Behind-the-scenes tech: The Viennese companies turning the green energy dream into reality
December 19, 2024|TA
When it comes to the green energy revolution, tangible technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels, and energy-efficient buildings rightly get plenty of press, partly because they are simple to explain and easy to photograph. But in the heart of Vienna, a trio of innovative startups is showing how behind-the-scenes technologies can help – and are indeed essential – to make renewable energy practical, affordable and efficient enough to become truly realistic.
Startups like cobee solutions, Inmox, and OPTIVICE are among those leading the charge to democratize energy production and consumption. cobee solutions is making sustainable renovation more accessible through digital innovations, presenting complex content in an easy-to-understand manner, offering quick initial analyses, and providing compelling arguments for adopting renewable energy. Inmox is revolutionizing industrial maintenance through smart sensors that prevent equipment failure and reduce waste, while OPTIVICE leverages AI to optimize supply chains, cutting down on resource consumption and emissions. Together, these companies exemplify how Vienna is becoming a nexus for green tech, driving forward sustainable solutions across diverse industries.
Like so many other cities around the world, Vienna is facing significant challenges due to climate change, including rising maximum temperatures projected to increase by 7.6 degrees Celsius by 2050. What makes Vienna stand out, however, are the proactive strategies it has adopted to do its part in combatting climate change and keeping the city liveable. The Smart Climate City Vienna strategy, updated in 2022, aims for CO2 neutrality by 2040. It emphasizes expanding renewable energy sources, enhancing waste reduction, promoting a circular economy, and slashing CO2 emissions from transport.
OPTIVICE: Dynamic energy management
OPTIVICE, founded in late 2021 by Lucas Scheiber and Aline Leiner, stands at the forefront of dynamic energy management – an ability that is particularly important within burgeoning so-called “energy communities”.
Across Austria and other European nations, energy consumers and producers have formed these groups in order to collectively produce, consume, and store energy, primarily from renewable sources, boosting energy efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing local renewable energy use.
As of 2024, Austria supports 1,171 so-called “Renewable Energy Communities”, thanks to the Renewable Expansion Act of 2021 which facilitates their legal framework. This initiative is complemented by the European Commission’s Clean Energy for All Europeans Package, fortifying these communities’ role in the energy ecosystem.
As the number of energy communities grows, so does the need for efficiency in distributing and consuming the energy produced from renewables, such as wind turbines and solar panels.
OPTIVICE technology optimizes energy usage through intelligent monitoring and AI-driven data analytics. OPTIVICE’s technology allows communities to not only monitor but also predict energy flows, ensuring that energy production and consumption are aligned with actual needs.
Scheiber describes OPTIVICE’s core capability: “Our system integrates seamlessly into existing infrastructures, leveraging AI to forecast energy needs and suggest optimal usage schedules. This minimizes waste and reduces reliance on external power sources.”
For regions which depend heavily on solar and wind power, this approach has clear advantages, as it takes the guesswork out of the high variability in production. The system is designed to adjust dynamically – essential in a landscape where energy production can be as unpredictable as the weather conditions driving it.
By effectively balancing production and consumption, OPTIVICE helps to stabilize local grids, preventing fluctuations and making renewable energy consumption an ever more attainable, sustainable solution for regular consumers.
cobee solutions: Better buildings, building better
As Vienna prepares for a population increase of 310,000 people (15.6%) over the next three decades, the construction sector becomes increasingly significant. Here, startups like cobee are making noteworthy contributions by developing digital tools that facilitate energy-efficient building renovations and the integration of renewable energy sources.
cobee, a portmanteau of “collaboration” and “bee”, carries the power of combined efforts in its name. Founded in 2023 by Marlene Würfl, Lukas Stanek and Toren Gebauer, cobee aims to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy in existing buildings.
“We met privately through our shared passion for energy communities, which are local groups that share renewable energy resources,” explains co-founder Marlene Würfl. “A personal renovation project inspired us to establish cobee and develop initial prototypes, now being tested in collaboration with FH Technikum, the Austrian Society for Environment and Technology (ÖGUT), and the tatwort nachhaltige Projekte GmbH.
Its flagship tool, the cobee Analyst, is a B2B solution that enables comprehensive site analyses for properties, assessing photovoltaic and geothermal energy potential through AI-driven data.
For private property owners, cobee works with renowned companies to offer energy concepts and their implementation, as well as supporting communication strategies to highlight the benefits of investing in a sustainable building. In addition, cobee is developing a digital renovation advisor that provides tailored recommendations, supporting informed decision-making for kicking off renovation projects. “We are developing a renewable energy concept for a residential complex, considering all legal, economic, and ecological factors,” Marlene Würfl notes. “This involves close collaboration with city planners and policymakers to ensure our solutions are integrated into broader urban development plans.”
Like many startups, cobee faced challenges during its founding phase, including securing funding and managing the complexities of the regulatory environment.
“Securing a grant was pivotal, but the real challenge was operationalizing cobee and battling uncertainties in a dynamic environment and staying strong as a team”, shares Würfl.
Their journey highlights the importance of resilience and adaptability in the face of challenges. The ability to leverage their network, to pivot and to refine their business model based on feedback and market demands has been crucial to their sustained growth and success. The result? Today, cobee can offer its solutions to an ever-wider audience and make impactful renovation projects easier with the help of digitalisation.
"We envision a future where all buildings in Vienna and beyond are optimized for energy efficiency and renewable energy use, significantly reducing carbon footprints and contributing to global climate goals."
Marlene Würfl, co-founder of cobee
Inmox: Healthy wind turbines
Wind turbines are not an unusual sight in the Austrian countryside. As of 2023, the country boasted 1,424 turbines which generate 3,885 megawatts of clean, green electricity for around 2.55 million households.
This is all well and good, but what happens when they fail? Despite their seemingly immovable presence and robust design, turbines require biannual servicing. Factors such as component quality, environmental conditions and maintenance schedules can influence their lifespan – typically 20 to 25 years – dramatically. A failure or fault with a blade, electrical system or gearbox is not only costly, but dangerous.
This is where Inmox, a visionary tech startup from Vienna, steps in. Inmox’s innovative approach to condition monitoring significantly improves the reliability and efficiency of wind turbines by focusing on one of their most critical components: the gearbox.
By using advanced sensors and machine learning algorithms, Inmox’s technology provides real-time data on the condition of gearboxes, detecting potential failures before they lead to costly downtimes. Michael Aufreither, co-founder of Inmox, explains, “Our system specializes in detecting the early signs of wear and tear, allowing for timely interventions that can prevent major breakdowns and extend the turbine’s operational life.”
The technology developed by Inmox is particularly relevant in regions where the density of wind turbines is high. The ability to monitor each turbine’s gearbox in real time and predict maintenance needs not only ensures a higher uptime but also optimizes the energy output of each unit. It’s this predictive maintenance capability that is changing the game for the renewable energy sector, as it allows energy providers to maintain a steady supply of power while reducing the overall maintenance costs associated with these massive installations.
Moreover, Inmox’s solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly into existing systems, making it an attractive option for energy companies looking to upgrade their maintenance protocols without significant upfront investment.
“Our retrofit design allows for easy integration with current and new turbines, enhancing their performance and reliability without disrupting existing operations,” Aufreither adds.
Inmox’s journey from concept to execution was supported by funding from grants and early-stage investors. This financial support was crucial for overcoming initial challenges, enabling the company to focus on product development and market entry, eventually leading to their technology’s rise in the renewable energy sector, not just in Austria.
Do you have an exciting climate innovation in need of funding? Learn more about the Vienna Planet Fund here.