Solar Power for Tenants  [20.10.22]

So far, it is primarily homeowners who have benefited from photovoltaic systems. For the energy transformation to succeed, however, it must also be possible for tenants to use electricity directly from the roof, says Julian Schulz, an alumnus of the University of Hohenheim. Together with Dr. Martin Lowinski, he has therefore founded the start-up metergrid, which supports landlords in easily passing on self-generated electricity to tenants.

Personal details: Julian Schulz completed his Master's degree in Management at the University of Hohenheim in 2019.

 

Start-up profile: metergrid

 

A brief explanation: the business idea in 3-5 sentences!

Normally, only homeowners can benefit from sustainable generation systems such as a photovoltaic system, while renters are bound to a regular electricity contract and can only purchase electricity from the grid. However, the tenant electricity concept also allows renters to benefit from a decentralized electricity generator such as a PV system and to be actively involved in the energy transition. We support landlords with innovative software to implement tenant electricity projects in an uncomplicated way. The software takes care of 80% of the operating costs, legally compliant billing, and ensures compatibility with internal IT systems.

 

New, different, better: Why does the company have potential?

Our software provides a plug-and-play solution for any tenant electricity project, enabling consumption-based electricity billing for tenants. Additionally, it makes it easier to manage bills, contracts, receivables, budget billing, tenant changes, and more. Furthermore, our software itself is green, as we use servers that are powered by renewable energy. We can also provide and operate metering and remote readout. We are a one-stop shop. All in all, we can address a customer group of several million landlords with this solution.

 

Inspiration: How do you come up with something like that?

We were actually looking into blockchain for finance. One afternoon, a university employee came into the office because the heating had broken down and gave us an idea. He was accompanying a research project on tenant electricity and said, "You've got to do something about that, billing for decentralized energy systems!" That was the starting signal for the development of our SaaS solution.

 

Team: Who is behind metergrid?

I founded metergrid together with Dr. Martin Lowinski, who as second managing director is responsible in particular for product development. In addition, we have a steadily growing team with currently 8 employees from the areas of software and business development, design, and communication. If you are as enthusiastic about tenant power as we are, please feel free to apply for a job with us.

 

Impulse: How did your studies at Hohenheim influence the project?

Inno Greenhouse

The idea for our company actually originated at the university and was ignited by a university employee. A university can hardly have more influence on the founding of a company. Furthermore, it has to be said that the early entrepreneurial education at the University of Hohenheim through offers such as the Startup Garage Hohenheim contributed significantly to my approach to the topic of founding a company.

 

Founder feelings: What drives you?

With metergrid, I am making a real contribution to the energy transition. Through our product, people who live in cities can also benefit from locally produced solar power. The passion for the cause and the social relevance help me stay on the ball even on long days.

 

Looking back: What has been motivating you in recent months?

With our topic, we are heavily dependent on political decisions and constantly changing regulation. Finding the word Mieterstrom in the coalition agreement was really a great pleasure, but then it was unfortunately missing again in the Easter and summer packages.

 

Future: Where do you see your start-up in a year's time?

In the coming year, we will have implemented more than 800 projects with metergrid.