With photovoltaics for the street in the “den of the lions”

Published on: September 17, 2020 / Update from: September 17, 2020 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Solmove's business idea: With smart solar modules that are installed on road surfaces, cycle paths, parking lots and other sealed areas, not only can solar power be generated, but other intelligent functions can also be implemented for the transport infrastructure of tomorrow.

Awarded the VisionAward 2020: Jury chairman Ulrich Clef (left) presents the Vision Award to Donald Müller-Judex - © solmove.com

Solmove wins the VisionAward 2020 and ventures into the “den of the lions”

The Berlin startup company Solmove GmbH received the Vision Award 2020. In Munich, the founder Donald Müller-Judex received the coveted trophy from the hands of Ulrich Clef. “We need brave people and clever ideas if we want to achieve the energy transition,” said the initiator of the Vision Award, praising the inventor of the smart solar road. Guest of honor Pascal Finette, holder of the Chair of Entrepreneurship & Open Innovation at the Singularity University in Silicon Valley, initiated by the Google founders, spoke in his speech about the importance of disruptive developments and how to recognize them in good time. The timing is crucial. When the time is right, stable financing is needed. This also applies to Solmove for its award-winning Smart Solar Street concept, for which a crowdinvesting campaign is currently running on the FunderNation platform on the web.

With photovoltaics into the “den of the lions”

The appearance in the “Höhle der Löwen” (VOX) on September 28th will therefore be exciting. Solmove hopes for a successful “deal”. It can also make its concept known to a wider audience.

In the popular founder show “Höhle der Löwen” on VOX, seven investors fight for the start-ups with the best business ideas. Sustainability is one of the trending topics. Sustainable products and ideas are continually presented and pitched for the attention of investors. That's why Solmove applied with its Smart Solar Street concept and was invited to the current season this fall. Now the founder Donald Müller-Judex hopes to be able to convince former Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg and the other investors in the lion pride with his concept on the show on September 28th and get them to invest. Nico Rosberg, who is one of the lions for the first time this year, stands like no other for topics such as sustainability, renewable energies and e-mobility. In view of global climate change, he is committed to overcoming combustion engines in passenger transport and is also calling for Formula 1 to switch to electric vehicles. So the ideal partner for Solmove! If a deal is made between Löwen and the start-ups, they not only receive financial support, but also benefit from the experience and expertise of the investors.

Solmove's business idea: With smart solar modules that are installed on road surfaces, cycle paths, parking lots and other sealed areas, not only can solar power be generated, but other intelligent functions can also be implemented for the transport infrastructure of tomorrow. In the future, electric vehicles could also be charged inductively with electricity, which would give an enormous boost to the spread of electric mobility. In Germany alone, around 1,400 square kilometers of horizontal areas are suitable for solar roads, which could be used to power around 20 million electric vehicles. Existing traffic areas can be used twice - this reduces the amount of land needed to generate renewable energy in nature. With their environmentally friendly electricity generation from sunlight, Solmove solar roads are also 100% climate-neutral and thus make a substantial contribution to achieving the climate and sustainability goals of the United Nations.

Awarded the VisionAward 2020

The Smart Solar Street, whose functionality is now proven by three pilot systems in Cologne and Gelsenkirchen, has received numerous awards in recent years. The VisionAward 2020 was added just this week. Since 2006, VisionAwards have been awarded by an independent and interdisciplinary jury to companies that set the tone with an innovative and disruptive business idea. The winners of recent years now include well-known companies such as Amiando (XING Events), Brands for Friends, Green City Solutions, Betterplace, Lilium, myTaxi etc.

Due to Corona, the VisionAwards 2020 ceremony for Solmove and two other start-ups this year only took place in a small group and was broadcast online.

Jury chairman Ulrich Clef praised the technology of the Smart Solar Street and its ability to combine with other information, data and inductive charging technology. Studies on urban development and smart cities predict a radical change in the functionality of road infrastructure in the next few years. A continuing increase in traffic volumes and densely populated areas in cities and metropolitan areas, a necessary reduction in emissions and decarbonization despite increasing energy consumption, limited areas for the local production of renewable energy and the need for data exchange between (future autonomous) vehicles and the infrastructure. According to a recent study by IDTechEx from 2018, the integration of smart functionality into roads has a global market potential that will grow to up to $18 billion annually over the next 10 years. The study mentions around 100 current Smart City projects that relate to smart road surfaces. Solmove is one of the leading solution providers in this area. Further Solmove test facilities are planned soon for Kunshan near Shanghai/China and for Jülich/Germany.

Crowd investing campaign for tomorrow's transport infrastructure

Solmove's current crowdinvesting campaign, as well as any investments by the lions, serve to advance the product development of Smart Solar Street until it is ready for the market and to be able to set up series production in Germany. Crowd investing is a relatively new form of crowdfunding. In contrast to crowdfunding, the amounts collected are not donations, but rather investments. With crowd investing, private investors invest in a company and receive shares or an attractive interest rate in return.

“Solmove receives numerous inquiries about projects and we sense clear interest in our solution – not just in the media. We are currently working on six projects worldwide, two of which are in Europe, one in the USA, one in South America, one in China and one in the Emirates. Another system will be started shortly,” explains Donald Müller-Judex, founder, CEO and inventor of Smart Solar Street . “We expect steep growth in the next few years once our product has reached market maturity.”

The company solmove GmbH, based in Berlin, has developed Smart Solar Street, an innovative, multifunctional surface for streets and other sealed surfaces. The modular system generates green electricity from solar energy, heat for de-icing, light for more safety and will enable wireless charging of cars in the future.

The advantages lie in the preservation of agricultural land, the upgrading of existing infrastructure and the opportunity for every municipality to contribute locally to the energy transition.