By: Brooke Nally, SolarPowerAuthority
Despite being primarily marketed for residential and commercial energy supply, the solar power industry is brimming with other potential applications. From water generation to information sharing, solar technology has the capacity to power a lot of global development. And recently, a few smart organizations have started tapping into those possibilities.
Though there are a number of solar startups worth watching right now, this list highlights a few companies that are taking new approaches to traditional solar applications. By incorporating clean energy into high-tech solutions, these five organizations are providing smart solar solutions to a variety of challenges.
- SunToWater
Already garnering attention from the brilliant minds in Silicon Valley, SunToWater has designed a compact solar-powered device that produces pure, usable water from humidity in the air. The device works by drawing water from passed air over an absorbent salt bed. Heat from the machine’s solar collectors then evaporates the pure water, which can then be re-condensed into a collection tank for household use.
Last year, the startup won the Silicon Valley Founder Showcase and took first place in the Singularity University Impact Challenge, a contest that sought innovative solutions to California’s drought. Co-founder and CEO Benjamin Blumenthal is also optimistic about the device’s far-reaching applications. Whereas current water purification methods, like desalination, are area-specific — they’re less practical outside costal locations — “taking water from air, on the other hand,” says Blumenthal, “can happen anywhere.”
- SolarCity
Already an established brand with plenty of financial support, SolarCity makes this list for a special reason: Elon Musk’s recent interest in acquiring the company. Musk, currently the chairman of the SolarCity board, has already hinted at some big plans for a merger between SolarCity and his car company, Tesla. Arguably the most exciting implication of an acquisition would be further integration between SolarCity panels and Tesla batteries, which could make it easy and affordable for solar customers to store their own generated power.
Musk’s offer comes at an opportune time. SolarCity has installed an increasingly high number of solar panels in the last few years, but as solar benefits like net metering see more restriction, that growth may hit a plateau. If the merger goes through, however, the company could provide a more independent solar experience than other businesses.
- CloudSolar
For those who want to reap the benefits of solar power but don’t have room to install panels, CloudSolar — the brainchild of innovators Michael Sun, Cory Absi, and Xiaohang Li — is providing a solution. This burgeoning startup plans to allow its subscribers to purchase solar panels and install them on remote CloudSolarFarms, where they’ll be maintained and serviced by company representatives. CloudSolar will sell the energy the panels generate and send panel owners a revenue check every three months. To cover expenses, the company will take a 20% cut of the profits generated by users’ panels — a small price to pay for hassle-free revenue coming in regularly.
The company has encountered a few complications with its Indigogo funding, but CloudSolar founders and the crowdfunding platform are currently working toward a resolution. Hopefully the parties will come to an agreement soon, as the CloudSolar model provides an easy way for users to help the solar industry expand while generating enough money to recoup the initial investment.
- Sighten
Sighten holds a place on this list for filling an oft-overlooked need in the solar industry: software. Though solar arrays can be great investments in the long run, there’s a lot of red tape to navigate around installation, permitting, and inspections — all of which can make it hard for solar industry professionals to stay organized and efficient. Newer solar businesses and startups are particularly susceptible to becoming overwhelmed by the process of managing multiple solar clients.
Sighten aims to change that, and thanks to closure on a $3.5 million Series A financing round led by capital venture firm Obvious Ventures, it’s well on its way. The company has created software for solar developers that simplifies business operations, allowing providers to sell and install more solar. According to Sighten CEO Conlan O’Leary, “[Sighten] customers can reduce all types of costs because they’re doing things more efficiently by leveraging best-in-class technology.” And those lowered expenses for solar companies will likely mean lower prices for customers, in turn.
- SOLARKIOSK
Founded to address the energy poverty that affects roughly 1.5 million people worldwide, SOLARKIOSK is an exciting company to follow. Through GRAFT-designed E-HUBB storefronts, SOLARKIOSK offers citizens of rural, gridless communities the chance to use solar power to access energy and technology. Each hub is powered by solar panels and battery packs, making them suitable for a wide range of conditions.
Per CEO Andreas Speiss, the scalability of SOLARKIOSK is a big part of what made the model so successful — by providing custom-fit solutions to communities, the organization has kept costs low and efficiency high. The company has also begun working with local people to provide education, training, and support, ensuring a positive long-term relationship between the company and the people it aims to help. SOLARKIOSK has already been recognized for its great work, and was awarded “Bloomberg New Energy Pioneer 2016″ at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance summit earlier this year.
With increasing awareness of energy efficiency and environmental consciousness, it’s clear that solar will be a big part of the world’s future. As more exciting solar-powered businesses crop up with industry expansion, keep a close eye on the promising companies listed above to see what they do next.