a great job at developing shipway to harvest unripened energy , but now we require better processes to get these architectural plan in apparent motion . This is the break that Glint Solar is filling . As one of the first unified product for utility project on the market , solar developers , technologist , psychoanalyst and management can find everything they call for to locate the best farming quad quickly and accurately . This is a much - needed evolution from manually trawling through data from multiple sources , saving considerable resources in all - important green energy undertaking . ”
