Belgian based energy monitor is the very first datalogger to integrate virtual currency in its technology

In its quest to promote the production and use of renewable energy, Smappee will be the first datalogger to integrate SolarCoins in its technology. Starting today, Smappee users with solar panels receive SolarCoins, a virtual currency which can be converted to real cash or saved for future use. “Our cooperation with the SolarCoin Foundation benefits everyone involved”, explains Smappee CEO Stefan Grosjean. “Our clients earn some extra cash, and the SolarCoin network can grow and inspire more people to switch to renewable energy sources.”

Smappee Solarcoins in the app

SolarCoin is the world’s largest community solar electricity reward program. It was developed with blockchain technology to generate an additional reward for solar electricity producers. Solar panel owners, both individual households and companies, receive one SolarCoin for each MWh of solar electricity they produce. People can convert their SolarCoins to real cash or save them for the future. The rate of the SolarCoins can vary a lot, according to the bitcoin principle.
 
From now on, Belgian-based energy monitor Smappee offers its users easy automatic access to free SolarCoins. “Our app already gives users a quick and easy overview of the real-time production of their solar panels. Now, they will also be able to see how many SolarCoins they have earned”, says CEO Stefan Grosjean. “The free SolarCoins incentivize solar panel owners beyond the money they save by producing their own energy. We see this as a  nice reward for people who already invested in solar panels and an extra incentive to encourage people to switch to renewable energy.”

Smappee is the first datalogger worldwide to integrate SolarCoins into its technology. Stefan Grosjean is excited about the introduction of SolarCoins. “From day one, Smappee has shown the ambition to take the lead in the energy transition. The SolarCoin Foundation shares our ambition to innovate and shake up the energy industry. By allowing people to sell and buy solar power themselves – whether that’s with their own neighbors, or with people in Africa or the United States – SolarCoins will allow consumers to take independence and control over their own energy use and production.

“In the future, our homes will function as decentralised energy hubs, interconnected through smart energy grids. Blockchain technology like SolarCoin is a great way to exchange information between all these hubs and speed up the energy transition.” 

François Sonnet of SolarCoin is convinced that the cooperation with Smappee can give solar power an extra push. “Everybody wins. The more people use SolarCoins, the more they will be worth, and the more money users will earn. On the other hand, our data will also become more reliable. Up until now, SolarCoin users registered their solar energy production every six months. Our integration with Smappee will allow us to monitor real-time solar energy production and gather data that can be used to track climate change and air pollution levels.”
 

 Do you have interesting ideas you'd like to share with us? Mail us your suggestions, hot topics or burning questions: s.slabinck@smappee.com