Streamergy collates data from renewable energy plants in its data warehouse.
The start-up Streamergy connects renewable energy systems by using its in-house development of a cloud-based platform as a “data hub” and storing data outside of applications, which gives clients maximum flexibility and complete data sovereignty. We talked to Stefan Rensberg, co-founder of Streamergy, about the company’s business model
Mr. Rensberg, when was Streamergy founded and how did that come about?
In February 2021, three of us founded the company together. We were all former employees of meteocontrol – one of our founders, Martin Schneider, had actually co-founded meteocontrol. Following some changes in meteocontrol’s shareholder structure, we decided to found Streamergy. Today we have ten employees.
But your services are different from those offered by meteocontrol?
Yes, they are. We’ve recognized the growing importance of data in the energy transition and have set a clear focus on that. Sector coupling requires the integration of a variety of data sources, and there’s a demand for optimizing energy consumption and cross-system analysis, which necessitates an open and performant access to the required data.
You refer to your product as a “data hub” – what does that mean?
We offer a data warehouse for renewable energies and we specialize in both operating and master data. Master data are technical data referring to projects and components. They have become very important when it comes to grid connection of photovoltaic systems, among others. Unfortunately, there is a lot of red tape involved in this. Operating data, on the other hand, are time series-based measurement data generated by inverters, meters, sensors, power plant controllers etc. We standardize the different formats and protocols, enabling a continuous, automated data flow.
In other words, we collate measurement data, technical data and the respective meta data on one platform, and present them transparently and digitally with the available level of detail. This is the basis for each digital twin. The micro-apps integrated in our platform allow working with the data to enable data analysis, the development of business models and financial evaluations. In some cases, it’s already a huge step for the client if they can gather all the data in one place, so they can observe and analyze them as a whole. What’s important to us here, is that all the data can in turn be distributed to other systems, allowing the client to flexibly decide which software solutions to work with.
Your goal is for companies with self generation – using PV for example – to optimize their self consumption with flexible loads, is that right?
Yes, that’s one of our goals. We consider ourselves supporters of the optimization of sector coupling in companies, for instance by bringing together all operating data from storage devices or charging stations with PV-systems. We offer a superordinate IT solution that brings together existing portals and data loggers with different interfaces. Upon request, we also integrate weather forecasts and the trading price of electricity into the system.
Who is your target group?
Our area is B2B. Our target group consists of medium-sized to large companies in the renewable energies sector. With our solutions, companies can implement digitalization projects for process optimization, or outsource certain requirements where they benefit from our scaling options. So we offer more than a software solution – we also offer the know-how. Whether you’re talking about processes or energy flows – ultimately, it’s all about optimization.
Has there not been a comparable service around yet?
As in most cases, our service isn’t fundamentally new. There are monitoring providers that host data, but they usually have a particular specialization. And then there are plain data warehouses that manage any kind of data. We’re seeing a niche for an open data warehouse that already contains the functions required for renewable sources of energy, such as compatibility with standard systems. This is important for any client wanting or needing to work with their data.
Another main concern of ours is focusing on master data. Any project comes with extensive information requirements, including datasheets. If this information can be structurally and flexibly stored and retrieved, this results in great added value. One example for this is grid connection, during which a lot of information is retrieved. We’re also good at organizing this kind of data, portioning them into manageable chunks so that clients don’t lose the overview. In this regard, we consider our solution to be something new on the market.
How secure is the data?
We are able to let the client decide for himself where he would like to host his data. If a client is already running his own infrastructure that meets IT security standards, we can easily integrate our system without creating external dependencies or additional risks for the client. When we store the data in our system, the client data is separated into instances, so that each client can only access the data coming from his own systems.
So far, Streamergy has mainly – or exclusively – been active in the PV industry. Do you have any projects with other types of power plants yet?
The PV industry is obviously our home – that’s where we started out. But by now we’re also involved in projects in the areas of charging infrastructure, battery storage systems and wind energy. These fields are becoming more intertwined, so we’re perfectly prepared with our data hub.
How do you rate Streamergy’s potential in the international market?
Generally speaking, our product isn’t specifically made for the German market, which is evidenced by a successful project in India. Especially the wholly data-driven solution has huge potential in the international market, because it’s less about a perfect user interface and more about optimized data management. For the time being, we’re focused on the German market, though, as we have our hands full with the energy transition and digitalization, or rather process simplification.
How do you expect your company to develop in the coming years in terms of technology and finance?
We’re working with our key clients towards expanding and developing our product range, always with a close eye on the market. Regarding technologies, we would like to work on projects in the areas of sector coupling and energy management, and the reduction of bureaucracy in general is an exciting field. Digitalization projects always teach us a lot about project work, which helps us improve our product.
In terms of finance, we’re planning on increasing the number of permanent employees and working students. Therefore, it is one of our declared goals to maintain our financial stability. Our path is not defined by radical growth, but healthy, sustainable growth to ensure a stable company.
In 2022, Streamergy was at EM-Power Europe as a start-up, and this year you are back with a larger booth. What made you decide this?
As long-standing industry players, we always considered EM-Power (and Intersolar before that) the most important exhibition of the year. That is why having our own booth has always been our goal. Last year, our booth was a big success. You simply get more attention with a booth than by just being around the exhibition as a visitor. Our booth provided us with some very valuable conversations and opportunities, so participating again was the obvious decision. As an innovative company, we are receiving funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs this year, and will be represented at the Ministry’s joint booth
