Mid-investment update: Renovus rebrands to Grinplus, aiming to leave no solar generator behind.

UNICEF Venture Fund is featuring members of its Climate Action Cohort. The company is now six-months into a year-long investment period and shares an overview of their solution, progress, and next steps. 

Tell us more about Renovus. 

We are a platform designed to create a diverse network of small solar energy generators, redirecting financial resources from large companies to homes, small businesses, schools, non-profits, and underprivileged communities through the sale of renewable energy certificates. Over the last six months, we have rebranded from SolaRec to Grinplus. 

How would you describe your solution to a non-technical person?

A platform that connects small solar energy generators to systems that generate Renewable Energy Certificates and their buyers.

How does your solution address climate adaptation, mitigation and/or resilience?

The solution aims to expand the installed capacity of renewable energy in developing countries, driving the energy transition through distributed generation.

What type of frontier technology are you using?

Our solution leverages Data Science and AI to reach a large number of small solar generators, streamline onboarding, and analyze performance patterns of solar installations to identify areas for improvement.

What is unique about your solution and how is it different from what currently exists? 

Previously, only large wind and solar farms could access the renewable energy certificate market. Our platform aims to enable small generators to enter this market and benefit from private funds.

What value do you see in making your solution open source? 

In developing our solution, we have benefited from open source solutions and data. We believe that being open source can involve more people and companies, helping us improve our solution significantly.

How did you come up with your solution and what inspired you to form your company? 

Working in the renewable energy sector, we encountered several problems firsthand: a lack of installed renewable energy capacity, especially in distributed generation; long investment amortization periods; and various population sectors with limited or no access to energy, heavily relying on scarce public resources. This led us to ask: Is there a way to bring private financing to small generators?

Tell us more about your team?

The 3 founders are: Margarita Mangino, Pablo Ferrari and Diego Blixen.

Why is diversity important for your startup? How does it add value? 

Diversity is central to us. The strength of our project relies on a broad and diverse network, encompassing small generators, certificate purchasing companies, team members, providers, and partners.

What do you plan on doing with UNICEF's Venture Fund investment and how will you use the investment to leverage additional opportunities for growth?

The support of the UNICEF Venture Fund is essential to shaping the project, enabling us to implement the necessary developments to connect inverters from small generators and create a platform for generating certificates.

What challenges are you currently facing in building your solution and/or startup? 

Accessing the diverse populations we aim to reach, such as underprivileged communities, educational institutions, and women-led businesses worldwide, is crucial. Additionally, connecting with companies that buy certificates is essential. In both cases, building strong partnerships helps us overcome these challenges.

How can others support you in working towards overcoming these challenges?  

As mentioned, the project involves creating a robust network of small connected generators, with its strength rooted in diversity. Building a network that includes small businesses, underprivileged communities, women-led businesses, and educational institutions, among others, requires the support of institutions and individuals.

Interested to learn more about Renovus? Visit their website or contact with the team directly via email at soporte@grinplus.com.