Solar Monkey launches in UK to accelerate energy transition after €4m fundraise
Solar Monkey is launching its award-winning software in the UK, with a mission to boost productivity for solar installers while accelerating the energy transition.
The fast-growing firm has appointed a UK Sales Manager, is recruiting more staff to underpin its international growth plan and is stepping up UK marketing of its digital design and quotation tools – aimed at increasing the efficiency of PV installers.
The Independent, Netherlands-based business exhibited for the first time at Solar & Storage Live at the NEC last October, generating a big trade and consumer response. Jan Pieter Versluijs, CEO and co-founder, said: “The market is ready for exponential growth – we’re helping installers make the most of it.”
Jasin Mahamud, who joins Solar Monkey as UK Sales Manager, has extensive experience in software and technical sales. “I am looking forward to helping installer clients across the UK, as I see huge market potential,” said Jasin.
Installation professionals are seeing unprecedented demand from customers as homes and businesses turn to rooftop electricity generation to save on fuel bills and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Many installers are struggling with backlogs.
Once, designing and quoting for a project could take hours, with five quotes needed and an engineer doing much of the work. With Solar Monkey, the process takes minutes and can be done by anyone, potentially delivering big productivity gains.
Solar Monkey has facilitated 1 million project designs and quotations and is used in more than 250,000 PV systems in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Germany – saving time on designing and quoting.
Based on advanced algorithms, aerial photos and 3D models, the innovative software is fast and easy to use and integrate, even for those lacking technical knowledge. By spending less time on operational processes, installers can double their output. Solar Monkey’s independence means its software is compatible with all major brands of panel, inverter and battery.
Solar Monkey offers installers clarity and security, backed by expert, real-time support. Using its services and software, they can accurately calculate and guarantee the clean energy production of their customers’ solar PV systems.
Jan Pieter Versluijs and his co-founder and Chief Technical Officer Tino de Bruijn believe the opportunity is proportionally higher in the UK, where in the first six months of 2022 the number of new solar PV installations increased by 80% on the same period the previous year, with 556MW of capacity installed.
“We’ve seen tremendous growth in solar in the UK and we believe this trend will accelerate,” said Jan Pieter Versluijs. “People are increasingly aware of the need to reduce CO2 emissions in response to climate change. Now, energy price rises driven by Russia’s actions are hitting hard. The transition is well under way and increased efficiency plays a big part.”
Solar Monkey raised €4M in growth capital in August 2022 to fund its continuing growth and mounting impact. The round was led by the Finnish investor Helen Ventures and the Dutch energy group Eneco, joining longer-standing backers 4impact and Innovation Quarter.
