Every roof counts: Elevion Green turns climate protection into a business case with solar systems on commercial roofs

Smartly used spaces for businesses and the climate –  that's what Elevion Green, member of Elevion Group, makes possible with its digital all-in-one solution for photovoltaic systems (PV) on commercial roofs. The principle: Businesses calculate the PV potential for their roofs online and directly receive an offer from an established, regional installation company. This is achieved by the more than 4,000 employees of the corporate group behind Elevion Green, the Europe-wide active Elevion Group. Thus, Elevion Green's new digital infrastructure can directly transfer into the expertise and manpower for local implementation.

Empty roofs are unused potential – for business and climate protection

Germany's commercial roofs offer immense photovoltaic potential – equivalent to the output of 121 gas or coal power plants, as analyzed by Garbe Industrial Real Estate, a corporate real estate specialist. However, only ten percent of the roof spaces of large commercial properties are currently used for photovoltaic systems.

One reason: Businesses often shy away from the previously analog, complex commissioning process. Offers are typically still made with pen and paper, the process steps are opaque and poorly aligned with the needs of the business.

Companies benefit from more energy independence during geopolitical conflicts

PV systems on commercial roofs offer immense advantages: Businesses transition from mere electricity consumers to producers, utilizing the energy directly or alternatively feeding it into the grid. For businesses, this creates greater independence from external factors, such as energy price fluctuations due to geopolitical conflicts. In addition to the advantage of decentralized production, the self-generated electricity also promises long-term cost savings compared to purchased energy.

Elevion Green aims to support small and medium-sized businesses in entering solar energy: The offer targets businesses with roof potential from 30 to 999 kWp; corresponding to roof sizes of about 135 to 4500 square meters, depending on roof shape. The lifespan of modern solar systems is 30 to 40 years. The payback period for the investment is sometimes just seven years. Elevion Green's goal is to achieve several MWp of planned area, i.e., fixed PV setups, within this year.

"With Elevion Green, we enable a digital commissioning process that is faster than before while still ensuring direct contact with specialists from the region. This combination of technology and craftsmanship equally aids the commissioning companies and the solar businesses," explains Florian Resatsch, CEO of Elevion Green. That craftsmanship and digital technology can successfully work together has already been demonstrated by Resatsch as CMO at Viessmann. Therefore, the range of offers from Elevion Green will also be expanded to include additional energy services throughout 2024, such as battery storage and EV charging options, to become a comprehensive 'One-Stop-Shop' for B2B customers.

Experience Meets Digitalization: The Elevion Group and Elevion Green

These ambitious goals are only possible because Elevion Green can draw on the decades-long expertise of companies from the Elevion Group, the European provider of end-to-end decarbonization and higher energy efficiency solutions with over 60 specialized companies. To all these specialists, Elevion Green provides access through a central interface, offering its customers a process where everything from the initial digital contact to installation is handled all in one place.

For the involved companies of the Elevion Group, the digital process offers benefits as well: "With Elevion Green, we enable our companies to focus on their core business. We reduce their administrative efforts through the centralized digitalization of the commissioning process while simultaneously generating more orders through a stronger customer focus," says Jaroslav Macek, CEO of the Elevion Group.