Volter, a U.K.-based software startup, has launched a subscription software platform for owners of commercial and industrial (C&I) real estate to manage and generate revenues with their rooftop solar assets. It also provides productivity modules for installers of commercial rooftop-oriented solar systems and power purchase agreement (PPA) providers.
The software has modules to support billing, real-time operational monitoring and reporting, invoicing, and management-related functions.
“Typically, our customer will be either a real estate owner, C&I installer, or C&I PPA provider. They will utilize the platform for billing automation, tenant engagement, customer reporting, performance monitoring, O&M, and offering additional energy services,” Luke Buhl-Nielsen, co-founder of Volter, told pv magazine.
The software is compatible with “leading solar hardware and metering equipment” and is reportedly able to integrate data scattered across multiple siloed systems and spreadsheets.
The size of rooftop PV assets owned by Volter’s customers can range from 10 kW up to 3,000 kW. “Our typical size is in the 300-600 kW range,” said Buhl-Nielsen.
Volter officially launched its subscription-based software in August and is already finding customers in commercial real estate who are installing solar to provide electricity to tenants at a competitive rate.
“Essentially C&I properties are merging with energy to become revenue-generating power plants – and this is the creation of an entirely new asset class,” said Buhl-Nielsen, noting that there is the added benefit of reducing overall grid emissions.
The Volter software reportedly “streamlines processes” that are typically manual, time-consuming, or error-prone, automating landlord and tenant solar billing, invoicing and revenue collection, as well as supporting reporting to tenants.
It is suitable for users with either one installation or a portfolio of solar assets.
Asked about the training required to use the platform, Buhl-Nielsen said, “It's a very intuitive platform and can be learned in a matter of minutes. We can onboard new properties and solar systems within 24 hours.”
Looking ahead, the startup aims to add energy service-related functionality, such as aggregated tenant green energy procurement, energy optimization, and virtual power plant (VPP).
Founded in 2024, Volter recently raised a $3.2 million pre-seed round, featuring Neptunia, a venture fund based in Sweden, and two London-based investors Seedcamp and Transition VC, which led the round.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.